WHITESBORO — Residents of the Whitesboro Central School District will soon go to polls to make their voices heard on a proposed $26 million capital improvement project.

With an expected New York State aid contribution of 86%, coupled with the leveraging of existing debt service schedules as previous debt ends, it is expected that the project will come with no tax increase to district residents.

“Any time we can go out to the voters with a $26 million project that has no tax impact to them, I think it speaks volumes about how responsible we are being,” district Assistant Superintendent for Business Joseph Muller said.

The vote will be from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 at the Parkway, Marcy and Deerfield schools. Voters must be a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years old and a resident of the school district for at least 30 days prior to the vote.

This capital project plan has been a year and a half in the making, Muller said, and it encompasses a wide range of projects throughout the entire district. The plan is a direct response to their recent Building Condition Survey, he added, something school districts are required by the New York State Education Department to complete every five years for each district building.

The project was designed to address what are seen as the district’s most immediate needs in both buildings and instruction. Plans include updates to aging infrastructure found throughout the district’s school buildings, including boilers and fire alarm systems, and district-wide improvements to sports facilities, the bus garage and various mechanical, safety and security systems.

A full list of specific improvements proposed, including new digital marquee replacements at each elementary school and the Parkway school, room upgrades, HVAC and auditorium upgrades, window and floor replacements and parking lot lighting replacement, is available on the district’s website.

Last fall, district residents were welcomed to rate the various improvement proposals with their own views of the importance of each. Some of the topics highlighted in that study included health, safety and security; aging infrastructure and systems; instructional spaces; technology infrastructure; energy efficiency; art and music; athletics; and accessibility.

Middle and high school students were also given the chance to offer their own thoughts on the proposed project in December. Quotes of some of the responses are posted on the district’s website.

“We made sure they all knew we wanted their input,” Muller said.

Through their website, their newsletter, posters with QR codes and even a virtual community forum this past Wednesday, they launched a “full press” approach to getting full details of the plan out to their residents prior to the vote.

“We made sure we were very transparent on this plan,” Miller said. “We wanted our stakeholders to be well-informed leading up to the vote.”

If the project is approved, the district then plans a multi-phase approach to the project that will maximize state aid and minimize the disruption to instruction, athletics and extracurricular activities.

He encouraged all eligible voters to get out and make their opinions known on the project.

“Get out and vote and base your own decision on the information that has been presented to you,” he encouraged the stakeholders. “These are truly community buildings that both educate their kids and support the communities well.”

Muller thanked district residents for putting their faith in the district to develop a plan that will be beneficial to both the district and the community.

“We thank them for putting their trust in the district,” he said. “I think they know we have done our due diligence in developing this $26 million plan with zero tax impact.”

For more information on the project, including a PowerPoint presentation and the district’s official newsletter outlining the proposal, visit www.wboro.org/2023capitalproject.