IMPORTANT UPDATE

December 1, 2009 Countywide Bond Referendum

You may have seen the advertisements critical of the BOCES construction proposal, calling it a “boondoggle.” Here are the facts:

• These expensive ads are paid for by the landlord of the rental building that now houses the BOCES Alternative High School on Route 44 (BETA).
• The rent for BETA is One Million Dollars every year! That’s the money the BETA landlord stands to lose after BOCES relocates to its own building on the Salt Point Campus.
• It should be no surprise. . . the landlord doesn’t want to lose that income, so they are spending thousands of dollars (taxpayer dollars that they get from the rent) to persuade Dutchess County voters how to vote. And the landlord’s office and home are not in Dutchess County. The head of the company lives in California. The democratic process in Dutchess County belongs to the voters of Dutchess County!
• The landlord has a bad track record at BETA: leaky roofs and pipes, inadequate heating and ventilation--resulting in several forced school closures.
• The financial numbers in the ad are simply wrong. In fact, the BOCES project transfers the same projected rental and maintenance payments into debt service payments. The new facility will reduce transportation and energy costs.
• Yes, the economy isn’t good, so BOCES is consolidating to save taxpayers’ money. And the BOCES project will actually create jobs in the Hudson Valley.

So what’s a “boondoggle?” It would be a lost opportunity to save money and invest in the future of the children of Dutchess County.

Vote December 1st, 6 am – 9 pm in the school district where you live. To find the polling place in your district, call 486-4800 or look in the blue block on the left side of this page.

Additional information about the project can be found at:  www.dcboces.org/onecampus

Dutchess BOCES Trustees Approve Facilities Design for Expansion to Salt Point Campus

The Trustees of the Dutchess County Board of Cooperative Educational Services [Dutchess BOCES], at its meeting of September 17, 2008, approved the final design concept as proposed by KG&D Architects for a new alternative school to be built on the Salt Point Campus. The Board also approved renovations to existing facilities at Salt Point. This project will bring an end to rent payments for the leased facility on Route 44 which have drained upwards of $1 million annually from BOCES resources. Most importantly, a centralized campus will encourage and facilitate the enhancement of current programs and the development of new programs to serve the needs of students in Dutchess County.