2-1 against.  That's pretty significant.  Hopefully, the residents that are rejecting the "only $40 increase" will vote the same way for the ambulance taxing district on Tuesday.

Vote NO - again, folks!

Quoted Text

ROTTERDAM
Mohonasen project voted down School board will consider district’s options
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

    By a 2-1 ratio, Mohonasen voters overwhelmingly defeated a $43.4 million capital project to build a new bus garage and make improvements at all four schools.
    Board of Education President Dom Cafarelli said he was surprised and extremely disappointed in the outcome, which was 1,058 “no” votes compared with 531 “yes.”
    “I thought it would be much closer than that. It’s very surprising because we usually pass our budget by a 2-to-1 margin,” he said. “A lot of the people I spoke to were very positive about it. We had a huge influx of fi rst-time voters, somewhere in the neighborhood of 300.”
    He cited the poor economy as a factor. “It’s unfortunate because this was an opportunity to bring the school into the next century,” he said.
    Another factor Cafarelli cited is the townwide vote today on whether to establish an ambulance taxing district for Rotterdam Emergency Medical Service (REMS). Perhaps some voters confused the two issues.
    He also hoped that the vote was not derailed by a recent controversy over the possible sale of the district’s Remsen Street building, which Rotterdam Pop Warner uses for storage and meetings. School officials had said that the proceeds from the sale could defray the local share of the cost, pegged at just a little more than $6 million. The district said it was considering selling the building regardless of this capital project.
    The board will have to deter- mine its next move. Cafarelli said the board didn’t want to reduce the project. Maybe it would try again next year.
    Cafarelli added a lot will depend on what happens with state aid. One of the reasons the district had pushed for a project is because school officials were concerned that state building aid would be cut. In the last state budget session, the Mohonasen Central School District’s traditionally generous reimbursement rate of 95 percent — dating back to its merger in the 1980s with the former Draper district — was reduced to 80.4 percent.
    If approved, the district would have received about $34.8 million in state aid and tapped $2.5 million from a capital reserve fund. The tax impact would have been roughly $40 annually on a $100,000 home.
    Some of these improvements, like replacing the bus garage, the district would have to do anyway eventually, according to Cafarelli. “It’s going to have to be awful if we have to foot the bill for that whole thing ourselves,” he said.
    In addition to the bus garage, the project scope included new science and technology classrooms at Mohonasen High School, expanded media center at Draper Middle School and renovated cafeterias at the middle school, Pinewood Elementary School and Bradt Primary School.
    Superintendent Kathleen Spring also expressed disappointment. “I think we knew it would be a struggle,” she said.
    High taxes seemed to be the concern of a few voters at the polls around noontime Monday.
    “I think we pay enough in taxes,” said Mary Reilly.
    Rotterdam resident Frank Cagnina didn’t like that renters were allowed to vote in the election. “They don’t pay taxes,” he said. “So their rent goes up $50. I pay more than that. I pay almost $200 a month in taxes.” ..................>>>>...............................>>>>................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00702&AppName=1

They will figure out how to sneak it through like they always do.

This is the general mind thought from everyone! It is all about higher taxes! Nobody wants them!! DUH!

good riddance. What a waste of $$$. It would not have made one child "smarter."