$16.2 Million Bond Passes In Bethpage School District

BETHPAGE, NY — Voters on Tuesday approved a $16.2 million bond that includes funding for capital improvements like a renovation of John F. Kennedy Middle School’s athletic complex to include a multi-sport turf field.

The bond passed 221 to 79.

The bond will include other athletic upgrades such as new lighting for evening sports, basketball court improvements, and repositioned softball and baseball fields at the middle school’s sports complex. Bethpage High School will also be getting a new turf field and a scoreboard with the funding in place.

Academic improvements covered by the bond include two new Science, Engineering, Technology, and Mathematics labs at the JFK middle school, as well as upgrades at additional STEM labs in the elementary schools. The libraries at Bethpage High School, JFK Middle School, Central Boulevard and Charles Champagne elementary schools will also be updated with state-of-the-art pilot classrooms.

The funding will also allow for IT upgrades such as improved cybersecurity and SMART boards that refresh. Infrastructure upgrades will include parking lot, sidewalk and flooring repairs, as well as improvements to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

School district officials described the bond as “tax neutral” with any new payments to replace expiring debt payments, according to the district’s website.