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Suffern Central School District board meeting, Sep 15, 2026

2 h 15 min

Safety, weapons and police ▶ 12:26

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 2 h 15 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Suffern superintendent outlines $80 million capital bond project with 43% state aid 1:06:38

  • A district staff member presented an update on the capital project, describing themes of safety and security, health and well-being spaces, instructional spaces, athletics and performing arts, and infrastructure. 12:01
  • The superintendent said the project would cost just shy under $80 million, with state aid estimated at 43%, and outlined a separate field house proposal estimated in the range of $20 million that would not be eligible for state aid. 43:36
  • Several speakers at public comment raised concerns about long bus rides, single dismissal times and unanswered emails about transportation for students in nonpublic schools. 1:44:32
  • The superintendent apologized for bus rides of over an hour and a half and said the district would look into claims about comments made to members of the public. 2:09:37
Item by item (14)
  1. Opening and student board member oaths 0:04
    • The meeting was called to order with the record reflecting that all board members were present. 0:04
    • Two new ex officio student board members, who are not voting members, took the oath of office. 0:42
  2. Student board member report 4:55
    • The student board members said the school theme this year is Show Up, Step Up. 6:12
    • The student board members said Spirit Week would be the week of September 28th, with a pep rally on Friday, October 2nd, and a homecoming dance on Saturday, October 3rd. 8:32
    • The student board members said seniors have been assigned parking spots for the first time, as a fundraiser for the senior class. 9:45
  3. Approval of prior meeting minutes 11:32
    • The board took up a motion to accept the minutes of the regular meeting of September 1st, 2026. 11:32
  4. Capital project needs and scope 12:01
    • The superintendent said the district's last major bond was in the early 2000s and cited needs including security vestibules, cramped health offices and boilers over 25 years old. 12:26
    • The architect described planned work at the middle school and high school, including renovated special education, music, art and library spaces and new health and wellness suites. 20:22
    • A district staff member described a possible new driveway off Mile Road and a traffic light at an intersection near the high school. 27:55
  5. Cost estimates, field house and schedule 31:02
    • The construction manager said priority 1 items totaled $66 million and state aid was estimated at 43%, meaning the state would provide $0.43 on the dollar for qualified work. 31:02
    • The superintendent described a separate field house with a 200-meter competition track that would not be eligible for state aid and could generate annual revenue of between $300,000 and $400,000. 45:11
    • The construction manager said the high school work could be accomplished in 4 years, with most work taking place over the summers. 56:12
  6. State environmental review process 1:00:17
    • An environmental planner explained that the board would consider a resolution declaring its intent to be lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, after which other agencies have a 30-day period to respond. 1:01:15
    • The planner said that in the firm's professional opinion there are no significant environmental impacts from the proposed work. 1:01:15
  7. Estimated tax impact and next steps 1:06:38
    • The superintendent said the expectation was for the board to vote on October 20th on what the capital project will be. 1:06:38
    • The superintendent said the tax levy increase from the $80 million project would accumulate to about 3.5% over 4 years, or about $400 total for a home with the average assessed value of $56,000. 1:08:23
  8. Board questions on capital project 1:15:47
    • Tom Donnelly asked where the interest was in the $100 yearly figure, and the superintendent said the district's financial advisor would address specifics before the board is asked to approve a project. 1:18:15
    • Roxanne Bryan asked about the timeline for spending bond funds and the project's contingency, and a presenter said the project carries 7% for renovations and 5% for new construction. 1:20:02
    • Jason Andert asked whether the 43% state aid figure could go up or down before it is locked in. 1:31:25
  9. Action item comment and consent agenda 1:39:34
    • No one spoke during the public participation period limited to action items. 1:39:34
    • Paul Shapiro asked to pull items 2.01 and 2.11 from the consent agenda. 1:40:23
    • The chair called for a motion to approve action items 2.02 through 2.10 and 2.12 through 2.21. 1:40:41
  10. Separate vote on item 2.01 1:41:09
    • The board took a voice vote on approving 2.01, and an abstention was announced. 1:41:26
  11. Speech therapy professional development agreement 1:41:36
    • Paul Shapiro asked for an explanation of the agreement. 1:41:53
    • A district staff member said the agreement would provide professional development for speech therapists focused on feeding therapy. 1:42:20
    • Paul Shapiro asked whether the goal was to bring this treatment in-house, and a staff member said it was to train district staff to provide it. 1:43:11
  12. Public comment on transportation 1:43:39
    • Several speakers at public comment described bus rides of an hour and a half or longer for students attending nonpublic schools and said emails to the district had gone unanswered. 1:44:32
    • Speakers asked for busing for more than one dismissal time, shorter routes and more buses. 1:49:36
    • A speaker asked whether some capital project funds could be shifted to transportation. 1:57:07
  13. Closing comments on transportation 2:08:19
    • The superintendent said the district would look into the claims made and get back to people. 2:10:00
    • The superintendent said the district cannot accommodate house stops unless there is a significant safety issue and that providing 2 arrival and 2 dismissal times would at least double the nonpublic transportation budget. 2:10:39
    • The superintendent said the public school transportation budget for about 4,000 students traveling to 6 schools is roughly the same as the nonpublic budget for a little over 2,000 students going to 110+ schools. 2:11:28
  14. Next meeting and adjournment 2:14:53
    • The chair said the next meeting would be Tuesday, October 6th at 7:30 PM in Hillburn and called for a motion to adjourn. 2:14:53

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “Suffern CSD BOE Live 9-15-26 Meeting”