Q: Why does SHS need a new gym? 

A:  Based on the size of our student body, the state education department requires us to have approximately 100 sections of physical education for our high school students. As a result of our enrollment growth, we no longer have enough physical space to accommodate every section on the schedule. This results in challenges during inclement and winter weather. This challenge will get worse as our enrollment continues to grow, we will experience more pressure from space constraints.

In addition, Syosset gives students the opportunity to play 35 different varsity sports and 33 junior varsity sports. We have more teams than any other school in Section 8. Currently, we average roughly five square feet of gym space per student. Districts of similar size have typically double that space or more. 

Additional gym space at the High School would allow us to continue to offer our students a wide variety of physical education opportunities, both during and after school as well as additional gym space for community use after hours.

Q: Will there be a wrestling room added at the High School?

A. The Propositions before the voters would enable the District to use the high school Auxiliary Gymnasium as a permanent home for wrestling. The new gymnasium that is proposed to be built would provide additional teaching stations for the mandatory Physical Education curriculum. This would relieve the Aux Gym of the pressure to accommodate both wrestling and PE, enabling the mats to remain in place and for us to replace the padding along the walls and divider.

Our current wrestling numbers can be comfortably accommodated in half of the Aux Gym, which is about 3,000 square feet. For comparison, Cold Spring Harbor’s wrestling room is around 1,200 square feet, Massapequa’s is around 1,000, and Jericho’s is around 1,900. Longer range, the construction propositions were designed to be scalable. Should Wrestling numbers increase, the program could be expanded to the complete Aux Gym. The new gym included in Proposition One is also designed to be modular – meaning that an additional gym “bay” could be added in the future, if warranted.

Q: Will maintenance be done on the pool? 

A. The bond includes an allocation for a new pool dehumidification system and a new filtration system.

Q: Is it safe for students to play on artificial turf? 

A. The health and safety of our children is always our top priority, which is one reason why we’ve proposed artificial turf be installed on these fields. Artificial turf fields are engineered to provide a safer, more consistent, and more durable playing environment for children. While natural grass has its own benefits, the consistent quality of turf fields helps reduce certain risks, such as uneven surfaces and poor drainage that leads to injuries, and exposure to allergens or insects. 

We rely on guidance from the relevant government agencies to form our understanding of any potential safety issues around the use of school construction materials. In particular, the Environmental Protection Agency has been studying turf fields for years and, as recently as April of this year, concluded a multi-year study, which found that while exposure to chemicals can occur, it is “likely limited.” Our architects also reviewed a study by the New York State Department of Health (DOH), which noted that multiple health agencies had collected air samples on synthetic and natural turf fields during use. The DOH summary indicated that “exposures resulting from playing on synthetic turf were insignificant and not different from inhalation exposures on natural turf fields.” 

As you may be aware, we currently have an artificial turf field at Syosset High School. Turf manufacturers typically steer clear of known hazardous chemicals during the manufacturing process of the synthetic turf materials, and provide documentation. We spoke with our architects and engineers, who shared with us a letter from the manufacturer of the turf currently installed on our campus, Sprinturf. The letter confirms there are no PFA chemicals used during manufacture and that any lead or other heavy metals are so low, they comply with the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s most stringent standards for children’s toys. 

If proposition two is approved by the voters, as we did with the existing turf at Syosset High School, we will consult with health experts to select materials that comply with the latest safety standards. 

Q: How were costs estimated?  

A: The costs are estimates developed by our architects and construction managers based on current contracts for similar work being performed in neighboring school districts. Because we are at least a year away from bidding out any projects, our estimates include an inflation factor. Each project will be competitively bid and awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. 

Q: Why does the community need to vote on a bond? Is there not any money set aside for construction already? 

A: The District completes between $2 to $4 million in capital work each year as part of the regular approved budget. School districts typically use long term borrowing to perform major capital projects that are not part of regular maintenance. The Board of Education established a capital reserve in 2020 to help underwrite costs for future capital needs and thus reduce both taxes and borrowing costs. The current balance in that fund is approximately $8 million and the Board plans to allocate $4 million to this project and keep the remaining $4 million in reserve in case of emergencies. 

Q: How will this bond impact the community’s taxes? Will they increase?

A: The interest and principal payments for the bonds issued for the project would be spread over 15 or 20 years, depending on the type of project, per State law. These debt service expenses (similar to a “mortgage payment”) would be included as part of the district’s budget. School district construction triggers “matching funds” from New York State called “Building Aid”. So our debt service expenses would be offset by Building Aid reimbursements from the state. Currently, Syosset’s reimbursement level is approximately 38%, so the District’s tax levy would support the remaining 62% of the debt service. 

The bonds would not be issued all at once, they would be staggered over a multi-year period to help manage interest costs and meet construction cash flow needs. The ultimate financing schedule will be developed with our fiscal advisors and bond counsel.  

Preliminary estimates about the cost to taxpayers to be roughly $211 annually per $10,000 paid in taxes for Proposition 1. The approval of Proposition 2 would cost an additional $76 for each $10,000 paid in taxes.

Q: How were facilities priorities identified? 

A: The New York state Department of education requires all school districts to complete visual building inspections. Syosset’s inspections were scheduled in 2020 and 2022 with a comprehensive Building Conditions Survey in 2023. The purpose of these required inspections is to identify infrastructure and systems that need to be replaced or repaired within the next 5 years to create a plan. Last fall, the Board of Education reviewed the inspection report and identified $49 million of priority work out of approximately $80+ million in total work identified by the inspections. 

Q: What is the approval process for the community bond that will pay for these construction projects? 

A: The Board has adopted a final proposal, which will be put before the public for a vote on Tuesday, October 1st. If the project is approved by the voters, the next step will be to secure building permits from the New York State Department of Education. After the District is granted a building permit, we can start the competitive bidding process and contracts are awarded to the firm with the best price and appropriate qualifications based on rules outlined in State law. Before the contractors can start work, we must perform a “background check” to verify the adequacy of their performance bonds and insurance coverages before beginning construction.

Q: How long is construction expected to last? 

A: We hope to start in summer of 2026, and the projects will be completed in phases over at least five years. 

Q: When will these projects take place? How will the construction impact students during the school year? 

A: These projects will last several years. Our goal is to do as much work during the summer and during off hours as possible. Where construction occurs during the school year, our construction management firm will work with District staff to minimize disruption to instruction. Safety fences and other procedures will be put into place to ensure student safety. We safely constructed the Syosset High School entrance, the high school Fitness Center, and the South Grove corridor during the school year.

Q: How does the District make enrollment projections? How do we know they are correct? 

A: Since 2015, Nassau County has lost 4.2% of its enrollment during the last decade. Syosset has increased by 10.2% during the same time period. To better understand how this trend would affect our facilities, the District employed a national demographics firm to provide projections which were received just before the pandemic hit. 

During the pandemic, our enrollment dropped slightly in the first year, then surged in the second year. These developments were impossible to predict, so we rehired the demographer to assist us with analyzing the impact of the pandemic and how enrollment trends are shifting nationally in the post-pandemic period. Those projections can be found here. Our Universal Prekindergarten program also gives us insights. Prior to 2015, our enrollment was decreasing. But since then, enrollment has been growing. 

Q: Why would this bond need to be approved now if enrollment projections will not impact us for a few years? 

A: School construction is a long-term proposition. For each project, it typically takes at least a year to begin construction. The following illustrates a typical project schedule:

• Public approval of the bond referendum, 

• Develop detailed construction drawings and plans (the architects will require several months depending on the complexity of the project).

• Submit plans to the NYS Education Department (NYSED) for a building permit.  It may take between 30 to 40 weeks for NYSED to issue a building permit on a school construction project.  

• Once a building permit is issued, it will take another 6 to 8 weeks to publicly bid the project and then we will accept the lowest responsible bidder.  

• It will then take several weeks to ensure that the proper bonds and insurances are secured, 

• A construction schedule is developed and executed.

Q: If we are expecting enrollment growth in the coming years, should we be planning to increase the size of the elementary schools?

A: The New York State Department of Education evaluates enrollment projections when considering approvals for school construction. Our enrollment growth at the elementary level is close to our projected maximums, so we have planned to grow Walt Whitman Elementary with an additional classroom. By delaying the decommissioning of the aging portables at Walt Whitman and Berry Hill, we would provide both campuses with additional flexibility to manage their enrollment peak and remove the portables once the space is no longer needed. 

As the students from these enrollment peaks grow older, we will experience enrollment growth at South Woods Middle School and Syosset High School. We have proposed adding classrooms at South Woods by converting Central Administration offices back into classrooms. At the high school, we have proposed building additional gym space and a school library in order to convert the existing library back into additional classrooms.

Q: Why is this referendum split into two propositions? 

A: The district’s architects and engineers identified those projects that are necessary to maintain our properties safely and preserve the integrity for our buildings. The Board then asked them to identify the most immediate and high priority items to address in this round of funding. In addition, the Board also put into Proposition One a series of projects intended to manage the current enrollment growth the district is experiencing. The second proposition positions the district to accommodate future growth, and gives the community the opportunity to get a head start on that process. 

Q: How do the two propositions work? 

A:  Proposition One encompasses the immediate enrollment the district has experienced, as well as the projects identified as immediate priorities by our architects and engineers. Proposition Two positions the District to address future needs. Therefore, Proposition Two cannot be approved without first approving Proposition One.