BOCES $47.9 Million Expansion Plan Which Will Increase Residents' Taxes Goes to Polls Tomorrow

By Rockland Daily Staff

On March 6, Rockland County voters will decide whether to approve an increase in resident taxes to be used for constructing a new $47.9 million, 52,000-square-foot, two-story BOCE building in West Nyack. 

If passed, the proposition will authorize the construction, installation, and equipping of Culinary Arts commercial kitchens and classroom space; fifteen STEM classrooms for Hudson Valley P-TECH; a fully-equipped, 4,500 square foot cafeteria and 7,500 square foot gymnasium; and the repurposing of other areas for instruction. 

If approved, construction is already planned to begin in the spring of 2026 and be completed by fall of 2027.

The $47.9 million project cost, which will be paid over 25 years, will be shared by the eight districts that make up the Rockland BOCES Supervisory District. Each district's share of the cost is determined by the number of students that reside in that particular district compared to the other component school districts. The average cost to a Rockland County residential property per month will be $2.36, based on a property assessment of $500,000.  

Rockland County residents are eligible to vote on Wednesday, March 6, between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Rockland BOCES Jesse J. Kaplan School, 65 Parrott Road, West Nyack, New York 10994 (Building 9). Those who need to vote by absentee ballot because of disability, illness, or travel must first request a ballot application. To request an absentee ballot application from the Rockland BOCES District Clerk, call (845) 627-4702 or email at [email protected] by February 28, 2024.

Voters will be able to cast a "yes" or "no" vote on the following question: "Shall the BOCES Board be authorized to undertake a capital improvement project at an estimated cost of $47,900,000, with all such costs to be paid through bonding with the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), on the premises of the buildings and facilities located at the BOCES Parrott Road campus, West Nyack, New York, consisting of renovations and improvements to the Jesse J. Kaplan School, the construction of an approximately 52,000 square foot Next Gen CTEC/P-TECH building?"

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