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How Ossining Schools Can Save $60 Million

By J. Philip Faranda

Managing Real Estate Broker with Howard Hanna Rand Realty License # 49FA1074963

February 09, 2011 07:56 AM

Tonight, the Ossining school board will vote on putting a $69,000,000 bond for school expansions and renovations up for referendum.

$69,000,000.00.

The issue the district is facing is how to house the growing population of students they serve, which is a good thing. The solution, to spend almost $70 million, strikes me as not such a good thing. A few hundred extra students should not cost $70 million. Not too long ago, the high school was renovated extensively when the baby boom addition was found to have structural problems. The building was expanded later as well. Park school has had a recent addition. Presumably, all of the schools have been responsibly maintained. The superintendent of schools has characterized the initiative as "counterintuitive." I love the salesmanship. But the price tag worries me terribly.

The breakdown is a follows:

$30.6 million for the high school
$24.6 million for the middle school
$500,000 for Roosevelt, which currently houses 5th grade
$13 million for Claremont school, including 9 new classrooms

I don't dispute that there are capital projects needed. I don't dispute the need for more classrooms. But I do dispute the proposed solution.

This June, St Ann's school will close. St Ann has about 12 classrooms, a fine gymnasium, a relatively new library, and quite a large schoolyard. It would seem to me that you could house an entire grade of the Ossining school district right here without having to build one classroom on an existing district owned building. They could lease the space from St Ann's parish or buy it outright. Such a move would not be unheard of.

And it would save the district tens of millions of dollars. If it doesn't work out, then the larger price tag proposal could be reconsidered.

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Jack Mossman - The Nines Team at Keller Williams in Lodi

The Nines Team at Keller Williams in Lodi - Lodi, CA

The Nines Team in Lodi

Phil - Oh now really! Using logic and foresight as an alternative to just spending money ... after all it's just bond money ... and the students will eventually have to pay it off with their taxes!

Isn't it always easier to just get a bond ... rather than find a more cost effective solution ....?

Feb 09, 2011 01:34 PM

Anonymous

Chris

Last weekend search all over the School District's website to see the breakdown of the $69 million they wanted to borrow. It was no where on their site. But now I have the breakdown, thanks to your website. I am quite glad the bond was voted down. We can hardly support ourselves these days (on fixed income) so to have our school taxes increased even more would be extremely hard on us. Also, school board knew years ago the furnace had to be replaced at AMD, but they bonded, and spent, millions on astro-turf instead. This does not make sense. Again, thank you for the breakdown.

Apr 10, 2011 06:23 AM

How Ossining Schools Can Save $60 Million

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