District officials told the facilities committee that project bids and updated estimates have produced a gap between original 2019 proposition numbers and current projected costs. Warren Sackman said that, on the current trajectory, completing every project as scoped would leave the program about $4.4 million over the Proposition 02/2019 budget.

Presenters attributed part of the increase to earlier estimates prepared in 2018 that did not fully anticipate full scopes, the cost escalation experienced during the COVID period and the addition of air conditioning and related electrical upgrades that were not in earlier budgets. The presentation highlighted particular pressure points where estimates proved substantially higher than original figures.

Committee members discussed that some projects, including work at South Middle School and other still-to-start sites, may offer budget flexibility but that staff will need to prioritize which projects proceed and which may be deferred or re-scoped. The presenters noted they had sought clean-energy funding (NYSERDA) for Foster Town and Gardentown and expected an award decision in October that could affect program financing.

No board action was taken; the item was presented as a programmatic status update and a call for priority-setting.