School Bond Referendum Passes with 65% Voter Approval

After a protracted and contentious community debate, the $64.9 million bond to finance a renovation and expansion of Greenacres Elementary School and infrastructure improvements at all district schools passed with 65% voter approval.

Participation in the referendum was high, bringing out a total of 1,920 votes, with 1,253 voting yes and 667 voting no. These counts include100 absentee ballots.

Voting was brisk, especially in the evening hours when a PTA presentation about vaping brought parents to the school.

Scarsdale School Superintendent Dr.Thomas Hagerman and six of the seven board members were present along with PTA leaders, Stuart Mattey, John Trenholm, Eric Rauschenbach, Jerry Crisci, Rachel Moseley and Vicki Presser. Former School Board President Suzanne Seiden supervised the vote. All appeared relieved and pleased to hear the results. Dr. Hagerman thanked the volunteers "from the bottom of my heart" and said he appreciated their efforts on behalf of the children of the district.

Board President Bill Natbony thanked everyone who worked hard and said there were "tough projects in front of them" and that he "looked forward to working with all community stakeholders in the spirit of making Scarsdale Schools better."

This was Dr. Hagerman's second bond referendum in his three and a half years in Scarsdale. In December 2014, the community passed an $18.12 million referendum with an 82% approval rate on 908 votes. This year, more than double the voters turned out to vote on the largest bond referendum in Scarsdale's history, which passed by narrower margins than usual.