To the editor:

As music educators at Sullivan West Central School, Jeffersonville campus, we would like to express the importance of your vote at the upcoming Building Referendum vote on June 22nd. There have been many questions and concerns about the music facilities in the proposed building, and we assure you that they are much needed for our students.

Presently, our music facilities in Jeffersonville are bursting at the seams. Nearly one .hundred chorus students squeeze into a rehearsal room built for forty students. Concerts and drama productions are held in the gymnasium. We are not able to rehearse our groups on the stage prior to a concert because the gymnasium is used day and night for physical education classes and sports practices. Ninety-five Band students tightly perform on a stage built for half that number. Many musicians sit in the wings of the stage and parents cannot see their children because there is not ample floor space to utilize the risers. The audiences at our concerts often surpass four .hundred people, plus almost two hundred students. They sit closely on bleachers, as if at a basketball game, or on hard, fold .up chairs; and those that do not arrive early must stand along the sides of the gym. The sound bounces off the hard floor, walls and ceiling, which makes it difficult for the musicians to hear themselves and distorts their sound. Rehearsal and performance conditions at the Narrowsburg and Delaware Valley campuses are no better. Is this a fair way to present the culmination of months of dedicated practice?

A new facility with adequate rehearsal space will provide a proper learning environment. An auditorium will offer the students an appropriate performance area, with fine acoustics and space to present their concerts and productions with pride-We have only one chance to build the new Sullivan West High School. It is time to bring the students of Sullivan West a place to hold cultural events, and your “yes” vote on June 22nd could bring our students the fine facility that they need and deserve, a place for them to fulfill their dreams!

Colleen O’Toole-Barber and

Patricia Ellmauer

Music educators, Sullivan West C.S.

Jeffersonville Campus

 

To the editor:

We urge all those eligible to vote in the Sullivan West School District referendum on Thursday, June 22nd. Your decisions will impact students and residents of the district and county for years.

We urge you to approve proposition number one, to build a new Sullivan West high school and to renovate existing school buildings.

We urge you to reject proposition number three, authorizing an additional $597,000 to increase seating capacity for the proposed new Sullivan West high school auditorium.

Students, teachers, staff, and the community can benefit from the new school. Students can prosper from expanded curriculum offerings in a well-designed modern facility. Some features, unavailable elsewhere, could be the envy of the county. This can be money well-spent, well-invested in the students and the community. Some of the construction money could stay within the area, through local contracting, hiring, and purchasing. Other New York State taxpayers shall help with the cost; should general economic conditions decline in the future, this assistance may not be as forthcoming. If not now, during an economic boom in many areas, when?

Proposition three, however, is money misallocated-an unnecessary, unwise use of taxpayer funds. At planning meetings we attended, the vast majority rightly agreed that an auditorium/performing arts facility should be included. Arts are essential. While we have not yet determined if enough resources have been allocated to properly equip the auditorium, we believe proposition one includes a suitably-sized facility, beginning reasonably to address the needs of students and the community, offering potential-or expanded curriculum and performances, for an excellent space in a size unavailable elsewhere in the county. Too often unwise decisions or compromises are made by people inexperienced in the needs of performing arts buildings. The issue here should not be more seating. Bigger is not always better. Proposition three would spend more money, but not necessarily guarantee a better space. A larger space would cost more to heat and cool and would hamper most student performers. It is likely students often would perform to empty seats in a cavernous setting. When students perform in an appropriately-sized venue, their chances to excel, to reach their audience, to build their self .confidence and performance skills are increased.

Please vote. Thank you.

John Senter

Wurtsboro

Philip J. Yacino, III

Narrowsburg

 

To the editor:

On July 1, 1999 the Sullivan West Central School District was born and three school districts became one. With this merger of children., facilities, and resources has come a sense of loss for some. Loss is a difficult emotion. Whether it be the loss of a job, the loss of a loved one, the loss of one’s health, loss is trying and stressful.

At the same time, loss can be growth inducing and, with courage, can lead individuals down new paths filled with exciting opportunities.

Let’s take a walk down this new path. What do we see? We see your child, who has been devoted to his music studies performing in a modern. auditorium. And there you are, comfortably seated, with your son in full view. We see your grandchild exploring the mysteries of science using state .of .the .art laboratory equipment and facilities. And there you are that night, talking with her and sharing the excitement of her scientific discoveries. We see your child at the end of the school day utilizing adequate athletic facilities—enough facilities to go around to athletes on all levels. And there you are with peace of mind, knowing that your child’s athletic practice schedule will be easier on your family life.

The opportunities are endless. We cannot even imagine, at this moment, the entirety of what could be for our children.

We encourage all voters of the Sullivan West Central School District to take these first crucial steps down this path of opportunity by voting “ YES” on Thursday, June 22.

Daniel Welton, Regina Wagner

Guidance Counselors

Sullivan West Central School

 

To the editor:

CAUTION ...HUGE TAX BURDEN AHEAD

The Sullivan West Merger passed…some celebrated, and some did not. Most disappointment was swallowed, but swallowed with a little glimmer of hope that perhaps we could handle what was to evolve. Just maybe! Well, THINK AGAIN. Make an informed decision they say! OH YES, where have we heard this before? Let’s recap what “informed decision” means in old Delaware.

Two New York State Education Dept. representatives, along with New York, State approved (merger) Consultants and four of our five past Delaware school board members, sold the Sullivan West Merger to the Delaware voters...and I mean SOLD, I mean as in 95% state building aid to what now turns out to be 67% state building aid. Let’s not even go to the part where the cost of the proposed Sullivan West improvement plan is 72% more than the merger study had figured (studied over a two year period I might add.)

After the selling was done, New York State Education Dept. ran the Delaware District merger vote, which was disgraceful in its entirety, from start to finish (records sealed never to be opened.) The word RAILROAD comes to mind starting with the Delaware School Improvement Committee ....to the Merger Meetings ....to the Merger vote (run by the State) ....R A I L-

R O A D.

I agree that we need expanded curriculum, but do we have to spend 50 MILLION to get it? Let’s not mention supporting and maintaining 4 (FOUR) schools and 4 (FOUR) sports campuses after  ALL is said and BUILT, how can this community, YOU and I , support all of the above? Can you imagine the annual BUDGETS forthcoming?

Interest rates are rising, energy costs are sky .rocketing, and the TAX BURDEN will fall on the HOMEOWNERS (taxpayers) in Jeff Youngsville, Narrowsburg and Delaware Valley...IT ALWAYS DOES!

There are excellent alternatives to going broke.

Get out and vote on June 22 ...and VOTE NO...vote us back into reality.

Bernadette DeSantis

Obernburg

 

To the editor:

In 1993, when I stood on the stage at Delaware Valley Central School and received my High School diploma, I dreamed of the day that I would watch my children graduate from there also. Now, as we embark into a new age, I stood for the last time on that stage giving a farewell speech to my beloved purple and gold, at the DVS Athletic Awards on June 7.

Next year, as the teams are merged into Bulldog teams, I will not stand on the sidelines and root for my alma mater, the DVS Eagles, or wear the purple and gold I have come to love so much. No longer will the chant of the students, DVC, DVC, be heard at football, soccer, and basketball games or pep rallies. Time moves on, and so must the children and parents of the new Sullivan West School District. Although many of us were against the merging of the districts, we must now accept the majority and teach our children to get along and strive to be their best. And though the building of a new high school is far down the road, and possibly not one of our best choices, we must join together as one district. No longer are we separate.

Two years ago, as a cheerleading coach at DVC I began the smallest of these steps by inviting the girls of Narrowsburg Central School to come and cheer with us at football games. Although we only had two girls the first season, and one the second, I saw some amazing things come of their relationship. A whole team made a new friend, and one girl made many new friends.

During the 1998/99 basketball season at a game in Narrowsburg Central (NC), an amazing feat was accomplished by one of the NC basketball players. As the Narrowsburg crowd cheered Paddy’s accomplishment of 1,000 career points, some DVS students were less than supportive. A group of young ladies, wearing the precious purple and gold, stood and cheered for another school. Sportsmanship and unity at its best. I coached seven cheerleading squads in the last four years and nothing less has been expected, and nothing less given, from one of my teams.

Now as we bid farewell to the last DVS Eagle sports teams, we also bid farewell to our alma mater, DVC, to the regal purple and gold, and I say farewell to coaching. I have given the last four years of my life to the children at DVS and now I must spend time with my own children. I thank the parents of DVS for allowing me the opportunity to learn from their children, and to be their big sister, friend, and all around support when it was needed.

I bid a fond farewell to DVS and wish the best of luck to my fourth and final set of seniors, Ingo Sjo, Dara Mahoney, and Candice Milk. To these girls, and the Sullivan West School District, I share a piece of advice my mother shared with me in the 1993 Delaware, my senior yearbook. ‘Dream what you will become, and you will become what you dream ....’

To the parents and students of SW, I wish you the best of luck, and ask the parents to be very supportive of the changes that are happening and even more supportive of those which have not yet risen.

To my “boss” at DVS Debbie Owen, I thank you for all of your love, support, and FIRM advice while I was coaching. I also thank you for the time, energy, and love you have given to your alma mater, DVC and continue to give to our children’s alma mater, Sullivan West.

And although it will not be accompanied by a college scholarship, a packed auditorium, or the DVS band playing Pomp and Circumstance, I will realize my dream. My son Michael will graduate from DVS on Wednesday June 21, 2000. He will walk across that same stage and receive his Kindergarten diploma. I am proud he had the opportunity to be an Eagle, wear the purple and gold, and say that he went to DVC next year, he will be a Bulldog.

Sandra Deckelman-Feigenbutz

DVC, Class of 1993

Obernburg

 

To the editor:

Parents and grandparents want the best possible education for their youngsters. For that reason, they often are induced into funding educational facilities that are unnecessary. They are led to believe that new facilities will improve the quality of education their children will receive. In reality, to improve the educational process you need to link together motivated students with dedicated and talented teachers; bricks and mortar do not provide quality education.

I have reservations regarding Sullivan West building a new high school in Lake Huntington. I think serious consideration should be given to improving the three existing facilities. Rather than purchasing land in Lake Huntington, one possibility would be to acquire land adjacent to the Jeff school near the North Branch Road. I would like to see more than one proposal for meeting our needs. It seems we are to be given one choice vote yes or no on a new high school.

If Delaware Valley is to be used for K-6 only, the building, which currently houses about 550 students, will contain only half that number. Certainly that would appear to be an inefficient utilization of that facility.

There is no valid reason why the same new courses to enhance the curriculum could not be offered in an updated and improved facility. I greatly fear that adding a fourth school will not in anyway improve the quality of education our students receive. However, it will further complicate busing schedules and will dramatically increase costs of operations. This will result in large tax increases, which will not be used to raise educational standards, but for operation, maintenance, and infrastructure.

Ed Chellis

Jeffersonville

 

To the editor:

On Thursday, June 22, three crucial propositions will come before the voters of the Sullivan West Central School District: Proposition 1 extensive renovations to all existing school buildings and construction of a state-of-the-art high school building; Proposition 2 the construction of an indoor pool for student and community use on the new high school campus; and Proposition 3 approximately 300 additional seats to the high school auditorium, which has been designed for both school and community use.

Financially, the time to pass these propositions is NOW. The residents of the Sullivan West Central School District have the opportunity to receive $40 million in construction aid to fund these projects. This construction aid of $40 million combined with the $13 million in incentive aid as a result of the school merger totals $53 million.

Factoring in this $53 million worth of aid, what kind of financial impact would the approval of these propositions have on the average household? On a property assessed at $75,000, the renovations and new high school building would cost the taxpayer $72.00, the indoor pool would cost $21.15, and the additional 300 seats in the auditorium would cost $6.23 for a total of $99.3$ per year for the next sixteen years. Not a bad price for greater facilities, a broader curriculum, an expanded extracurricular program, and, most importantly, a chance to help our young people compete more effectively in a world that demands a well .rounded education and expert competence in technology! Not a bad price for creating a brighter future for our young people and maybe even a desire within them to return to their community.

Opportunity particularly an opportunity of this magnitude—knocks once and only once. Please answer this knock of opportunity by voting “YES” on Thursday, June 22 from noon until 9:00 p.m. to propositions that make good educational sense—at the right price!

Steve Wagner

Jeffersonville

 

To the editor:

On June 22, Sullivan West residents will have the opportunity to vote in a special referendum for the authorization or defeat of a proposal for the building of a new consolidated high school.

As you know, the Sullivan West school administration has a major credibility problem with respect to this project.

Over the last three years, local residents were bombarded with information claiming that the merger of the Delaware Valley, Jeffersonville-Youngsville and Narrowsburg Central School Districts would result in Western Sullivan County receiving ninety-five percent state aid to finance a virtually free new high school.

We now know those promises were false.

This spring, the Sullivan West school administration finally admitted in a bulk mailing that, “large building areas such as gymnasiums, auditoriums and pools receive significantly lower state aid due to the space required. Other areas such as hallways, restrooms, conference rooms, parking lots and offices ...receive no state aid at all.”

That means local taxpayers will have to shell out more than nine million dollars in unanticipated expenses if this building project is approved since we will be getting only sixty seven percent in state aid, not the promised ninety-five percent.

Last September, Delaware Valley Central School District residents were hit with unexpected tax increases of sixteen to eighteen percent because they finally voted for the merger. This is an indication of what is to come.

Given the total unreliability of the statistics provided to us in the past, and what happened to DVS residents last September, all Sullivan West residents must assume the worst with respect to the unanticipated nine million dollar debt load this project contains. If you vote for the new high school, expect your property taxes to mushroom in the future.

For months, there have been unconfirmed rumors circulating throughout Western Sullivan County that the proposed Lake Huntington high school building site contains toxic construction and demolition debris as well as garbage from a time when state environmental regulations were not as strict as they are presently.

I now have in my possession a photocopy of a letter to Fremont’s Tony Wayne that says in part, “Please publish another letter letting everyone know that this was the site of the old GREEN HOTEL, and that they buried their garbage on the property. When the land is dug up, what a smell and one never knows what they will find.”

If you vote in favor of building the new high school, you are in effect giving the administration permission to build on this Lake Huntington property, which has not been properly evaluated yet and may be a toxic waste site.

Do you want to take that risk with the long term health of your children, grandchildren and the faculty?

Additionally, no one has ever properly factored in the cost of upgrading the Lake Huntington sewage system to accommodate the new high school. Now we are being assured that the old system is large enough. However, there is at least one independent estimate that the current system is inadequate and will represent a potential liability of twenty one thousand dollars for each family currently hooked up to the Lake Huntington sewage system.

A year or two down the road, local observers expect either Lake Huntington residents, Town of Cochecton residents or all Western Sullivan school district residents will have to absorb $1,470,000 or more in additional expenses for this sewage project. You can count on it.

The loss of our local high schools will have a severe economic impact on the communities they serve.

For example, the present Jeffersonville-Youngsville High School acts as an economic magnet attracting enormous amounts of business from parents, teachers and students to Jeffersonville. Do Jeffersonville residents really want to drive this facility out of town and deprive themselves of all the trade the present school brings to the community? It would be a very foolish move.

Agriculture is a major business in Western Sullivan County. Many farmers are now facing the lowest dairy prices in a decade and soaring fuel costs as well. Some of them are privately saying that the higher school taxes implicit in this proposal will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and could force them to close down. That also means businesses which rely in part on the farm trade could see their own revenues plummet by twenty to thirty percent. What will that do to local employment? Can you afford to take that kind of financial hit?

A sensible solution for the current mess would be to reject the building project and use the available state aid money to upgrade the three existing local high schools.

For this to happen, you must come out and vote NO on June 22. If you and your neighbors stay home, we will pay for this poorly conceived building project with sharply higher taxes for many years to come.

Sincerely,

Noel van Swol

Long Eddy

 

To the editor:

On June 22nd, I am going to vote yes on the propositions for the new high school. I am voting with my heart and my heart says “do it for the children”. When I voted yes for the merger it was to build a new high school. We have much to gain and lots to lose if we don’t pass this referendum.

If I voted no— we wouldn’t undo the merger! We would still be merged with no plans in sight for more modern facilities, more computers, more electives, and more opportunities If I voted no—we would loose more state aid, building costs would continue to rise and another generation of kids would still be behind when they went to college.

If I voted no— it would take longer to accept the change of being a larger, united community instead of three separate ones.

If I voted no— I will still have to continue to adjust to the inconveniences of a larger school system without any of the benefits.

If I voted no— I would feel mean-spirited and know that I was just having a hard time saying yes to change and looking towards the future.

If I voted no— I would be saying to the Board of Education that I know better than they, but it wasn’t me putting in all that time.

Change isn’t easy, but change is necessary for growth.

Please give our children a chance to really benefit. Let’s move into the 21st century. Vote yes on June 22nd.

Carla Casterline

Cochecton

 

To the Editor:

Run, don’t walk, to the polls on June 22nd, and vote YES, YES, YES, on Propositions 1, 2, and 3. Voting yes will put in motion the true improvements of the merger. It will bring my grandkids together with yours and give them more courses, more electives, more teacher choice, more scheduling flexibility. It will give them modern facilities, an auditorium to perform in and much, much more.

I believe that the Board of Education put out the best possible plan for the kids. I know my daughter has spent hours and hours working on it with other members of the board and community members. Maybe it’s costing me a little more than I thought but I can afford to give up a package of cookies or an expensive cut of meat a week, to pay for that beautiful new school. Considering all we are getting, that doesn’t seem like too much. So run, if you’re young, and walk, if you’re old, to the polls and vote YES on June 22 for our new community and for our kids.

Anna Sauer

Cochecton