Bedford Central Eyes Postponing Bond Vote

The date for voting to bond the Bedford Central School District's capital plan may be pushed back from March to October.

In an email sent out through the Community Investment Program (CIP), a group tasked with getting the word out about the capital plan, Superintendent Jere Hochman outlined several reasons for why a change is being considered.

Reached by Patch for comment, Hochman explained that he will talk about the vote timing at Wednesday night's school board meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Fox Lane Middle School. According to CIP, the meeting is expected to include re-categorization of the range of building fixes being considered for the bond, based both on classification and prioritization.

Below is a copy of Hochman's announcement:

In the past few weeks, new information and new variables have merged with our capital plan planning process.  As a result, the administration is considering proposing an October election date for the capital plan.  Here are the key reasons.

 ·         As is our routine, we establish a budget target for the annual budget in December and current information forecasts a $5 to $6 million gap.  The discussion of program and staffing cuts would peak just about the time of a March capital plan vote. 

 ·         State and federal funding could change in the next month and year.

 ·         The interviews for candidates for the construction manager for this project illustrated keenly that our timeline is far too tight for the individual to adequately “scrub” the numbers and convert ideas and concepts into precise costs by March. 

 ·         As the community becomes more aware of this plan (in spite of seventeen public meetings addressing the topic), there is a desire for more detailed financial and technical information about projects that are not obvious “must haves” in the plan. 

 ·         As always, we want to be able to answer all questions and provide all information to our community.  An October date would allow time for analysis of figures and communication of all details with the public. 

 If you would, please take a moment to consider these reasons for an October election and let us know what you think about a change of potential vote date