Sound School Facilities @ The Cost of a Venti Caffe Misto

I have been approached a number of times over the past week about the building repairs and improvements referendum that will be left up to the voters to approve on December 9th. As we experienced last May, no one should expect that this is a done deal and that people will naturally see the value of keeping our school buildings in good condition, secure, and maintaining a healthy environment for approximately 3,000 students and staff members that basically live and learn in these buildings 10+ months of every year. So it is important to come out and vote.

The District website and communications will provide you with most of the details on the project; but I wanted to give you just quick overview of the proposition.

The district wants to utilize the balance of the “EXCEL” funds that were appropriated to the Elwood School District a few years ago. EXCEL funding was provided to every school district in New York State and can be used, along with building Aid to fund certain projects. There are no salaries or staffing as part of this proposition, only building, technology and security projects can qualify to utilize the EXCEL aid from NY State. Furthermore, even though this aid has already been allocated to Elwood, under regulations, every school district must bring these “improvements” to district voters via a bond referendum… In other words, the community must approve the project and a bond, and then the State gives you the aid to pay off the bond.

The district has project estimates that will provide $1,468,000 in repairs and improvements to all of our buildings (collectively); however, the total future contribution by the Elwood taxpayers will be only a fraction of this amount (approximately 6.5%, or $96,050, including interest). Moreover, some of this $96,050 (approximately $30k) will be paid by the taxpayers in the near future, but the balance will be spread over the life of the bond. (The State dictates the term of the bond and that is yet to be determined.) Nonetheless, one can reasonably say that $66,050 spread over time among all residential and commercial properties in the district will have a negligible impact on the property taxes of the Elwood homeowner. In total, the cost of this project on your future tax bill will have a grand total of approximately $10 - $30 dollars (depending on your specific property’s assessed value) spread over a number of years. So, as far as your school taxes are concerned, this referendum, if approved, can provide needed repairs and improvements to our school facilities (The house needs to be kept in good repair) and it will literally impact your annual property tax bill in a similar amount to buying a Venti Caffé Misto at Starbucks.

Remember, the comments and views expressed on this blog are solely the opinion of Dan Ciccone and not necessarily shared by the Elwood Board of Education.

Moments That Define Character

Our Long Island Champion John Glenn Girls Volleyball team played smart and with great heart in Glenn Falls, but did not grab the trophy. The John Glenn Knights Football team started slow, but finished in dominating fashion to become the Suffolk County Champions and the only undefeated team in Suffolk County. They face the only other undefeated team on LI, The Seaford Vikings, next Saturday in LaValle Stadium for the Long Island Championship. In life, the moments of victory and disappointment are always only seconds apart, but how you face both define character. It is the character of our John Glenn teams that fill the entire community with great pride. Go Glenn!

Remembering The Glory

Today our Long Island champion John Glenn High School Ladies Volleyball Team, the Spiders, play for a NY State Championship, and the John Glenn Football Knights play for a Suffolk County Championship. In 20 years from now these young women and men will not remember the grade they got on their report card, but they will hold the glory of this day in their hearts and minds forever! Go Glenn!