After approximately two years of analyzing facilities needs and gathering community input, the Westbury School District next week will host a community meeting to discuss various alternatives for a potential bond referendum to fund an historic overhaul of all six of its school buildings. The board of education is considering a variety of alternatives, the most expensive of which would cost the district approximately $160 million.

The district will conduct the meeting on Tuesday, June 18 at 7 p.m. in the Westbury High School Auditorium to present ideas and receive feedback for the development of the multi-million dollar bond issue proposal. The bond issue, which would ultimately be subject to voter approval through a referendum, would fund the first major expansion and renovation of facilities since the buildings were erected in the 1950s or earlier.

School districts Island-wide have put forward similar, large-scale borrowing projects in recent years in the face of aging, post-war school buildings, soaring enrollment and new state educational mandates requiring additional classroom space.

To address growing enrollment and program needs, Westbury's bond referendum considerations include both designs to renovate the middle school and designs to build a new middle school, as well as add extensions onto each of the other school buildings in the district. This would provide additional classroom space for both general education and special education classes, which are now crucially needed to provide appropriate learning areas for students.

Expansions are also planned to make way for full-day kindergarten, which districts state-wide are now implementing to meet more rigorous, new state learning expectations. Also included in the plans are roof replacements, heating and cooling system upgrades, boiler replacements, track and field upgrades, new technology and other interior improvements.

According to Dr. Constance Clark, superintendent of Westbury Schools, the purpose of the meeting is to update the community on the findings of the district's facilities studies, and to gather additional feedback for the continued development of the bond proposal. "We greatly appreciate the participation of our residents in the focus-group meetings that we conducted earlier this year, and this is a follow-up to those meetings," said Clark. "We want to present the projected needs of the district, and receive additional input from the community, as to what they would support. This will continue to play a vital role in shaping the bond referendum proposal."

Architectural designs and total cost comparisons will be presented during the June 18 meeting, along with a discussion of state aid available for the construction project. The district is currently anticipating approximately a 45 percent state aid ratio on the entire bond proposal, which makes the project a very cost-effective means of completing essential capital improvements.

"The Westbury School District is pleased by the support that our community has shown for its public education system, as we progress in the development of our bond proposal," said Clark. "We continue to develop plans to provide our students with the appropriate learning environment and tools they need to be competitive, successful citizens of the 21st century. With the community's continued involvement in the bond process, we look forward to moving ahead with the best possible plans, for our students of today and tomorrow."