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Superintendent speaks on bond proposition Dear Editor: During the past several months the school district has presented information at three Board of Education meetings to help community members make a decision regarding the upcoming bond referendum, which will be held on November 14th. As we listened to the questions that have been asked at these open forums it became clear that there are several issues that may remain unclear. The first is, "why weren't these issues attended to during the last bond project?" When the board began planning in 2000 for that project space was the critical issue. New instructional spaces were created throughout the district so our students could learn in appropriately sized, well lit and ventilated classrooms. Now, six years later, we have identified projects that must be undertaken for the health and safety of our students and community. Many of these issues were not issues at that time. Just as with our homes, routine maintenance is done on a continued basis. But over time routine maintenance is not sufficient and we are forced to replace or rebuild the systems original to our homes. Our school buildings are no different. In the case of Babylon Schools, the infrastructure bond will tackle those projects that are beyond routine maintenance and require more specialized technical skills. Related to this issue is "why aren't these capital projects addressed through the annual operating budget?" Routine maintenance and some smaller projects are managed through the operating budget. For example, we have a schedule to replace decades-old, outdated ceilings and lighting with more energy efficient, appropriate alternatives. Unfortunately, the number of classrooms where replacements are needed is significant enough that it will be another decade or more before they can be completed. Some projects, such as roof replacements, are just too costly to include in an annual operating budget and it is not practical to replace a roof in stages. It might help to think of the bond-funded projects as projects you finance in your home with a home equity loan. We try to manage the routine repairs within our own budgets, but every so often we need a bank's help to finance that new roof or window replacements. I want to assure you that, just as we prioritize projects in our homes, so did we with this infrastructure bond. The Board of Education did not blithely go about including everything in this referendum. They realize the burden taxpayers on Long Island are asked to bear, and as homeowners bear it themselves. They have been responsible and prudent in their decision-making, just as you must be when making these types of decisions with your families. If there are any questions that community members may still have, we will be happy to answer them. I am available at 893-7925 and would welcome hearing from community members. Ellen Best-Laimit, superintendent
Babylon School District
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