The Syosset community will vote Oct. 1 on a proposed $143.81 million bond to improve school buildings and upgrade athletic facilities to accommodate growing enrollment.
Superintendent Thomas Rogers reviewed the two propositions in which the bond is divided.
Rogers said that Proposition 1 would spend $110.59 million on structural maintenance and improvements to the district’s 10 buildings, most of which were built in the 1950s and ’60s. District officials said the money would replace portable classrooms, build a new gym at Syosset High School, and create a place for centralized guidance counseling and increased space for robotics.
Proposition 2 would spend $33.2 million on work required to accommodate Syosset’s increasing student population, which has grown by about 720 students in the past decade. Plans include a new gym at Robbins Lane Elementary School, a new gym at Baylis Elementary School and a new gym at Walt Whitman Elementary School.
Rogers said the estimated average change in annual school taxes per $10,000 is $211 with Proposition 1 and an additional $76 with Proposition 2.
Proposition 2 cannot pass on its own, Rogers said. It must pass with Proposition 1.
“Sometimes when you’re given two choices, you think it’s either/or,” Rogers said. “It’s not either/or. It’s one or both. The one would be proposition 1. The both would be Proposition 1 and 2.”
“It is the replacement of 17 classrooms that are currently portable classrooms with permanent structures,” Rogers said of Proposition 1.
This proposition would also improve H.B. Thomspon Middle School by adding a vestibule where the metal awning currently hangs and creating a track with a grass infield.
South Woods Middle School has access to the high school’s track and field, but HBT does not.
Creating a track and field at HBT gives students equal opportunity and access to sports facilities.
The high school will receive the most.
“The high school– there’s an extensive amount of work that makes sense,” Rogers said. “It’s the largest building in the district by several orders of magnitude.”
Proposition one will create an additional gym, library, guidance, and robotics space at the high school and expand the existing bus loop. The pool, locker rooms, exterior walls, and roofing will also be repaired.
Districtwide, proposition one will implement air conditioning in gymnasiums, improve four elementary playground upgrades, enhance security measures and fix architectural repairs, such as roofing.
With the addition of Proposition 2, Walt Whitman, Berry Hill, Robbins Lane, and Baylis elementary schools will receive gym additions, the baseball and softball infields will receive turf, and the proposed HBT track will receive a turf infield.
Rogers said these gym additions are helpful to the district as enrollment continues to rise.
“Additional square footage frees up other space, meaning the old gym, for things like musical groups and rehearsals, onsite kitchens, student therapy spaces, future student growth and additional indoor recess space,” Rogers said.
“If you build classrooms, they can only be classrooms,” he said. “If you build a space like a gym, it’s a blank canvas.”
The additional gym space can be reprogrammed depending on each building’s individual needs. The additions would also save the district money on rented space for high school sports, which they currently have to do to accommodate various teams.
Rogers said construction on these improvements would begin in the summer of 2026. The district would aim to maximize construction during the summer, when students are not in the building.
Rogers said that over 80% of the district’s space is over 65 years old, which is why so many projects are listed in each proposition.
Rogers said the estimated sources of funding are 64.7% estimated community share, 32.6% approximate state aid and 2.7% capital reserves offset.
“The district is in a situation right now where our reimbursement from the state is very high relative to what it has typically been,” Rogers said. Right now, the state reimburses $.38 per $1, where it has previously been around $.16 per $1.
“If we take advantage of the current financing, the state’s share of the cost will be the largest,” Rogers said.
The Facilities Improvement Bond vote will be on Oct. 1. Polls are open from 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. The district encourages anyone with additional questions to email [email protected].
