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Capital Projects Bond Proposition

Manhasset Public Schools Board of Education Adopts Capital Projects Bond Proposition for Community Vote

At its October 6 meeting, the Board of Education of the Manhasset Public Schools adopted a resolution to present a $43.996 million capital projects bond proposition to the community for a vote on Thursday, December  8, 2022. The approximately 50 projects included in the bond proposition are designed to improve safety, security and building infrastructure at each of the District’s schools and enhance academic and co-curricular spaces throughout the District.

“The bond proposition adopted by the Board is the result of several months of careful research, analysis and collaboration with the community members on our District’s Long Term Facilities Planning Committee,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gaurav Passi. “As we look toward the future and how we can best invest in our students and our schools, the proposed scope of work will allow us to improve safety and security, and building infrastructure, as well as update and modernize facilities to enhance our students’ academic and co-curricular experiences.”

Based on September 2022 information provided by Nassau County and projected interest rates, if the bond proposition is approved by the community, the estimated net impact on the 2023-24 tax bill for the average taxable assessed value of a home in Manhasset is estimated to be less than $302 per year.

The District is fortunate to have beautiful buildings. The Secondary School and Munsey Park are both over 80 years old, and Shelter Rock is 54 years old.  Because of their age, the buildings require constant care, maintenance and modernizing to continue to serve both the students’ and community’s needs.

Yearly budgets finance the District’s annual operations, and capital reserves are used to fund important smaller scale capital projects. Periodic bond financing is a cyclical tool used to fund larger scale capital improvements and investments in the District’s facilities. The retirement in 2022-23 of a portion of the District’s current outstanding debt provides the opportunity to accomplish this important work while mitigating the net impact on Manhasset’s taxpayers.

If approved by voters on December 8, 2022, the funding would finance approximately 50 capital projects, including the highlights below:

  • Safety and Security projects - $10.36 million would fund safety and security upgrades across all three school buildings, including replacing all fire alarm systems, further “hardening” of classroom and corridor doors to prevent forced entry, and asbestos removal from instructional spaces. At the elementary schools, the plan includes the repaving of parking lots and improving drainage at both schools and addressing the cause of sinkholes at Shelter Rock. At the Secondary School, the plan includes the installation of a security booth at the campus entrance and the Dennis Street/Memorial Place access road would be widened.
  • Infrastructure projects - $11.96 million would fund infrastructure projects across all three school buildings. The projects include replacing two 35-year-old steam boilers at Munsey Park, renovating the bathrooms, updating electrical systems, sealing the buildings’ envelopes to prevent moisture infiltration, and installing air conditioning units in classrooms that are not presently cooled.
  • Academic and Co-curricular projects - $21.67 million would fund various capital projects in academic and co-curricular areas at each school, including:
    • At Manhasset Secondary School, the multipurpose space known as the Black Box Theatre and the adjoining spaces would be modernized, and the plan includes their redesign and renovation. Much of the school’s main auditorium and its stage are antiquated and the plan includes seat replacement, carpet and epoxy flooring, sound system replacement, stage floor replacement, stage and house lighting replacement, curtains and electrical rigging to replace the balanced weight rigging system, extension of the stage roof upward to create a full fly space, follow spot lighting, acoustical treatments, replacement of stage fascia and stage stairs and the creation of a new sound booth. Other projects include: renovation of the outdated Life Skills classroom and the Family and Consumer Sciences classroom, replacement of the four original tennis courts, replacement of the field turf at the Stadium, and re-imagination of the varsity baseball field to include a multi-purpose turf field in the outfield to provide field space for various sports for the community’s athletes to practice and play.
    • At Munsey Park, small group instructional space does not support the size of the program. The plan includes the redesign of the library, including air conditioning, and the repurposing of the gymnasium locker rooms to create small group instructional and collaborative learning spaces.
    • At Shelter Rock, the plan includes the reconstruction of the learning space known as the Speech Suite to accommodate small group instruction. The library would receive upgrades in lighting, ceiling, ventilation, and air conditioning. The auditorium, which is original to the 54-year-old building, would be renovated as follows: removal of the “popcorn” style asbestos ceiling, replacement of all seats, installation of a new sound system and house and stage lighting, and addition of a new sound booth.

Residents are encouraged to attend building tours scheduled on the following dates and times:

Tuesday, November 8 Tuesday, November 29
  • 4 p.m. at Shelter Rock
  • 5:30 p.m. at Munsey Park
  • 7 p.m. at the Secondary School
  • 4 p.m. at the Secondary School
  • 5:30 p.m. at Shelter Rock
  • 7:00 p.m. at Munsey Park

The vote will be held on Thursday, December 8, 2022 between the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Manhasset Secondary School Gymnasium. Residents are encouraged to visit www.manhassetschools.org for more information on the proposition, including a detailed list of capital projects planned for each school. Questions may be directed to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gaurav Passi at gpassi@manhassetschools.org or the Board of Education at boe@manhassetschools.org.