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Hastings board to split bond into three propositions; turf fields set as separate ballot question after heated debate
Summary
Trustees discussed breaking the district bond into three propositions (critical building work, Farragut classroom addition/cafeteria, and athletic fields), with propositions 2 and 3 contingent on approval of proposition 1; trustees also debated artificial turf’s environmental and health implications while students and many residents urged turf for playability.
Trustees at the Hastings-on-Hudson Board of Education on April 8 agreed in principle to structure the planned June bond referendum as three separate propositions: (1) building-condition and critical infrastructure work (the board’s attorneys and staff estimate roughly $11.3 million after contingencies and soft costs), (2) additions and classroom renovations centered on the Farragut wing (about $19 million), and (3) athletic fields and site work (roughly $8.2 million, currently budgeted for artificial turf). The board’s staff said bond counsel will draft the precise ballot language, which the board expects to approve on April 22.
Board members said splitting the package helps voters separate essential building-safety and mechanical improvements from new or more controversial elements. Under the proposed structure, propositions 2 and 3 would only be enacted if proposition 1 passes, a sequencing trustees said protects core infrastructure funding while letting voters weigh discretionary elements.
The meeting included an extended, sometimes emotional discussion about putting artificial turf on the ballot. A large informal student survey shared with trustees reported roughly 260 of 303 student respondents favor turf; several student speakers told the board they supported turf to guarantee more playing time and fewer cancellations. Some trustees and members of the public urged additional environmental and health analysis before advancing turf — citing concerns about microplastics, rubber-crumb migration, and PFAS — and asked the consultants to produce more data on runoff mitigation and long-term impacts.
Several trustees said the most transparent way to handle the question was to list the fields as their own ballot item so the community could decide. “It’s a clean way to do it,” the board president said; other trustees urged robust outreach and clarified language that emphasizes instructional space in proposition descriptions. The board directed staff to produce clearer public-facing materials and an FAQ and to post updated renderings and supporting documents to the district website before the April 22 meeting.
Next steps: bond counsel will draft referendum language; staff and consultants will circulate updated scope documents, cost breakdowns and renderings; trustees scheduled a formal vote on the referendum package and the environmental determination for the April 22 meeting.
