The William Floyd School District will be hosting a capital project vote on Wednesday, March 26. The vote will be for a $78.5 million proposed facilities capital improvement project, which will be at zero additional cost to the taxpayers.

“This is possible because New York State provides nearly 88 percent reimbursement on capital costs ($0.879 cents) per $1 spent, and through smart financial planning, the district has created (and residents approved) three Capital Reserve Funds over the past four years,” the William Floyd Board of Education explained in a letter to the community.

The project, according to the district, will address several key areas encompassing all buildings. Projects will include but are not limited to repairing aging infrastructure such as pavements, plumbing, communication systems, and providing expanded classroom spaces for additional opportunities for students. 

In addition to the aging infrastructure repair, the project will also expand the CTE program at the WFHS, enhance facilities, redesign the entrances at Paca and WFHS, update STEM classrooms with indoor and outdoor spaces at Paca, and add multipurpose athletic fields at the high school.

The three capital reserve funds, established and approved by residents in May 2021 ($5 million), May 2022 ($5 million) and May 2024 ($10 million), plus interest earned, will account for the local share, with the rest of the cost (87.9 percent) reimbursed to the district by New York State Building Aid.

The district recently conducted the New York State Education Department’s required five-year building condition survey, which has identified several areas that will need to be addressed to continue keeping all buildings operational, safe and compliant to all New York State codes.

Two budget advisory meetings were already held. The vote will take place on Wednesday, March 26, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the WFHS east lobby, 240 Mastic Beach Road, Mastic Beach.

“This is an amazing opportunity for our district to upgrade and enhance our facilities at zero additional cost to local residents, which is made possible due to the New York State Building Aid reimbursement of 87.9 percent coupled with the three already voter-approved and funded capital reserve funds over the past four years,” said Kevin Coster, superintendent of schools, William Floyd School District. “This project will provide various infrastructure repairs throughout all buildings and enhance our facilities, including a 36,000-square-foot expansion to the district’s award-winning Career and Technical Education programs. There will also be enhancements to elementary school libraries, music rooms, science rooms, athletic fields, buildings, parking lots, and more. This is a great opportunity to upgrade our facilities for students and the community without local residents having to bear the full costs, while providing increased opportunities for our students and state-of-the-art facilities for our residents.”

For more information or a breakdown of what the project includes for each school in the district, see the proposal brochure at: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1739194711/wfsdk12nyus/yyaiokdnrwyo2j2cbfiu/CapitalProjectBrochure2025.pdf.

Bond Proposition

Below is the wording of the proposition that will appear on the ballot. Please vote Yes or No.

RESOLVED: That the Board of Education of the William Floyd Union Free School District of the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley is hereby authorized to undertake District-wide Capital Improvement Plan (the “Project”), substantially as described in a plan prepared by the District with the assistance of John A. Grillo, Architects, and to expend therefor an amount not to exceed $78,500,000; (b) that the Board of Education of the District is authorized to expend $21,000,000, plus any interest earnings thereon, from three (3) separate Capital Reserve Funds of the District, which were established on May 11, 2021, May 10, 2022 and May 14, 2024 respectively pursuant to Section 3651 of the Education Law, to pay a portion of the cost of the Project; (c) that a tax is hereby voted in the amount of not to exceed $57,500,000 to finance the balance of said cost, such tax to be levied by and collected in installments in such years and in such amounts as may be determined by said Board of Education; and in anticipation of said tax, bonds of the District are hereby authorized to be issued in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed $57,500,000, and a tax is hereby voted to pay the interest on said bonds as the same shall become due and payable; and (d) that District funds from current and/or future operations may be available to pay a portion of the cost, and any such funds expended therefor shall offset and reduce the amount of taxes herein authorized to be levied and the amount of bonds herein authorized to be issued.