At their regular meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, the Levittown Board of Education passed a bond referendum to be voted on by residents Dec. 5. The bond, set at $12.5 million, includes the construction of additional classroom space at MacArthur High School, the replacement of obsolete portable classrooms at Summit Lane and Lee Road and the replacement of hallway lockers in all secondary schools throughout the district.

The $12.5 million figure includes a 20 percent contingency, the highest allowable, in the event that unprecedented work has to be done in order to complete construction. District officials said that the additional space is needed at MacArthur due to the increased enrollment throughout the district.

Passing of the bond would allow for a two story addition at the high school, near its front entrance, as well as construction of an elevator, gymnasium area, new lockers and classrooms. Construction at MacArthur would use up approximately $8 million of the bond.

Dr. Alan Groveman, assistant superintendent for business, explained that additional space at the high school is an absolute necessity. He explained that during the next school year, 2002-2003, the district will be able to get by without the space but very tightly. He added that the construction, if the bond is passed, would hopefully begin by December of 2003, providing enough time for completion by the time students enter the 2003-2004 school year, at which time additional space will be more than necessary.

"We need additional high school space," Dr. Groveman stressed. "Next year we'll make it through, but tightly. The following year it will be next to impossible."

Dr. Groveman added that the portables at the two elementary schools are beyond useful life expectancy and are certainly in need of being replaced. He said that while the district can manage for the meantime, the bond needs to be passed so they can be replaced as soon as possible.

According to Dr. Groveman, the district anticipates a 12-18 month period before construction would begin. This is due to the amount of time it takes the State Education Department to evaluate requests, determine the need, and then perform the project(s) which need to be done. Dr. Groveman added that the $12.5 million would not be borrowed in one lump sum, rather money will be borrowed as needed while the projects occur.

"There has been no argument given by any group or individual that we don't need the space," said Dr. Herman Sirois, superintendent of schools. "The bond committee found that, and the board has been struggling with it for awhile. We really need the additional space."

Dr. Sirois added that if the bond is not passed, the schools may be faced with no other option than to redistrict. He added that this may prove to be even more expensive in the long run and would add several unnecessary hassles.

"Our bond issues have been considerably less than other districts half our size," Dr. Sirois said. "The Levittown School District has been comparatively modest with bond issues."

Dr. Sirois added that the district has saved money in many areas throughout the years by making decisions based on the need of students. For example, he mentioned that the district never opened a seventh elementary school by handling such issues as they came up.

"We've saved a lot of money based on the way we've dealt with increased enrollment," he said. "We tackled increased enrollment while other districts almost immediately dealt with long term needs. We did not do that in order to keep our finances down. We've managed our finances well."

Dr. Sirois said that passing this bond would be the least expensive and most effective alternative to solve the cramped space problem facing the district, adding that the Bond Advisory Committee concurred with administrators.

"The alternatives are bleak. Our voters have always responded to our long term plan and appreciated it," he said. "If we redistrict and choose other alternatives and make more portables, it will cost our taxpayers more," he said, adding that the current bond would cost residents an additional $25 to $26 a year, which would remain stable for 15 years.