Wallkill School Board supports Ulster BOCES project

By Alberto Gilman
Posted 1/25/22

The Wallkill Central School District has given its approval of the bond resolution to provide $5.6 million towards a projected $39 million Ulster’s Board of Cooperative Educational Services …

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Wallkill School Board supports Ulster BOCES project

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The Wallkill Central School District has given its approval of the bond resolution to provide $5.6 million towards a projected $39 million Ulster’s Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Capital Project. The bond was approved during the Wallkill CSD’s regular board meeting last Wednesday.

On October 20, 2021, Ulster BOCES and Bernard P. Donegan [the district’s financial advisor] sent representatives to discuss and break down the project for the board.

The $39 million will be distributed and used for three school building restorations. $7.3 million will go towards a New Paltz site [along New York State Route 32 in New Paltz]. At this site, the funds will be used for lighting upgrades, roofing, site work, interior work such as the bathrooms and fire alarm systems.

$10.7 million will go towards the Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning (CITL - PE) at Port Ewen and the remaining $20.9 million will go towards the Career & Technical Center (CTE Center) also at Port Ewen. At both of these sites, the funds will be used for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system replacements, interior lighting, fire alarm systems, regular site work, and other interior work.

According to the presentation, it has been 39 years since these sites have had major renovations made to them.

Dr. Charles Khoury, Superintendent for Ulster BOCES, first joined the Ulster BOCES administration a decade ago. He said he is eager for this project to begin and to restore these facilities for the students.

Wallkill is one of eight school districts in Ulster County that are assisting with this project. The other seven school districts include Kingston City School District (SD), Highland, Rondout Valle, New Paltz, Onteora, Saugerties  and Ellenville.

Each district will be contributing, according to Bernard P. Donegan, the following towards the Capitol Project: Kingston City - $11.8 million; Highland  - $3.3 million; Rondout Valley  - $3.6 million; New Paltz  - $4.2 million; Onteora  - $2.4 million; Saugerties  - $4.9 million; Wallkill CSD - $5.6 million and Ellenville CSD - $2.9 million for a total of $39 million.

Wallkill which represents 14.4% of the Ulster County total enrollment, is paying the $5.6 million based on their Resident Weighted Average Daily Attendance (RWADA) figures. As of January 24, 2022, according to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) website, Wallkill’s RWADA is 3,014.

Wallkill Superintendent Kevin Castle expressed support for Ulster BOCES project and now with the bond resolution approved, the project can move along. “That’s the first step,” Castle said.

An average of about 130 to 140 students from the district [Wallkill] travel and attend the Ulster BOCES facilities, according to Castle.

Assistant Superintendent for Support Services, Brian Devincenzi said this restoration project will have no effect on the Wallkill taxpayers and will improve on the services provided by Ulster BOCES.

“The project will help serve not only the students of Wallkill but also the students of Ulster County,” Devincenzi said.

“The project [Ulster BOCES restoration] is replacing retiring debt,” Devincenzi said. Retiring debt, which is also known as debt retirement, is defined,  according to the Cambridge Dictionary, as “the fact of paying back a debt completely, so that it no longer exists”. 

“In terms of the payment, the payment structure, that will be worked out. We’re [the Wallkill district] working with our financial advisors [Bernard P. Donegan].” 

Devincenzi said the project will improve on the services provided by Ulster BOCES. 

“The project will help serve not only the students of Wallkill but also the students of Ulster County,” Devincenzi said.