The School Bond Issue

For whatever reason, we have been asked over and over again to share our thoughts on the proposed expansion of Somers' schools and the upcoming $53 million capital facilities bond referendum. While initially quite reticent to offer up anything beyond our ongoing opposition to the controversial bus depot part of the proposal, we found ourselves engaging in conversations with friends, neighbors and complete strangers with increasing frequency, particularly as the issue has grown into an emotional 'hot button' in Somers; in fact, not since the last pool referendum has the town appeared to be quite so divided.

As the dialogue ensued, however, and our thoughts solidified it became very apparent that this entire issue could be best understood and indeed framed within the context of some of the same smart growth and planning principles that aided us in the Eagle River situation, and most certainly within the context of our stated aim of establishing "a protocol of responsible and responsive growth and planning" for our town and the surrounding region. Certainly overcrowding in our schools (and the subsequent strain on school facilities) is but one of the many effects of suburban sprawl with which communities like Somers must contend. How we deal with sprawl and its many consequences will ultimately define what type of community we truly have here in Somers.

And so, after weeks of agonizing capitulation, we find that in the final analysis we cannot support the school bond as it has been proposed. We feel that it is altogether too much, too late, and prepared with insufficient attention to the overall needs of the community at large.

We fault the Somers Central School District administration and the Board of Education (BOE) for exercising poor planning and even poorer judgment in preparing what we feel is an excessive rehabilitation project, one that goes far beyond its stated objectives. In a time of growing economic distress -- rising energy prices, a controversial and very expensive war, the largest budget deficit in our country's history, mounting fear of a collapse in home values, and other anticipated repercussions from the recent Gulf coast hurricanes -- a large capital facilities bond, loaded with expensive, non-essential "extras" is clearly not in everyone's best interest, including that of our children. That overcrowding in Somers schools -- really the core issue here -- should have and could have been properly anticipated, identified and dealt with in progressive, affordable steps years ago is perhaps the understatement of the decade. That the BOE failed to act presciently under the circumstances is truly remarkable.

One would have had to have followed the BOE's maladroit handling of several proposals it considered over the last few years to really comprehend our contention that poor planning is at issue here. Fortunately for the board, it would appear that the majority of those who so vocally and adamantly support the bond appear not to have paid much attention until only very recently.

Be that as it may, we distinctly recall hearing three members of this board proclaim loudly and quite passionately (in a distinct departure from their normally demure demeanor) that expanding and rehabilitating Somers existing schools would not be in the taxpayers best interests, that it would in fact be a "complete waste of money". Those words, which for us resonate as if they were spoken yesterday, were in fact uttered at a board meeting just under one year ago, on October 12, 2004, and were accepted unanimously by the board; they signaled the BOE's sudden departure from plans to add on to existing classrooms to purchasing land on which to build a new middle school. We all know what happened next -- the BOCES land acquisition deal that crumbled before their very eyes. Taxpayers in several participating communities sent a strong message to both BOCES and the Somers Central School District that they had not been sufficiently assimilated into the decision-making process, while local voters seemed also to be reacting to the high price tag ($71 million) associated with the sale.

But a discernible and disturbing pattern was emerging. We contend that both the board of education and the district administrators have become out of touch with the community they purport to serve, that despite the best of intentions and well meaning efforts on their part, their focus has been subverted by internal agendas that no longer resonate within the community at large. Increased enrollment and classroom overcrowding did not happen overnight in Somers; they occurred gradually over the last ten or fifteen years, the same period of time, coincidentally, that several BOE members have served on the board. Anyone living in Somers during that time could have told you how congested things were getting in town -- all the early signs of sprawl (traffic, congestion, overcrowding) were in full bloom. All one had to do was drive through any neighborhood in town (let alone any of the new subdivisions) to see the number of toddlers and infants being carried and 'strollered' along by new parents everywhere, pre-school children who would one day be enrolling in kindergarten classes at Primrose Elementary. It didn't require a math degree to calculate the progressive impact this would have on the school system as a whole (although it did ultimately require the hiring of a second demographer to set things straight for the BOE). That the district seemed to have been caught completely off guard by Somers' growth is quite troubling in and of itself.

We know that the Somers BOE is comprised of bright, dedicated, well-meaning individuals who volunteer their time unselfishly for a rather thankless job, and we have always had an enormous amount of respect for them. But as a group they have ultimately failed us in certain key areas. The board needs fresh blood (something they have been suspiciously reluctant to encourage), the imposition of term limits and much more input from concerned parents and other residents with demonstrated, applicable skills (especially in the areas of finance and planning). Concrete plans to deal with overcrowded classrooms, existing or forecasted -- once again, the real crux of the matter -- could have been commenced in stages years ago if the board had engaged in five- and ten-year comprehensive planning with the community, and the associated costs could then have been more readily accepted and absorbed by all. Turf fields, additional gymnasia, and improved outdoor lighting contribute to a great athletic program; along with a state-of-the-art auditorium and new practice areas they most definitely enhance the educational experience for our children. But they are options that Somers kids have never enjoyed, and very expensive options at that. They are certainly not germane to the issue of overcrowding, which many believe to be the single most pressing issue that needs to be addressed. Would our kids benefit from all the extras? Absolutely! Will they suffer if they cannot have them all at once? Hardly.

And then there is the matter of the bus depot. Would that someone on the board would have had the propensity to just admit that, "yes, the proposed facility will likely destroy several town-regulated wetlands (as opposed to the larger, state-regulated wetlands that surround it), but we consider them to be rather small and perhaps even somewhat isolated". But, no, we must first attempt to sneak our environmental impact study by anyone who might be watching; and then we must fall on the advice of our hired guns to deny any culpability and instead focus on stormwater management protocols that would be required under any circumstances and oh, by the way, the site is not even part of the town's groundwater overlay district (as if anyone ever said that it was). Bottom line: the proposal includes a $4 million bus facility (read: gas station), with parking for over 180 cars and buses, gasoline and diesel storage and fueling stations, etc., etc. that will involve some wetland incursion, destruction and mitigation -- and all for buses that the district does not even own. We don't think the buses should be anywhere near our children, let alone on top of or surrounded by wetlands, and we don't want to pay any part of its construction. Furthermore, the district's history with respect to environmental protection is spotty at best, the current bus depot and the intermediate school parking lot being prime examples.

Poor planning or lack of it has resulted in a no-compromise situation for many taxpayers and residents of Somers, who quite simply cannot afford the not-insignificant tax increases. And the uproar against them by those who support the bond has been very disturbing (and one of the ugliest consequences of sprawl, by the way). Instead of castigating senior citizens and others on fixed incomes -- something that is occurring with alarming frequency both publicly and privately in Somers -- we should be making attempts to take their thoughts and opinions into consideration, and to then adjust the bond accordingly. The token alterations made by the BOE do not go far enough, in our opinion, to properly address any of the concerns that have been raised. The reality of the situation is that tax increases won't stop at this bond (which, like every capital improvement project, will likely grow in size before it is completed), and subsequent school budgets will have to increase proportionately, along with costs associated with the new school the BOE still talks about building, the land on which it will be built, and so on. School taxes in New York state have increased at alarming rates in recent years -- yes, largely due to unfunded state mandates for medical and retirement benefits -- but as taxpayers we need to put the brakes on runaway spending (and we should probably start talking about tax reform). As has been the case in communities throughout the state this past year, we should use this referendum as a means to effecting positive change within our community.

We all want the best for our children, and for our friends' and neighbors' children as well. That our kids are currently paying the price for overcrowding in the schools is apparent; that something needs to be done to address this is quite obvious. A better plan can be constructed and implemented through cooperative, proactive planning on the part of the school district with the entire community, and not at the expense of any one segment of that community. Moreover, we need to instill in our children the awareness and belief that community does matter, and that sometimes temporary sacrifice guarantees more than immediate indulgence, a lesson that might serve them well throughout their entire lives.