The Newburgh Enlarged City School District’s proposed capital bond project moves on to the next step in the process thanks to a seven to two vote in favor of the plan. Board Members Andrew Johnston and Darren Stridiron voted against the resolution.

The bond has two propositions that will be voted on May 21. Voters will be deciding between an indoor air quality-environmental system and central air conditioning installation across all schools in the district and proposition one, which includes a very lengthy list of additions and renovations to all schools along with the $75.5 million CTE building.

Proposition one includes curriculum based renovations and improvements based on the building condition inspection survey. This proposition also includes an addition and renovation to the cafeteria in Heritage Middle School, and a 16,585 sq ft addition to the New Windsor School. The addition in the New Windsor School will include new classrooms, a new gym, new music and art classrooms, and a new parking lot with the relocation of the existing playground.

Vails Gate STEAM Academy will receive a new addition with new classrooms, a renovation and addition to the nurses suite and a new traffic loop.

The biggest price tag on the list for proposition one is the CTE building, a plan that will house technical training programs in a building next to the existing Newburgh Free Academy Main Campus. The two would be connected with a walkway going from one building to the next.

Proposition one will cost $198 million with $128 million contributed in state aid and $10 million pulled from the capital reserve. Taxpayers will account for $60 million of the project.

Proposition two will cost $59 million with a state contribution of $45 million and $14 million paid for by taxpayers.

Estimated impact on the average taxpayer with a house valued at $100,000 is $0.98 a month. Proposition 1 and 2 put together will cost the average taxpayer $1.82 a month, with no impact for eight years.

Johnston and Stridiron voted down the bond, because of the way the propositions are structured.

“I support the CTE I work in CTE there’s a huge need for CTE, but the way this is structured, we can’t just go from the education point of view,” said Stridiron. “We represent the taxpayers as well. I don’t want this bond to go down because taxpayers see the CTE building and vote against it, I want to see the repairs in the buildings get done. If you can get the Air Conditioning to improve the air quality for all the kids to be working in spaces that are considered normal put it in proposition one, it would make sense. The way it’s structured I’m against. I’m not against the CTE program, I actually like the CTE building. It should be a seperate item that taxpayers can look at and vote on.”

The board held a long debate at a regular meeting on March 12 in which Johnston made a motion to table the resolution. The motion to table the vote was knocked down with Board Member William Walker, Stridiron and Johnston voting in favor and the rest voting against the motion.

“Being on the committee for over two years I understand that people don’t like the idea of the CTE building, but if we are going to inspire students to feel we have to think of many of our students not just the students going to college,” said Board Member, Susan Prokosch. “We did not slip this in, the CTE building was from the get go. The rooms vacated are going to be used to make the education systems even better because they are overcrowded and in some places not adequate. What we are trying to do is inspire all students in our district to become leaders whether they are teacher professor lawyers or they are a master welder. We want to do the best we can for every single student in our district.”