Beginning in the spring of 2022, ARLINGTON CONNECT was created to gather input from a broad base of parents, employees and residents of the Arlington Central School District.

Arlington Connect is a process to bring the community and school district together to develop goals and priorities to improve our schools and plan for the future. By listening to everyone’s ideas and best thinking, we can provide the best educational programs for our students. The team received its official charge from the Arlington Central School District Board of Education.

The program involved a series of eight community engagement sessions, electronic surveys, and a telephone survey. In September 2022, 1,933 community members completed an online survey. In the fall of 2023, we conducted a 300-sample telephone survey to gather community perceptions of the district.

More than 230 participants took part in the community engagement sessions. Each session was an opportunity for the school district leaders to listen to participants and gather feedback on priorities and recommendations to improve Arlington schools. Participants shared their thoughts on:

• Preparing Students For Life

• Meeting the Needs of All Learners

• Communications and Community Engagement

• How Facilities Impact Learning

• Facilities in ACSD

• School Finance 101

• Educational Facility Master Plan: Proposals to Support Recommendations & Facility Findings

The participants’ ideas and suggestions provided important information for ARLINGTON CONNECT’s final recommendations. Data from the community engagement sessions and the final recommendation to the Board of Education is available to be viewed at www.arlingtonschools.org/ArlingtonConnect

All district facilities were evaluated focusing on educational needs, safety and security, and ongoing maintenance needs. A variety of sources provided information, including our community.  The district worked with architects, engineers and other experts who identified the most critical needs in our schools. For the bond proposal, we prioritized the facility needs that must be addressed as soon as possible. 

The Arlington Central School District Board of Education is asking residents to vote on a facilities bond proposal. If approved by voters, the bond proposal will fund renovations, upgrades and new construction throughout the district. The bond proposal addresses our most important facility needs including adding welcoming and secure entrances, constructing new classrooms and labs, new library media centers, eliminating temporary classrooms, new roofs where needed, upgrading electrical systems and much more. Every school will see enhancements.  

To fully fund identified critical needs, voters will consider a $179.6 million bond proposal. The State of New York will provide approximately 72% funding for eligible expenses and the district will provide $10.7 million funding from its savings, which will reduce the amount that needs to be borrowed. It should also be noted that the District is completing payments on existing debt service.  This will mitigate a significant portion of the tax increase to the local taxpayer.  The estimated annual tax increase is 23 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The average homeowner will pay about eight dollars per month for the bond proposal phased in over several years.

We have been planning for these projects for several years. At this time, we have existing debt payments dropping off, state aidability is high, and the district has savings available to apply toward the project. These factors will allow us to fund needed updates, repairs, and renovations while minimizing the impact on taxpayers.

We have identified several issues in all schools that must be addressed. This bond proposal addresses issues determined to be the highest priorities both from a health and safety perspective and a programmatic perspective. These include: 

• Renovating and upgrading schools as needed to better provide equitable facilities and equitable opportunities for all students.  

• Closing Traver Road Primary School and moving Traver students to an expanded K-5 West Road School is fiscally responsible. Traver is ninety years old and requires cost-prohibitive renovations.

• Constructing a new classroom wing, including updated science labs at LaGrange Middle School to create greater equity between our two middle schools. 

• Eliminating temporary classrooms that are more than 30 years old. 

• Continuing to improve the safety and security of students, staff and visitors in Arlington:

  • Add welcoming and secure vestibules at all schools for safety and visibility.

  • Improve traffic flow at Arthur S. May School

  • Replace original exterior doors where needed

• Updating academic spaces to better serve students academic and other educational needs, including:

  • STEM rooms

  • Science labs

  • Cafeterias 

  • Gyms

  • Library media centers

  • Classrooms

• Completing needed electrical system updates (many of our buildings have original systems) not designed for existing electrical loads.

  • Evaluate, repair and/or install new electrical systems to improve energy savings, efficiency and cost effectiveness.

• Completing needed maintenance, repairs and updates at facilities including:

  • Roof replacements (at five schools)

  • Improvements to ventilation, electrical, and drainage systems

  • Replace doors, flooring, and casework

  • Asbestos abatement

  • Sidewalk and payment improvements

Arlington Central School District schools are older buildings and are facing a number of age-related challenges. The median age of our schools is 62 years.  

• Our schools represent a large investment by our district and its taxpayers and must be properly maintained. 

• Older schools no longer accommodate current educational programming needs for students. 

• It is important to keep our schools in good working condition.

Timelines for renovating or making improvements to schools must be flexible and require careful planning to ensure student learning is not disrupted. If the proposal is approved, the district will work closely with architects and construction managers to implement the most efficient timeline. We anticipate construction will begin in the fall of 2025 (after a rigorous design phase and NYS approval) with full completion of all projects in approximately six years.  All renovation plans will be shared with parents and our community as dates and schedules are finalized.

Traver Road Primary School is ninety years old and requires cost-prohibitive renovations. Transitioning students to an updated and expanded K-5 West Road School will provide better learning environments for students and teachers and save the District an estimated  $800,000 a year in operating expenses. It will also keep Pleasant Valley students together at one school.

The bond proposal includes building additional classrooms at West Road to make it a K-5 school. Once the addition is complete, all Traver Road students will attend a brand new wing at West Road School. We do not anticipate redistricting students as a result of closing Traver Road. 

Our consultant did not conduct a detailed assessment of the NY Route 115 (Salt Point Turnpike)/West Road intersection as part of the traffic evaluation; therefore, they cannot comment on any perceived or actual existing delay issues at this location. That being said and as noted below, the proposed consolidation of the schools will not add “new” trips to the overall regional traffic network. Traffic that was previously generated by the Traver Road Primary School from locations to the east (on US Route 44 and Traver Road) and from locations north and south (via US Route 44 and North Avenue) will not travel through the NY Route 115/West Road intersection in order to access the West Road Intermediate School. In addition, any traffic that originated from the west on NY Route 115 (Salt Point Turnpike) would continue to use a similar route which would not add “new” traffic to this intersection. Therefore, it is not anticipated that an increase in traffic would substantially change existing traffic conditions at the NY Route 115/West Road intersection, a detailed analysis would be needed to confirm the actual changes in delay, which is expected to be on the order of a few seconds per vehicle.

All Arlington students deserve the same opportunities and learning experiences. Inequity between the middle schools compromises instruction and support services at LMS. The facilities bond proposal will provide for more equity between LMS and Union Vale Middle School by addressing inadequate spaces at LMS. The proposal includes expanding the cafeteria at LMS so that LMS students can have the same menu options as students at Union Vale Middle School and can move through the lunch line in a more reasonable amount of time. It also provides space for the psychologist and social worker to meet with students (They are currently meeting with students in a former storeroom).  The additional classrooms will improve the school’s ability to schedule classes, which will improve the overall student experience,  and will relieve overcrowding in the hallways. The library media center and science labs will be updated to meet current educational standards. Other improvements include lighting, painting, and ventilation. 

It is well known that the quality of schools  impacts property values. Quality schools stabilize and protect property values and lead to strong communities. The improvements we make now will benefit many generations of students and families who live, and who will live, in the Arlington Central School District. 

No. Funds will only be used for capital (building) improvements. 

The cost for needed repairs and construction, including  secure vestibules, additions to West Road and LaGrange Middle Schools, and replacing temporary classrooms will continue to escalate as our buildings age and emergencies arise.

Our schools will not have the safety and security improvements identified in this project. Students across the District will not have access to equitable schools or learning opportunities that meet today’s educational standards.  

Over the past ten years, we have completed a number of projects to maintain our buildings, improve energy efficiency, and keep our schools in good repair. 

Through an Energy Performance Contract, between 2015 and 2017, we replaced 19 boilers, converted seven buildings to gas, and completed a number of asbestos replacement projects. We have retrofitted lighting to LED (with an estimated energy savings of $622,000 over five years). In addition, we replaced windows at Overlook and Beekman, replaced electrical transformers at Union Vale, Vail Farm, and Arlington High Schools.

We used the NYS Smart School Bond for a number of safety and security projects, including installing security cameras and lockdown alert systems and replacing the PA systems at all schools. We completed municipal water connections at Beekman, Noxon, and Overlook.

We have replaced roofs (partial or complete) at Arthur S. May, Union Vale, Vail Farm, and Arlington High Schools. We have also renovated and expanded the LaGrange Bus Garage, made a number of improvements to the athletic fields at AHS, and completed sidewalk repairs and sitework at several schools.

We have completed these projects through our annual operating budget, capital reserve fund transfers, and voter approved bond propositions. Our Operations and Maintenance Department does an outstanding job maintaining our buildings, but it is now time to address some of the bigger projects that need to be addressed.

In total, $179.6 million in improvements will be made to district facilities. The State of New York will provide approximately 72% funding for eligible expenses and the district will provide $10.7 million funding from its savings, which will reduce the amount that needs to be borrowed. It should also be noted that the District is completing payments on existing debt service.  This will mitigate a significant portion of the tax increase to the local taxpayer.  The estimated annual tax increase is 23 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The average homeowner will pay about eight dollars per month for the bond proposal phased in over several years.

The district will finance the bond over a 15-18 year term. The exact length of the bond will be dependent on the interest rates once we are ready to finance the project and begin construction. 

The District is a good steward of the community’s investment in its schools and it has been recognized for its efforts. The district has a solid reserve fund (savings account). Anticipating future renovation and maintenance needs, the district continues to be financially responsible and has $10.7 million in savings to help fund the bond proposal.  The timing of this project proposal has been planned to take advantage of existing debt service payments that are ending.

The proposal addresses identified needs for the district; however, the schedule could possibly be modified due to changing financial conditions. With today’s economy, if the proposal is approved by the voters, the district will be diligent in protecting the taxpayer’s investment while completing the identified projects in the proposal. 

Arlington voters will see four items on the ballot: the proposed 2024/2025 Educational Plan and Budget, the 2024/2025 Bus and Equipment Proposition and the Capital Project Bond Proposition. Voters will also elect three members to the Board of Education.

By law, the Capital Project Bond Proposition must appear on the ballot in this form:

CAPITAL PROJECT BOND PROPOSITION

YES NO

RESOLVED:

(a) That the Board of Education of Arlington Central School District, in the County of Dutchess, New York (the “District”), is hereby authorized to construct improvements and alterations to District school buildings and/or sites, substantially as described in a plan prepared by the District with the assistance of CSArch, and to expend therefor an amount not to exceed the cost of $179,600,000; (b) that the amount of $10,700,000 from the District’s “The Buildings and Facilities Improvement Reserve 2018”, approved by the voters of the District on May 15, 2018, is hereby authorized to be expended to pay a portion of said cost, and such expenditure is hereby approved; and (c) that a tax is hereby voted in an aggregate amount of not to exceed $168,900,000 to finance the balance of such cost, such tax to be levied and collected in installments in such years and in such amounts as shall be determined by said Board of Education; and that in anticipation of said tax, bonds of the District are hereby authorized to be issued in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed $168,900,000 and a tax is hereby voted to pay the interest on said bonds as the same shall become due and payable.

Election Day is Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The Arlington Capital Project Bond Proposition requires a simple majority (50% + 1 to pass). Polls are open from 6:00AM to 9:00PM. It is important for every voter to become informed and understand the proposal on the ballot and then exercise their right to vote.

Every single vote is important. Your vote matters!That's why it is crucial that you remember to vote and remind all of your friends and family to do the same. 

To be eligible to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older, and a resident of the district for 30 days prior to the vote.  If you are registered to vote in a general election, you are registered to vote in all school district elections.

If you are not registered, you can obtain a mail registration form by calling the Dutchess County Board of Elections at 845-486-2473.  A registration form can also be downloaded from the Board of Elections website.  Forms are also available at most government offices, post offices, and libraries.  Complete the form and mail it to the Dutchess County Board of Elections.   You may also register in person at 112 Delafield Street, Poughkeepsie.  If you have moved to a new address within Dutchess County or if there has been a change to your name, call the Board of Elections for specific instructions.  You must be registered by May 14 for the May 21, 2024 vote. 

If you are not a registered voter, you may also register at the elementary school where you will vote or at the District Clerk’s office during normal office hours on any regular school day.  You must register at least one week before the school district vote.  There will be an opportunity for late voter registration on May 14 from 4:30-8:30 pm at the polling locations listed below. For more information, contact the District Clerk at (845) 486-4460 ext. 20212. 

District 1 – Arthur S. May School
District 2 – Traver Road Primary 
District 3 – Overlook Primary 
District 4 – Noxon Road Elementary
District 5 – Beekman Elementary 
District 6 – Vail Farm Elementary   

Please click here to see if you are registered to vote and to find your voting location for the Arlington Central School District.

New this year is the ability to vote early by mail.  Voters requesting an early mail ballot need not supply a reason why they cannot appear in person at the polls on election day. An application bearing the voter’s signature must be completed before a ballot can be issued to the voter or designee.

To Request an Application:

Early Mail Ballot Application - Available online beginning April 19, 2024.

An application may also be requested by calling the District Clerk at (845) 486-4460 ext. 20212 and requesting to have it mailed to you. 

Applications may not be submitted more than 30 days prior to the election.  The first day that an absentee or early mail ballot application can be accepted is April 22, 2024.  The ballot is expected to be ready the week of April 22, 2024. 

If the early mail ballot is to be mailed to the applicant, the application must be received by the District Clerk no later than seven (7) days before the Vote (May 14).  If the early mail ballot is to be delivered in person to the voter or designee, the application must be received no later than the day before the Vote (May 20). 

After the District Clerk receives your School District Early Mail Ballot Application, you will be mailed/given the actual ballot to cast your vote.

Early voting ballots must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the vote, May 21, 2024.