Pleasantville School Board Weighs May 2026 Bond Vote for Major Upgrades

Board Also Discusses Future of District’s Strategic Plan

By Abby Luby

A vote for a capital bond for large-scale upgrades at the Pleasantville School District could happen in May 2026. The date was discussed at last week’s Pleasantville school board meeting, but no final decision was made.

Board President Michael Busch said he was leaning toward a May vote.

“I’m speaking for myself and I think there is still a lot of work that needs to be done and I don’t want to rush it,” he said.

Busch added that an earlier vote in February would be a burden on the administration. Most board members indicated a May bond vote coinciding with the annual school budget vote would be to the voters’ advantage.

About 15 people attended the meeting. Unlike last year’s board meetings, which followed a protocol limiting public comment to five minutes with board members not required to respond, last week those rules were largely ignored. Observers noted how comments and questions created a worthwhile exchange between those making statements and board members.

To date, it is uncertain what items will be included in the future bond. The district’s Community Facilities Committee (CFC) has been evaluating areas needing substantial upgrades. The subcommittees are STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics), inclusive of visual and performing arts; Field and Lights; and the Bedford Road School Playground.

Of major concern were districtwide security upgrades, replacing original air conditioning equipment (chillers, water pumps, evaporators) at Bedford Road School (BRS) and replacing hot water pumps at the high school.

Assistant Superintendent of Business John Chow said one of his main concerns was with the cooling towers at BRS, originally installed in 2003. Of the three large air conditioning units, one is not functioning.

Asked if the district could pay for some of the prioritized needs without a bond, Chow said, “We can use the fund balance to do it and voters would have to approve it. Also, we do have $1.1 million in the reserve. But the best way to do it is to float a bond so you get matching state aid.”

Chow explained how state aid from State Education Department (SED)-approved projects returns 54 percent of the total cost of a project back to the district. If a May 2026 bond was approved by voters, repairs and upgrades would begin in the summer of 2027.

Ahlvoid Daniels, a parent of both a first grader at BRS as well as a high school student, urged the board to reconsider installing upgraded air conditioning at the school as soon as possible.

“I think we have our priorities wrong,” Daniels told the board. “We have to focus on the children. We focus on STEAM and education but if the children do not have a cool place then they’re not going to be focused on school. There are so many other avenues that we could potentially go for sponsors. We are going to find emergency money for this.”

Last year’s failed bond proposed spending $1.25 million to replace the playground turf, equipment and rubber surfaces at BRS. The bigger ticket item was spending $7.2 million on re-turfing the high school main field and lower field; resurfacing the track; adding lighting to the high school main field; turfing the upper field between the high school main field and the tennis courts; adding outdoor bathroom facilities; fencing for the fields between the high school and middle school; and rebuilding the retaining wall at the middle school.

Before last year’s vote, many residents advocated for a smaller bond with fewer projects. At last week’s board meeting, resident Lauren Lowder, who is on the facilities committee, said she was disappointed when last year’s bond was voted down because of all the time that was lost. Lowder advocated for a smaller capital project, or a mini-bond, that would address the neediest projects.

“The community at last week’s forum expressed that they want to bifurcate and vote on certain items to make sure that we take care of the essential items while we try to figure out a larger plan for art and sports,” Lowder said. “I urge you to fast track the essential items.”

Responding to the idea of a mini-bond, board member John Vamossy said critical items would be in the bond. “If we have to break them out into multiple propositions, then we will break them out. That’s my opinion,” Vamossy remarked.

Strategic Plan

The district’s Strategic Plan was brought up at the July 29 Community Forum. At last week’s meeting, Busch gave a brief history of the plan. He explained how in February 2019, members of the Board of Education, community, student body and faculty met for multiple meetings to work on Phase Two of the plan’s six main strategies: leadership, curriculum, wellness, communication, infrastructure resources and partnerships. But progress on the plan abruptly stopped because of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

“Large and in-person meetings were no longer feasible and it degraded the process,” Busch explained. “While the foundational tenets of Phase Two were preserved, the component of community engagement was largely set aside.”

While Busch acknowledged the plan’s objectives were greatly valued, he suggested pausing work on the plan for now. “We need to take the time to discuss and determine the best path forward to meet current and future needs,” he noted.

Board member Loredana Coughlan agreed with Busch. “There’s still work that has to be done,” she observed. “To have a clear vision and a mission with clear goals and priorities, we need a clear road map moving forward starting this year.”

Interim Superintendent Dr. Eric Lutinski described the Pleasantville School District as a “Strategic Plan veteran.”

“But one of the things that can happen with schools and teachers is initiative fatigue,” he said. “We are still using those [Phase Two] strategies … and the state we are in right now is absolutely fine.”

Lutinski suggested work on the Strategic Plan start during the second half of the school year.

“Going into the superintendent search, those two things can be melded together for the next phase,” he said.