West Hempstead school district voters to decide on $46M bond

Voters in the West Hempstead Union Free School District will decide Tuesday whether to approve a $46 million bond proposition to pay for major building renovations to the system's schools and the razing of 88-year-old Marian Delaney Elementary.

If the proposition passes, the cost to the average homeowner would be about $381 annually over the course of 20 years and would be phased in starting in the 2017-18 school year.

Right now, the average homeowner pays $7,079 in school taxes annually and those who qualify for a STAR exemption pay $5,784 each year, administrators said.

Residents can cast their ballots from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the West Hempstead Middle School gymnasium.

The money would fund new science labs in the middle school and high school, five additional classrooms at the Chestnut Street School, and the overhaul of the cafeteria and kitchen at both Cornwell Avenue and George Washington elementary.

Marian Delaney Elementary would be demolished and the land repurposed as three grass multiuse fields, two basketball courts, a redesigned playground, a field house with bathrooms and other improvements.

Built in 1927 as Eagle Avenue School, and renamed in honor of Delaney, a longtime teacher and administrator, the building sits on 4 acres. The district stopped using it roughly 30 years ago because of a drop in enrollment and it has been leased since, most recently to a private school for children with autism.

New York State Building Aid would fund 35 percent of the majority of renovations after the work is completed. The state's contribution has been factored into the cost to homeowners, officials said.

West Hempstead serves roughly 2,100 children in five buildings -- the oldest of which, Chestnut Street School, was built in 1913. The newest, Cornwell Avenue, is nearing 60 years old.

Karen Brohm, school board president for three years, called the bond issue a worthwhile investment, saying the district is the centerpiece of the community.

"Our children deserve the 21st century learning spaces we want to give them," she said. "Keeping your school district in its best condition brings younger families into the district."

Superintendent John J. Hogan said the repairs would be a major boon.

"All would get new roofs," he said. "Masonry work would be done on all of the buildings and new boilers would be put into each."

The middle school, Cornwell Avenue and George Washington schools would have elevators installed, bringing them in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In addition to the building repairs, the plan calls for extensive work on the athletic fields behind the middle school/high school complex.

"The football field is used by the varsity, JV, middle school and community football teams," the superintendent said. "In the spring, we play lacrosse on it. It's a field that does not get a chance to rest. It is showing its wear and tear."

Brohm said the field is so overused that the kids are often playing on dirt.

The district also seeks to renovate the softball and baseball fields and to update the tennis courts -- all of which are at the middle school/high school complex. Residents can learn more on the proposal by visiting the district's website, whufsd.com.