Inside the Numbers: An In-Depth Look at RVC's School Improvement Bond

The Rockville Centre Board of Education announced Tuesday that it had finalized its proposed school improvement bond at approximately $45.9 million.

The bond will go toward structural improvements and enhancements at each of the five elementary schools, as well as South Side Middle School and High School and the administrative building.

A bulk of the total comes from spatial need improvements at the high school to the tune of $26.3 million.

According to a letter from the board of education, most of the $26.3 million will go to the following changes:

At South Side High School, the main focus is to bring the 12 classrooms currently housed outside in three portable trailers and two converted garages into the building.

... The two-story additions in the plans — one to the north and one to the south side of the building — will provide our students with modern and appropriate-sized instructional and science lab space. The cafeteria will be doubled in size so our kids won’t have to eat lunch in the halls or classrooms. Congestion and safety issues are solved by the redistribution of classroom space within the building.

Other major projects at the secondary level schools include a $570,000 roof replacement at the high school, $875,000 worth of auditorium replacements at the middle school and high school, and $810,000 for mechanical fresh air at both schools and the administrative building.

A grand total of $2.7 million will go to athletic enhancements at the high school, including nearly $1.6 million for a new turf field within the existing track.

Multiple residents have complained about turf additions at recent board meetings and on Patch, but the board has said that turf will see savings in the future:

Turf fields will be able to withstand greater usage in all weather conditions, allowing more of our teams to practice and host games on their home fields. The bond will also fund new bleacher seating on the main field and lighting for the practice field, allowing more practices to take place at the high school, saving on transportation costs and freeing up fields around Rockville Centre for use by village athletic groups. Strict guidelines for use of lights on evenings and weekends, already adopted by the school board, will be in force when the lights are installed.

At the elementary school level, three additional classrooms will be created at Watson due a "population boom" that has left the school strapped for space. The additions will cost $2.7 million.

Covert, Hewitt, Riverside, Watson and Wilson will all receive mechanical fresh air at a cost of $960,000, while air conditioning in the main assembly spaces of all schools but Covert will cost nearly $1.2 million.

Roof replacements at Covert and Watson will add up to $2.1 million and a boiler replacement at Wilson will cost $570,000.

District-wide enhancements include air conditioning for classrooms at a cost of $960,000, air conditioning at 40 additional instructional spaces at $240,000 and security cameras at $200,000.

Dozens of other improvements, from door replacements to table storage, account for the remaining cost estimates.

The vote for the school improvement bond will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on March 19 at the South Side High School gymnasium.