The Pelham Board of Education voted March 26 to put four capital improvement bond propositions totaling $143.6 million on the May 20 ballot in the school district election, after reviewing the potential property tax increases should one or more the props win voter approval.

There are multiple scenarios for the tax rises, which would take effect in 2029, because Proposition 1 must pass for the other three to be approved, even if any of Propositions 2, 3 or 4 garner enough “yes” votes on their own to win. Proposition 1 would fund repair and renovations at all the schools except Siwanoy Elementary and Hutchinson Elementary, Proposition 2 an expansion at Siwanoy as well as repairs, Proposition 3 a three-story addition at Pelham Memorial High School with eight new science labs and a commons/cafeteria space and Proposition 4 the installation of geothermal systems at Siwanoy and Prospect Hill.

Also on the ballot May 20 will be the district’s annual budget, three school board seats and a separate referendum to allow the district to use reserve funds to purchase the house at 29 Franklin Place. The three-year terms of Trustees Will Treves, Jackie De Angelis and Natalie Marrero end on June 30.

Here are the maximum estimated tax increases under different scenarios in the bond referenda, as provided by the Pelham Union Free School District:

With the coming retirement of $65 million in debt, district officials said capital projects totaling that amount can be funded without levying new taxes. That is why debt service for Prop 1 would not increase tax bills. The actual rises needed to pay for the rest will not be final until after the vote. Among the variables are project sequencing, overall design, state approvals and successful bidding of approved propositions. In addition to accounting for debt coming off the books, the increases in the chart assume New York State Building aid, which currently reimburses approximately 49% of the cost of projects.

The specifics of the four propositions with the amount of borrowing voters are being asked to approve:

• Proposition 1: $56.2 million for infrastructure projects at Colonial, Prospect Hill, Pelham Middle School and PMHS, including central AC at Colonial and Prospect Hill. Other work would include window replacements, roof repairs, masonry restoration and replacing end-of-life steam boilers in Colonial, Prospect Hill and PMHS.
• Proposition 2: $42.6 million to install elevators, ramps and other improvements to make Siwanoy compliant with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), renovate space under the gym into a new cafeteria and build a two-story, eight-classroom expansion, with a net gain of three classrooms because existing rooms will be lost after construction of the elevators and cafeteria. The building will also see infrastructure upgrades similar to those listed in Proposition 1 for the other schools, including replacing boilers and installing central AC. (Contingent on adoption of Proposition 1.)
• Proposition 3: $40.4 million for the addition to PMHS, which would run along Ingalls Field between PMHS and PMS. Existing science labs on the third floor of the PMHS annex would also be updated as part of the project. (Contingent on adoption of Proposition 1.)
• Proposition 4: $4.5 million for the geothermal wells. (Contingent on adoption of Proposition 1.)

With the 29 Franklin Place purchase, voters are being asked to spend up to $1.85 million, which includes the negotiated sale price of $1.45 million and $400,000 to renovate the house into office space for administrators now working in the Sanborn Map Building. This project would be funded via the undesignated fund balance so no new taxes would be required.

The board continued to go through its line-by-line review of Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Champ’s preliminary budget for 2025-26 at its March 26 and April 2 meetings. It plans to adopt a spending plan on April 22 for voter’s to have their say on May 20. As originally proposed, the budget would increase spending 2.9% to $96.3 million. The property tax levy would rise 3.69%, which is the maximum allowed under the state formula that caps increases.

Editor’s note: Clay Bushong, owner of 29 Franklin Place, is a member of the board of directors of the Hudson Valley Local News Lab Inc., which owns and publishes the Pelham Examiner. He did not have any role in the production of this story.