Note to readers: The Livingston Manor School Board meetings have been rescheduled for the fourth Monday of each month, often too late to be published in a timely manner in the print edition of the paper. Manor Ink’s monthly reports will thus appear regularly here online, and in the print paper whenever possible.
Boards OK merger petition
By Marge Feuerstein | Manor Ink Mentor
Joint school boards meeting of Oct. 7
Presentations: NY State Senator Peter Oberacker, R, Dist. 51, and Superintendent John Evans discussed the proposed merger of the LMCS and RCS districts. “When the wind of change is blowing, it’s time to build windmills,” said Sen. Oberacker. He explained that the compacting of school districts is coming, and the granting of state school aid takes into consideration the age of schools and their facilities.
He said that voting for a merger is often emotional, but its acceptance is necessary because it’s better for local communities to retain control of their destiny rather than have it determined by the state.
Regarding student transportation, Oberacker said Gov. Hochul has mandated that all school buses must be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Since Rockland’s districts lease their buses from Rolling V Bus Corp., the change-over cost will be covered by the company. Because electric buses are more expensive and much heavier, leasing costs will likely increase.
Oberacker said he is trying to get the governor to extend the deadline for adopting electric school buses. He is also arguing in favor of retrofitting gas-powered buses to run on hydrogen, which would be much cheaper to do and to maintain.
Supt. Evans reviewed the October 2022 vote that rejected the merger. In 2023, the Rockefeller Institute of Government, a public policy think tank, changed its education funding formula’s aid rate. The aid incentive to a merged district in the district’s first five years would mean an additional $8.5 million for each of those years. If the Rockland districts merge, capital improvement aid would pay 89.4 percent of costs for the first ten years, and then 68 percent thereafter.
Due to the estimated maximum class size of 22 students in upcoming years, both the Manor and Roscoe buildings would be utilized in the merged districts. The RCS building would serve Kindergarten through 6 grade students, while LMCS would have classes for middle and high schoolers. Administrative restructuring would cut district costs, but teaching staff would only be reduced through attrition, change of jobs or retirement.
Evans explained that transportation time to and from school would never exceed one hour, which is the longest trip some students now have. Shorter rides may be possible through a two-tier routing system and the staggering of school opening times.
Before the state will accept the holding of a new merger vote, the districts must prove that is what residents want. This can be done through either a straw vote, as was done in 2022, or through a petition, which both school boards preferred. The number of signatures required is based on the last vote. Roscoe must get 227 in favor while Livingston Manor needs 309.
Public Comment: Members of the public attending the meeting asked questions regarding taxes, foundation aid, buildings and transportation. Supt. Evans and Sen. Oberacker addressed those concerns.
Resolutions Required: The following resolutions were unanimously passed by the board.
Proceed with reorganization through centralization pursuant to Education Law 1801, and assess public support for such reorganization through a petition signed by voters of the district.
Appoint James Buck, Jill Smith, Nicole Park, Chris Tuleweit, Ed Gorr, John Evans, Judith Emory, Judith Tuleweit, Carole Edwards and Jan Carlson to assist the district in gathering signatures on the petition.
Minutes of the meeting can be found at mcs.k12.ny.us/page/board-of-education under the minutes of Oct. 7 (click the “Meetings” tab on the upper right).