To the editor:
On May 20, we have the opportunity to come together as a community and vote for our schools.
I am the parent of a first grader and second grader at Siwanoy Elementary School, and I will be voting “yes” for Proposition 2. I live very close to the school, so I will be impacted by any noise and other disruption that occurs from construction. My children are young enough to attend school through the construction but will graduate from Siwanoy before they get to see and experience the benefits of this project. So why would I vote “yes”?
I will vote “yes” because I strive to make decisions based on the benefit of the greater good. Even though my children will not experience the benefits of this proposed expansion, I want the future children of Pelham to have that opportunity.
I have seen firsthand the limitations of space impacting the student body at Siwanoy, and we can do better for the children of this town. I have volunteered at lunch duty where the students are crammed together at a small number of tables, while half of the cafeteria is utilized for another activity. My son receives speech and language services at school in a makeshift classroom/office… which is actually a closet. No windows, limited air flow, minimal table space. Putting on a first grade puppet show should not involve the teachers juggling schedules with the physical education teacher to use his space, which in turn requires him to move his classes outside, because there simply is not enough physical room to give our students the educational experiences they so greatly deserve.
If we are not heading to vote with the best interest of children, the literal future of our society, in mind—then what are we doing here?
I urge you to join me in voting “YES” for Proposition 2 on May 20 and pave the way to a greater Pelham by giving the students of Siwanoy the best educational experience we can.
Tara Petrillo
567 Manor Lane
Scott Wolfgang • May 11, 2025 at 9:03 pm
We have to pay nearly $100M for proposition two to pass. The items you lay out, not to mention ADA, are important but could very easily be accomplished with far less spending. Voting no to the bond does not mean one is against improvements but it does send a message to the administration that the taxpayer is not an endless pit of money. Edgemont recently voted down a bond and the district came back with a more measured capital spending plan that passed just a few months later.
We need to demand more fiscal restraint from our board and administration as this bond would result in $200M of debt for the district which is an astronomical number and be far more than any non city district in the state. It would also mean 15% of our school budget would be going just to debt service, which is another unprecedented number statewide. The lack of conversation within the community and board of the fiscal impact is scary especially when there is likely a $40M Colonial project coming down the pike shortly as well (not to mention $100M in flood mitigation from VoP under consideration as well).