Mount Sinai school’s $25M bond goes down
Mount Sinai School District’s $25 million bond failed to pass Dec. 11 with a vote of 664-428.
Members of the school board walked dejectedly through the halls of the elementary school Monday night after learning of the results.
“There was so much misinformation on Facebook,” board Trustee Edward Law said immediately after the votes were tallied. “I feel like we had an open and transparent process.”
Some residents in community Facebook groups said they were concerned about rising taxes in the Mount Sinai area. Others criticized the district’s use of its finances in the past, specifically the June New York State comptroller’s audit which said the district had amassed millions of dollars in its unrestricted fund balance, higher than the legal maximum of 4 percent of the district’s overall budget.
“I feel like we had an open and transparent process.”
— Trustee Ed Law
District officials said they have made efforts to create a rainy-day fund that could support them in the case of an emergency, but they have said they would be establishing a capital reserve of $750,000 to reduce that fund balance, which could go toward additional capital projects in the future.
In May, residents voted 787-176 to use $5 million of the district’s capital reserve funds for a project that renovated the high school’s turf football field and track, replaced a portion of the high school’s ailing roof and created new fencing around the perimeter of the school campus.
This new bond would have borrowed $2.1 million to finish repairs for the high school’s roof, which teachers and district officials said was causing water damage in rooms throughout the building.
“The board has to decide their next step,” said Superintendent Gordon Brosdal.
Trustees said they were unsure if they could propose another, smaller bond.
“This was a bare bones bond,” Law said. “Though this wasn’t a lesser bond, I don’t think we could go any tighter.”
Trustee Peter Van Middelem said while many of the board member’s children are in school, the actual application of the bond would have gone to supporting both the longevity of the school buildings and the children just entering elementary school.
“The irony is this wasn’t about our own kids but the kids in kindergarten,” Middelem said.
Mount Sinai’s next board meeting is Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium.
