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A year ago the Greenburgh School District began a campaign to push a bond whose total cost would have exceeded $200,000,000. There were several factors in addition to the excessive costs that contributed to the bond not passing. Please keep in mind we usually vote with the education of our children as the primary goal in mind. Education is the best investment a parent and a community can make.

If you are one of the residents who found their tax dollars disappearing without an adequate explanation, the information we’ve ascertained and included in this article should provide clarification.

Over the years, the Greenburgh school district has neglected the buildings that house the staff and the students. Sadly, on the first day the GSD staff was to report to work for the 2019-2020 school year, the Warburg mansion was declared unsafe for staff and children to occupy. The district had the entire summer to deal with building maintenance, but neglected to do so, hence, the week before school begins we found the sky is falling and so is the roof.

The slate roof which was known to be left in disrepair, was not covered, or protected, nor was there any effort to preserve it. The leaky roof now has contributed to “structural damages” yielding the building uninhabitable. Paint and plaster has fallen onto the floors and the mansion is no longer usable. Although the district is aware of the need to repair the building, as of this time plans to repair the mansion are not yet in the works. The slate roof sits uncovered, exposed to rain, ice, wind and further deterioration. To anyone who owns a car, if you do not change the oil, the life of the car is always shorter. Is this punishment for voting “NO” on the bond: no action to preserve, nor maintain? 

We were told repeatedly that the district didn’t have money for maintenance, but they suddenly have a quarter million dollars to fund a move into the high school. The locksmith costs are $34,577.40. for high tech security locks for the new offices. Other expenses the public should be aware of includes wiring for phones and computer system ($26,300) and shades for the director’s office ($8,652). The list is long and may eventually exceed $300,000!

In the interim, the administrative staff has moved to Woodlands High School. This is supposed to be a temporary move, but a price tag so far of $267,346.79 makes us question the fiscal responsibility of making this a temporary move. How can the district find money to repair the roof? Has the school district been spending money in this reckless manner all along, instead of maintaining the buildings?

As a taxpayer eager to support the education of our children, I find the lack of maintaining the district office and surrounding schools appalling. Let’s stop the wasteful spending.