Schools

Nyack Schools Referendum: What Comes Next?

Voters in Nyack tentatively passed a referendum allowing the Nyack Public School District to move forward with $26.4 million in facilities upgrades Tuesday.

The results will not become official until approximately 20 vote challenges are addressed and the school board ratifies the results at its next meeting Nov. 12, but that is unlikely to change the results. The measure passed with 1,508 yes votes to 1,414 against, a difference of 94.

There are steps to be taken after the result is confirmed before any of the upgrades can begin. The list of projects has been approved and can be found on the district website here. The overview provided at the three public information sessions held before the vote is here. The district will use $5 million in reserve funds and a series of bonds to pay for the rest of the work. Those bonds will be staggered, so one of the next steps is to decide which projects will be done first.

"The board has planned to put these bonds out in a staggered fashion," Nyack Superintendent Dr. James Montesano said. "They will go through a process with the architects to look at the work to be done. Also a prioritization of what projects will be scheduled (first) and what kind of order they will be scheduled in. There is a lot of work to be done."

Montesano added that the state aid attached to the project could also take time.

"It has to be processed, which to my understanding, is a lengthy process," Montesano said. "Basically, they are short of manpower in Albany. It's not like shovels will be in the ground next week.

"The board will continue to communicate with the community regarding what its intentions are going forward."

Nyack School Board member Dan Juechter said that it is important to keep in mind that the vote was close and those who opposed the referendum should continue to have their voices heard. He also expressed his hope that all involved can work together to support he district.


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