East Meadow school district voters approve $71.5M facilities bond
Voters on Thursday approved a $71.5 million bond proposal for the East Meadow school district that will pay for safety upgrades, playground renovations and improvements to athletic and performing arts facilities.
The proposal passed 1,132 to 462, Deirdre Gilligan, a district spokesperson, told Newsday via text late Thursday.
"Congratulations to the East Meadow community," Superintendent Kenneth Rosner said when reached by phone Thursday evening. "It's a win to our students and the entire community. Thank you for your support."
The cost to the average homeowner will vary over the length of the 20-year bond. At its peak in 2034, the average homeowner would see their annual taxes rise by $31.86, according to a district presentation regarding the proposal. The district said after existing debt is paid off, "homeowners will receive a cost savings and see a decrease to their annual tax bill" beginning in 2037.
Some East Meadow athletic facilities have not been improved for several decades, according to the district.
"The current conditions of the fields are pretty similar to the fields I played on as a student-athlete in the East Meadow school district back in the 1980s," Steven Anderson, a Woodland Middle School physical education teacher, said in a video released by the district.
"The middle school football field is the one that I played on in 1983," Anderson said.
East Meadow High School, Woodland Middle School and the W.T. Clarke combined middle and high school will all receive new synthetic turf baseball and softball fields, as well as multi-purpose fields used for soccer, according to the district. A new football field with bleachers and an updated tennis court will be built at Woodland.
The HVAC, lighting and sound systems in the auditoriums that are used as performing arts spaces at the schools will also be upgraded.
The W.T. Clarke building will receive new bathrooms, football field lighting and scoreboards. Bathrooms, bleachers with a press box, concession stands, football field lighting, locker room upgrades and practice fields are proposed for East Meadow High School.
At the five elementary schools, the bond will cover upgrades to all playgrounds, "including the safety surface," Rosner said in the district video.
"Special attention will be paid to Bowling Green Elementary School and Meadowbrook Elementary School, as many of our students with special needs attend those schools," Rosner added. "We feel it’s appropriate for those students to have a sensory playground so they can enjoy their recess and afterschool time with their friends."
The bond includes money for safety upgrades at each school building, according to the district. New entrance vestibules, classroom door handles and locks, and fire alarm systems will be installed districtwide.
The bond will also cover the replacement of the boiler system at George McVey Elementary School.
Renovations could begin this summer and tentatively be completed by the summer of 2027, Rosner previously told Newsday.
