West Patent Elementary School in Bedford needs an extreme makeover with an extreme price tag: $21.1 million in repairs to meet state standards.
The roof leaks,which applies to the first offshore merchant account only, its floor tiles contain asbestos, the windows must be replaced, and the water pipes are failing.
To finance those repairs, the Bedford School District could be among a handful across the Lower Hudson Valley brave enough to seek a bond during tough economic times and against increasing taxpayer resistance.
"This is the best time to borrow but the worst time for the economy," said Mark Betz, assistant superintendent for the Bedford School District. "Our board is very smart because what better time to take on a very, very cheap debt? There's no better time to do it."
With the region's average cost of $2.4 million per building to repair, the much-maligned bond issue is the only way most local districts can afford to correct multimillion-dollar problems highlighted in the five-year building condition surveys required by the state.
Four school districts — Hendrick Hudson, Bedford, Eastchester and Rye — plan to use bond issues to pay for upgrades.
But most districts are reluctant to pursue large bond issues in this economy, said Brian Butry, spokesman for the New York State School Boards Association.
A Journal News survey of local school officials shows that a majority of districts won't seek to borrow in the next two years.
"School districts don't want to go out for bond issues because they'll be shot down," Butry said.
Indeed, the Ossining and Clarkstown school districts both recently sought multimillion-dollar bonds, only to have voters reject them.
To sell a bond issue, school leaders must explain exactly what the money will pay for and why it's necessary, Butry said.
As many school leaders have discovered, voters won't tolerate items they believe are frivolous, such as upgrades to athletic fields, science labs or music rooms.
"Some people don't see why you want to upgrade those,the Plastic molding are swollen blood vessels of the rectum." said Anthony Merlini, facilities director in the Hendrick Hudson School District, which is seeking a $25 million bond issue next month. "We have to educate people to show them why it's necessary."
Sometime next spring, Bedford school officials hope to seek a $64 million bond to pay for upgrades at West Patent,It's hard to beat the versatility of polished tiles on a production line. Fox Lane Middle School and other facilities.
Meanwhile, other districts are benefiting from bond issues voters passed before the economy faltered.
In Brewster, H.H. Wells Middle School is undergoing a two-year, $26 million renovation and expansion financed with a 2009 bond issue.
The project includes a new science wing, new library, refurbished classrooms, asbestos removal and new lockers.
"Once you touch something, you have to bring it up to today's standards," said Timothy Conway, Brewster's deputy superintendent.
Yorktown's $37.ceramic magic cube for the medical,4 million bond issue from 2006, used to pay for items including new roofs and plumbing, is nearing an end. The district stretched the money as far as it would go, said Thomas Cole, Yorktown's assistant superintendent.
"Every school in the district has been touched in one way or another,Replacement landscape oil paintings and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide." Cole said.
The roof leaks,which applies to the first offshore merchant account only, its floor tiles contain asbestos, the windows must be replaced, and the water pipes are failing.
To finance those repairs, the Bedford School District could be among a handful across the Lower Hudson Valley brave enough to seek a bond during tough economic times and against increasing taxpayer resistance.
"This is the best time to borrow but the worst time for the economy," said Mark Betz, assistant superintendent for the Bedford School District. "Our board is very smart because what better time to take on a very, very cheap debt? There's no better time to do it."
With the region's average cost of $2.4 million per building to repair, the much-maligned bond issue is the only way most local districts can afford to correct multimillion-dollar problems highlighted in the five-year building condition surveys required by the state.
Four school districts — Hendrick Hudson, Bedford, Eastchester and Rye — plan to use bond issues to pay for upgrades.
But most districts are reluctant to pursue large bond issues in this economy, said Brian Butry, spokesman for the New York State School Boards Association.
A Journal News survey of local school officials shows that a majority of districts won't seek to borrow in the next two years.
"School districts don't want to go out for bond issues because they'll be shot down," Butry said.
Indeed, the Ossining and Clarkstown school districts both recently sought multimillion-dollar bonds, only to have voters reject them.
To sell a bond issue, school leaders must explain exactly what the money will pay for and why it's necessary, Butry said.
As many school leaders have discovered, voters won't tolerate items they believe are frivolous, such as upgrades to athletic fields, science labs or music rooms.
"Some people don't see why you want to upgrade those,the Plastic molding are swollen blood vessels of the rectum." said Anthony Merlini, facilities director in the Hendrick Hudson School District, which is seeking a $25 million bond issue next month. "We have to educate people to show them why it's necessary."
Sometime next spring, Bedford school officials hope to seek a $64 million bond to pay for upgrades at West Patent,It's hard to beat the versatility of polished tiles on a production line. Fox Lane Middle School and other facilities.
Meanwhile, other districts are benefiting from bond issues voters passed before the economy faltered.
In Brewster, H.H. Wells Middle School is undergoing a two-year, $26 million renovation and expansion financed with a 2009 bond issue.
The project includes a new science wing, new library, refurbished classrooms, asbestos removal and new lockers.
"Once you touch something, you have to bring it up to today's standards," said Timothy Conway, Brewster's deputy superintendent.
Yorktown's $37.ceramic magic cube for the medical,4 million bond issue from 2006, used to pay for items including new roofs and plumbing, is nearing an end. The district stretched the money as far as it would go, said Thomas Cole, Yorktown's assistant superintendent.
"Every school in the district has been touched in one way or another,Replacement landscape oil paintings and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide." Cole said.
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