Port Jervis board presses to accelerate construction while building aid is high; solar project and security upgrades discussed

The Port Jervis City School District Board of Education on Dec. 11 heard administrators urge moving quickly on building projects while the district's state building-aid ratio remains unusually high, and received updates on a proposed 7-acre solar field and multiple school security changes.

Superintendent Dr. John Bell told the board the district's state building-aid ratio has climbed in recent years and is currently near 92.9 percent, a level he called a rare opportunity to seek state funding for construction rather than relying on local taxpayers. "We need to build while the getting is good," Bell said, adding district financial staff expect that ratio to fall to about 90.6 percent next year because property values in the region rose after COVID.

The estimate means the state would pay a slightly smaller share of future project costs if the district delays, Bell said. He reviewed past construction phases and figures the district has used in planning, including phase 3 at about $12.3 million and a $26 million figure the administration said was approved in the previous night's actions for phase 4. Board members and administrators framed…