The Marlboro K-8 School District is looking, once again, to pass a referendum for $26.3 million to cover “improvements and upgrades” using a 40 percent figure that is expected to be covered by the state, lowering taxpayer cost to a mere $15.8 million.
This after the Board of Education failed to get passed a referendum last year attaching costs for full-day kindergarten along with $20 million in emergency maintenance which, we were told then, covered about half the total of all maintenance required, making one wonder what maintenance was being conducted, if at all.
At the same time, last year the board increased taxes over 6 percent using “banked cap” from previous years and might increase taxes again this year using more of the same “banked cap” they still have in reserve, now to cover the soon-to-be-higher cost for gas, among other things.
The newsletter the district just sent to residents states: “All projects will generate energy savings due to more efficient equipment. Even with increased energy usage due to the addition of air conditioning, there should be some net saving to the district.”
The second sentence seems to contradict the first. Words like “should” and “some” are vague, similar to answers given at previous board meetings.
I am all for maintenance of the schools, as we maintain our homes, but I question the full scope of these changes that go beyond the replacement of aged equipment that is actually required, hoping the state will not renege on their contribution. And, in the meantime, the district is still awaiting full-day kindergarten.
Barry Hochberg
Marlboro
