Educators and community members in one school district in the Adirondacks held a speak-out Friday, highlighting what they say is the urgent need for a new school facility. The Boquet Valley Central School District resulted from a merger, and currently has a 73-year-old building in Elizabethtown and a 91-year-old building in Westport. A proposal that voters will weigh in on this month asks voters in the district if they should build one unified campus in Lewis, on what is known as the Thrall Dam property. Supporters say it is more central and will help the district become more efficient.At an event Friday in Westport, teachers, state lawmakers, and parents highlighted the conditions in the old school buildings. They described leaky ceilings, spotty internet service, insufficient outlets for classroom technology, a lack of athletic fields, and some water faucets that are unusable because of lead in the plumbing. Supporters are urging a “yes” vote on Feb. 15 for a new $66-million school which would house pre-K children through high school seniors. The project would also provide a bus garage and new sports fields.”We’re voting yes for the students,” said Amy Welch of the Boquet Valley Federation of Teachers. “We’re voting yes because the students deserve better. The students deserve a learning environment where they feel safe — where they feel that can be anything they want to be. We could have students who can become engineers, who can become, you know, whatever they want to be. And we need to give them the facilities that they can kind of reach those dreams.”Opponents have voiced concern with affordability and impacts to their tax bills. Some people voting “no,” including the author of this post, have also expressed frustrations with the level of state reimbursement for the project falling short of what they expected.Other opponents take issue with the proposed site itself, fearing the construction project would infringe on the wilderness of the park land in Lewis. Some have said they would like to see a plan that manages to reuse one of the existing properties.The Feb. 15 vote for the district’s capital project proposal will take place at the Lake View Campus property on Sisco Street in Westport. Polls will be open that day from noon to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are available through the district clerk in Elizabethtown, according to this flier from the school district.
Educators and community members in one school district in the Adirondacks held a speak-out Friday, highlighting what they say is the urgent need for a new school facility.
The Boquet Valley Central School District resulted from a merger, and currently has a 73-year-old building in Elizabethtown and a 91-year-old building in Westport. A proposal that voters will weigh in on this month asks voters in the district if they should build one unified campus in Lewis, on what is known as the Thrall Dam property. Supporters say it is more central and will help the district become more efficient.
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At an event Friday in Westport, teachers, state lawmakers, and parents highlighted the conditions in the old school buildings. They described leaky ceilings, spotty internet service, insufficient outlets for classroom technology, a lack of athletic fields, and some water faucets that are unusable because of lead in the plumbing.
Supporters are urging a “yes” vote on Feb. 15 for a new $66-million school which would house pre-K children through high school seniors. The project would also provide a bus garage and new sports fields.
“We’re voting yes for the students,” said Amy Welch of the Boquet Valley Federation of Teachers. “We’re voting yes because the students deserve better. The students deserve a learning environment where they feel safe — where they feel that can be anything they want to be. We could have students who can become engineers, who can become, you know, whatever they want to be. And we need to give them the facilities that they can kind of reach those dreams.”
Opponents have voiced concern with affordability and impacts to their tax bills. Some people voting “no,” including the author of this post, have also expressed frustrations with the level of state reimbursement for the project falling short of what they expected.
Other opponents take issue with the proposed site itself, fearing the construction project would infringe on the wilderness of the park land in Lewis. Some have said they would like to see a plan that manages to reuse one of the existing properties.
The Feb. 15 vote for the district’s capital project proposal will take place at the Lake View Campus property on Sisco Street in Westport. Polls will be open that day from noon to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are available through the district clerk in Elizabethtown, according to this flier from the school district.
