What is a capital project?
Just like a home, school facilities need attention and upkeep to maintain a healthy, safe, and secure environment for teaching and learning. Multiply the daily wear and tear of 4,150 active students and 800 staff members in seven schools, and these maintenance costs easily rise above what the annual general operating budget can support. Capital improvement projects are a way for school districts to finance larger amounts of facilities work in a cost-efficient manner by accessing state building aid and using voter-approved capital reserves.
Who can vote on the proposed capital project?
Qualified voters must be age 18 or older, a U.S. citizen, a resident of the district for at least 30 days prior to the vote. You do not need to be registered to vote.
When and where will the vote take place?
The vote is scheduled for Tuesday, December 2, 2025 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Bethlehem Central High School in Gym A. Absentee ballots are also available.
What is included in the 2025 BCSD Capital Project?
If approved by voters on December 2, the 2025 Capital Project would renovate outdated classrooms and instructional spaces (approx.n 34% of project), improve classroom conditions by adding air conditioning to known “hot spots” in all schools (approx. 17% of project) and address major building needs such as roof and window replacement, boiler replacements, paving and other building needs (approx. 49% of project). Other school-specific highlights include renovation of the Library Media Center at Elsmere Elementary and the kitchen and cafeteria at Slingerlands Elementary, as well as bathroom improvements at the high school. The project would also improve safety at all schools by updating fire alarm and lockdown alarm systems districtwide.
What will the impact be on my taxes?
This project is expected to be budget neutral; there is zero additional tax impact associated with the proposed capital project. The district expects to receive New York State building aid for approximately 71.8 percent of the cost of eligible work included in the proposed project. In addition, the district plans to use $16.6 million from the voter-approved 2022 Capital Reserve to offset the cost of this project. The timing of the project is key to keeping it budget neutral: debt service repayment related to the proposed project would begin as debt service payments from older projects are expiring, maintaining stability of both financing and state aid repayments, with zero anticipated impact on the tax levy.
Why do we need a new capital project when we just finished one?
The most recent capital project was approved in two phases: in 2021 and in 2023. Construction was completed in December 2024, with the reopening of the middle school auditorium. The district schedules capital improvement projects every 3-5 years. This provides the district with greater budget stability when managing debt, provides for more efficient use of capital reserves, and ensures projects are more manageable in terms of building logistics and regular maintenance needs.
How are items in the project determined?
New York school districts are required to conduct regular building condition surveys and to develop multi-year facilities plans, which can help identify aging, outdated or energy inefficient school infrastructure and facilities issues related to health and wellness. The district uses its 5-Year Facilities Plan to prioritize projects and engages stakeholders, the Board of Education and the public in discussions throughout the planning process. Projects in the 5-Year Facilities Plan are categorized as low-, medium- and high-priority items. The proposed 2025 project includes only high-priority items from this plan. These items include classroom renovations at the elementary level and HVAC improvements that would add air conditioning to known “hot spots” in schools across the district. Approximately 49% of the proposed project would be used for new roofing, window replacements, boiler replacements, paving and other significant maintenance projects across seven schools and nearly 1,000,000 square feet of property owned by the district.
The project scope was refined during several public meetings of the Board of Education.
How does this project benefit the community?
Bethlehem’s reputation for academics is widely known in the Capital Region. To honor that reputation, it is important that our learning spaces be maintained and updated to help us meet the district’s mission of educating all students to reach their potential. Today’s students, and tomorrow’s students, will benefit from an environment that is modernized and optimized for teaching and learning. Forty–five elementary classrooms will be renovated the district’s four oldest elementary schools (Elsmere, Glenmont, Hamagrael and Slingerlands.) Air conditioning will be added to known “hot spots” in all schools and in common areas. The air conditioning will significantly improve classroom conditions in spring and fall throughout the district benefiting students and teachers. The cooling project will also benefit community organizations that use common areas in our schools, such as gyms and auditoriums. School capital improvements can positively impact home values, too. According to the National Association of Realtors, nearly 30 percent of home buyers list “school quality” as a deciding factor in their home purchase.
Will students be displaced during classroom renovations?
Generally, most capital project work is scheduled during summer vacations, school breaks or is done as nighttime work in order to minimize disruption to the instructional day. Due to the extensive classroom renovation work that is necessary at the elementary level, some elementary students may be displaced during the classroom renovations at Elsmere, Glenmont, Hamagrael and Slingerlands. Relocation of students, either within a building or between buildings, will be kept to a minimum. Once started, the classroom renovation projects are expected to take between three to six consecutive months to complete. These renovations would not begin until spring 2027, at the earliest, and any plan for relocation of students would be developed with input from the construction team, staff members and families.
Is there a plan for moving students during construction?
The timeline from a proposed capital improvement plan, to project vote, to actual construction is a multi-step process. Any plan for relocating students would be part of that process. If approved by voters, the project must first be approved by the New York State Education Department before individual projects can be put out for bid. This process takes more than a year to complete. The design and construction team would work closely with district stakeholders (including staff members and families) during this process to develop a plan that would be least disruptive to the fewest number of students possible. Once this process has been finalized, construction would likely begin in spring/summer of 2027.
Can the district complete capital construction work as part of the annual school budget?
The annual school budget only covers basic maintenance and routine repairs. However, New York State offers building aid to cover a significant portion of eligible project costs. Currently, Bethlehem receives approximately 71.8% of eligible project expenses. Without a voter-approved capital project, the district could face significant infrastructure issues, such as roof leaks or boiler failures, which would force funding to be reallocated from student programs and services in order to resolve these problems. A capital improvement project enables the district to make essential improvements to its facilities in a strategic, affordable manner that ensures long-term financial stability – making it the most efficient and cost-effective solution.
Why is the vote scheduled for December and not during the annual budget vote in May?
To minimize disruption, school capital construction projects usually begin in late spring, with the bulk of work being completed during the summer months. A December 2025 vote will allow the district to continue on a timeline in which construction is slated to begin in spring of 2027. This timeframe allows for design work, State Education Department (SED) approvals and the bidding process. If a vote were delayed to May 2026, the timeline would be pushed back far enough that construction could not begin until spring 2028. A delay would also disrupt the timing of bond financing and state aid payments that, with a December 2025 vote, allows the project to be budget neutral. Fall capital project votes are not an unusual practice in the Bethlehem Central School District.