To the editor:
As a Siwanoy Elementary School parent and direct neighbor to the school, I have taken a keen interest in the board of education bond process these past few months. I want to thank the board for listening to the community. However, this has felt flawed and rushed from the start, and I urge community members to educate themselves on what is being proposed.
A home assessed at $1 million will owe $15,920 in school tax using the proposed 2025-2026 budget. This bond proposal will help that number reach $19,000 in the next 5 years. And it will only grow from there.
Siwanoy needs Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, but the $28 million proposal includes classrooms the school doesn’t need. The $39 million middle/high school project is bigger, but that campus is stretched beyond its limits. We should build only what is needed and limit new debt.
Forcing Pelham residents to fund bad projects and pay higher taxes to get ADA compliance at Siwanoy is an unfair choice. We can do what’s right without $141 million of new debt. I would hate to see a no vote on a “too-big” bond further delay ADA compliance at Siwanoy.
Adam Ilkowitz
498 Manor Lane