White Plains voters approved a $48.2 school bond issue Tuesday to replace and refurbish buildings and install needed wi-fi infrastructure, The Journal News/Lohud.com reports today.
The plan, which was approved by a nearly 3-to-1 ratio, will cost taxpayers roughly $65 a year for a house assessed at the district average, officials said.
Roughly 1,000 people voted.
“I am very happy with the results. I’m very happy with all the public forums and tours and materials online, that people thought about it and came out and voted,” schools Superintendent Christopher P. Clouet said. “I think it will be to the long-term good of the school district and add to White Plains because some of the older buildings will be preserved for future generations,” he added.
Many of the improvements the money will be used for are part of the district’s regular maintenance cycle. Roughly $22 million will be used for roofing, masonry and other renovations on the Eastview School, which dates to 1925. The district will spend $4.8 million on wi-fi and $200,000 to upgrade elementary school playgrounds.
The district will call for bids on the work and send the plan to the state Education Department for approval. Clouet said work could start as early as next summer.
The school board approved the plan after receiving recommendations from an 18-person task force that spent seven months evaluating building conditions. A state-mandated inspection last year identified the district’s need.
(Journal News file photo of Clouet.)
