Frequently Asked Questions-12525

The estimated cost of the five-year capital improvement project is not to exceed $126 million. This amount represents the total sum that will support the scope of the entire project, with repairs and improvements to be made in eleven district buildings.

Because the project will be fully funded by NYS building aid and district reserve funds, there will be a zero percent increase to local school taxes to pay for this project. We are fortunate to be able to make a significant investment in the improvement of our facilities with absolutely no impact to the local taxpayer.

The vote on the capital project referendum will take place along with the vote for the annual budget and board election. Polls will be open on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023 from noon to 9:00 pm. Only registered voters may vote at your designated polling place - Lincoln Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School, or Washington Middle School. If you have questions about where you should vote, please call the JPS District Clerk at 483-4420.

Work approved by district taxpayers in 2021 is currently ongoing across Jamestown Public Schools. To best preserve our educational environment, we want to continue our positive momentum and not skip a beat in our multi-year construction timeline in order to maintain, protect, and enhance our facilities for student use into the future. The scope of work included in this project aims to address improvements unable to be included two years ago. The work left to do is significant and cannot be funded by the local budget alone, without an undesirable impact to local property taxes. The upgrades, renovations, and replacements outlined in the 2024 Capital Project are needed improvements to keep our students warm, safe, and dry in a positive learning environment, accomplished with no additional burden on local taxpayers.

A school district’s facilities are a reflection of its educational program. A quality school district helps to protect and increase property values while enhancing marketability to attract future homeowners. Not only can the proposed project be completed with no increase to local taxes, it has the potential to improve property values by improving the overall condition of our school buildings and the appeal of our community.

The planning process for the proposed project began in 2019 with a Building Condition Survey (BCS) as in-depth evaluation of our facilities with input from principals, custodians, and district staff. We also sought input from several committees, including parents and staff, to recommend the improvements they would most like to see in our schools. The district planning team has worked with architectural firm Young & Wright, along with engineers and other consultants, to prioritize the scope of work based on information from the BCS and committee recommendations.

Based on our building condition surveys performed by engineers and architects, delaying the work proposed in the 2024 Capital Project would result in further deterioration of items that require immediate attention or replacement.

This capital improvement project will be funded through borrowing to be paid over a period of time. In order to repay the loans used for this project, debt payments will be offset by New York State building aid. The New York State building aid ratio for JPS is 98% - which means, for every dollar spent on capital improvement work, the district receives 98 cents in aid. The remaining 2% will be funded by district reserve funds (a savings account for a specific purpose) and other state funds specific to capital improvement work. These funding sources enable the district to complete $126 million in necessary improvements with no additional cost to the local taxpayer.

Under New York State law, the district cannot borrow money to fund personnel or other operational costs. However, money can be borrowed to invest in modernization and improvement of learning spaces that better support students, teachers, and staff.

Large building projects such as roofs, plumbing, and structural renovations are too costly to include in a school district’s annual operating budget. Through a bond vote, we are able to borrow funds to be repaid with state building aid that may only be used for capital projects, and cannot be used for operational expenses. By spreading the cost over several years through a capital project, and maximizing available building aid, we are able to complete millions of dollars of essential repairs and renovations with no impact to the local taxpayer.

In order to proceed with the project, we must have 60% voter approval. Over the past several years, Jamestown has seen very low voter turnout given our population.  It is essential that more of our community come out to vote so that we can both achieve the 60% requirement, and so we know that we are moving forward with a vote that is representative of our community.

In order to keep our schools open and operating safely, there are required elements of the Building Condition Survey that must be completed with or without a capital project. If the capital project is not approved by the voters, the district would need to fund this work directly, without the benefit of building aid, which would likely require a tax increase and reduction in staff and programs.