The Levittown and Island Trees School Districts each passed bonds this and last week for capital improvement projects to take place in their schools in the near future.

On Tuesday, Dec. 5, Levittown residents passed the district's bond with 797 of them voting yes and 680 voting no. The $12.5 million bond includes construction of new classrooms throughout the district to accommodate the increased enrollment Levittown has faced over the decade.

The Levittown School District saw the need for more classroom space as larger enrollments are now entering high school levels. According to the district, the increase in student enrollments began in the early '90s at the kindergarten level and these students have now moved up through the elementary and middle school levels and are now entering the high schools, in which there is not enough space to accommodate them. The district also anticipates that the high school enrollment in the next five years will be over 40 percent higher than it was five years ago.

Projects included within the bond are the addition of eight to nine classrooms at MacArthur High School through a two-story addition near the school's front entrance and the addition and/or replacement of lockers at both high schools and at the Levittown Memorial Education Center Vocational School. Other projects included in the bond for MacArthur High School include the construction of an elevator and gymnasium area. In addition, the bond includes the replacement of obsolete portable classrooms at Summit Lane and Lee Road Elementary Schools as well as at Salk Middle School. Those portables will be replaced with permanent classrooms.

The bond will be paid over a 15 to 20 year term dependent upon competitive interest rates. According to Dr. Groveman, assistant superintendent for business, the process of drawing up plans for construction generally takes approximately three months. He added that the district will contact an architect immediately to begin this process and that once the projects begin, after they are approved by the state, it should take approximately 18 months for the projects to be completed.

"I want to thank all the members of the PTA for their help in publicizing the bond issue," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Herman Sirois at a special meeting of the board of education held the night of the vote. "We certainly do have the need in our district and [we can now] provide our children with the adequate space they need."

On Tuesday, Dec. 11, the Island Trees School District passed a $3.5 million bond which includes the renovation and refurbishing of several areas throughout the district, many of which have not been touched since their original construction in the 1950s. With 378 residents turning out to vote, 302 voted in favor and 76 voted against the issue.

The bond issue includes the renovation of the high school track, tennis courts and auditorium, as well as the removal of asbestos floor tile in classrooms at both Stokes and Sparke Elementary Schools. In addition, it allows for the replacement of hallways ceiling tile and lighting at both elementary schools and the replacement of the roof at Karopczyc Elementary School, which also houses the Island Trees Public Library.

Since many of these areas within the schools have not been worked on since their original construction in the mid-1950s, the high school auditorium, which was constructed in 1957, contains all of the original lighting and furnishing. The bond will allow for the district to replace the outdated current lighting, most of which is currently inoperable. The current lighting system will be replaced with a technologically advanced computerized system, which in addition to being more efficient will also conserve more energy. The auditorium's floor tile near the entrance will also be removed and replaced and the seats will be refurbished. The projects also include a full air conditioning system for the auditorium.

At Stokes and Sparke Elementary Schools, the bond will allow for the replacement of the hallway ceiling lighting fixtures as well as the abatement of asbestos floor tile in all remaining classrooms in which it has not yet been removed. The new lighting fixtures will provide the schools with better, brighter lighting and will also be more energy efficient.

The tennis courts, which are currently cracked and uneven in parts, will be replaced and a new track will be installed, one which will be able to withstand all weather conditions and also be much smoother than the current cinder track.

The bond is to be paid over a period of 20 years, and plans are already in the process of being drawn up. The district hopes to begin construction as early as summer of 2002, but understands that it may be delayed since no construction can take place until plans are approved by the state.

Superintendent of Schools Richard N. Segerdahl said that not all the plans can possibly be completed over one summer anyway, not only because there is not enough time but also because of the district's summer programs. In order to finish work on the elementary schools, the district would have to relocate all of the students in its summer programs to another school. Segerdahl explained that the construction on the auditorium itself will take approximately six months, and that is one of the first projects the district hopes to begin with, as well as the roof at Karopczyc. In addition, Segerdahl said that the district would like to get started on the track if possible.

"Although there wasn't a large turnout, there wasn't a lot of opposition to it and I think that was because [the bond] covered a lot of needs," Segerdahl said. "We're going to do our best to get the projects done and still run the programs that we run. We're very pleased to have received the district's support."