Cornwall Board outlines $44.5M tax‑neutral capital package, presents options up to about $55M ahead of May vote

Brendan Carty, a member of the Cornwall Board of Education and chair of the communications committee, told a packed Capital Project Community Forum that the district is preparing a new capital proposal and hopes the community will vote on it on May 19.

Carty said the district’s 2025 building‑condition survey identified nearly $78 million in outstanding needs across the system — including roughly $17 million at the high school, about $30.1 million at the middle school, and millions more at Cornwall Elementary, Willow Avenue and Cornwall On Hudson — and argued a bonded capital project is the most efficient way to tackle large‑scale repairs and safety upgrades.

“Capital projects are set up to encourage school districts to tackle their large‑scale capital investments this way,” Carty said, noting state building aid and expiring debt that falls off in 2030 are central to the plan. He added the district believes it can fund a tax‑neutral package of about $44.5 million and, combining capital reserves, expected state aid and the end of current high‑school debt service, estimates it could proceed with projects totaling as much as about $55 million without increasing the tax levy if all assumptions hold.

The board outlined two financing building blocks. First, the district established a $5 million capital reserve in 2022 and secured voter approval for a second $5 million reserve in 2025; Carty said the newer reserve is about half funded. Second, the district expects roughly $3.5 million per year in debt service from the 1999 high‑school bond to cease in 2030, freeing levy capacity the board intends to repurpose for capital work. The presenters described state building aid (presented as roughly a 3:1 match for qualifying projects) as a crucial multiplier for local dollars.

The tax‑neutral package the board presented includes safety and system replacements across buildings: replacement of aging fire‑alarm and public‑address systems; targeted roof, floor and masonry repairs; ADA and accessibility upgrades at the district office; and site improvements. At Cornwall Central High School, the district said it must add bathrooms and concession facilities adjacent to the tennis courts to meet State Education Department requirements tied to other work, and listed paver and retaining‑wall repairs as priorities. Carty emphasized the fire‑alarm and PA work as a safety priority that appears on most buildings’ lists.

At the middle school the board proposed repaving a deteriorated rear service road, creating a new rear parent drop‑off to separate buses from parent traffic, and building a new kitchen and cafeteria (presented in the slides at roughly $9.2 million). The board said a new cafeteria would allow renovation of the existing kitchen into instructional space while meal service continues, and that the renovated space could be repurposed for band, chorus or adaptive physical‑education programs.

Cornwall Elementary proposals include plumbing/backflow work, playground fencing and driveway repaving tied to the middle‑school service‑road plan, classroom upgrades and replacement of fire‑rated stairwell and cafeteria doors. Willow Avenue and Cornwall On Hudson were presented with roof, HVAC and kitchen/sprinkler work; the district office was noted as not ADA accessible and in need of upgrades. The presentation also proposed a four‑bay maintenance garage to protect service vehicles and improve long‑term maintenance efficiency.

Survey data the district shared showed 264 responses (mostly parents). Respondents indicated strong support for a tax‑neutral project: 81% said they were highly likely to support such a package and another 13.6% said they were somewhat likely. When asked to rank priorities, upgrading aging infrastructure (plumbing, roofs and alarms) was the most frequent top choice, followed by classroom space, bus‑loop safety improvements and athletic fields.

Public comment during the forum focused on capacity, costs and facility use. One attendee, Greg Robie, asked for enrollment counts to inform decisions; an unnamed district speaker gave figures the district provided: total enrollment 2,966 (as of Jan. 28, 2026) with 1,004 at the high school, 901 at the middle school, 589 at Cornwall Elementary, 226 at Willow and 246 at Cornwall On Hudson. Another resident raised that a previous bond promised public use of the high‑school pool and asked why access appears restricted; Carty said current board members were not privy to prior commitments and that the district will follow up.

On athletic proposals, a resident noted prior field work cost about $8 million and questioned higher current estimates; facilities staff and committee members said future projects are being priced for work that could occur several years from now and that inflation, drainage mitigation, retaining walls and subsurface electrical work can substantially increase costs.

No board vote was taken at the forum. The presenters said the board will decide which projects to include and must submit paperwork to the State Education Department on a schedule that supports the May 19 vote. They invited continued public comment by email and at upcoming facilities‑committee and board meetings.

The board’s next public opportunities for input are the facilities committee meeting (announced in the presentation) and the next board meeting; the district also provided a generic email (boe@cornwallschools.com) for feedback. The district cautioned that the project list and exact dollar amounts remain subject to final financial review and board approval.