Voters in the Monticello Central School District rejected the Classroom 2020 Phase II Capital Project on Thursday, Oct. 17 with 721 no to 642 yes votes. These results are unofficial.
The project would have funded extensive renovations and repairs at each building in the district, including the St. John Street Education Center, and the reopening of the Cornelius Duggan Elementary School in White Lake (pending NYS approval). These repairs and renovations would have enabled the district to offer a Universal Pre-K program at each one of its elementary schools, improved the quantity and quality of its programming at the St. John Street Education Center, and made a substantial array of needed repairs to the district’s athletic facilities, theatre and classrooms.
A second proposition, which authorizes the use of $500,000 in existing reserve funds to make repairs at the St. John Street Education Center was approved 707 yes votes to 655 no votes.
“We’re certainly disappointed in the results of this referendum,” Interim Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Silver said. “The Classroom 2020 Phase II Capital Improvement project included a substantial array of repairs and renovations to improve the quality of life for not just our students, but our entire community. We are grateful to all of our citizens who exercised their right to vote today, and who shared their feedback through the exit survey at the polls. The district and Board will meet in the upcoming weeks to review the results of that survey, and deliberate the next steps forward.”
The district will continue to post updates and information about the Classroom 2020 project on all of its communications channels.