Residents of the Delaware Academy and Central School District at Delhi will head to the polls April 16, to vote on a $3.1 million capital project.
The district board of education voted unanimously to set the special vote for 45 days from the meeting Monday, Feb. 26. Board member Ro Avila was absent.
According to the resolution, the district will spend $3.1 million “to construct improvements to and to reconstruct physical education/athletic facilities and fields at the Middle School/High School, including original furnishings, equipment, machinery, apparatus, appurtenances, site improvements and other incidental improvements.”
The $3.1 million does not include turning Dave Kelly Field from a grass to an artificial turf field that was part of the capital project that was rejected by voters Oct. 11, 2023. Voters also voted down two different capital projects in 2018 that included replacing the field with artificial turf.
The board approved accepting a donation of an artificial turf field from Clark Companies of Delhi during a special meeting Feb. 6.
According to the resolution, Clark Companies has offered the district “to make an in-kind donation of work, materials and services associated with installation and subsequent maintenance of a synthetic turf system with virgin EPDM rubber infill on Dave Kelly Field, contingent on voter approval of a capital project, as enumerated in Clark’s letter to the Superintendent of Schools dated January 18, 2024.”
However, the donation is contingent on district residents approving the capital project vote because building the multi-use field would damage the track around the field. If approved, the project would also build a softball/soccer field at the lower field, relocate the long jump from one end of the track to the other to free up field events during meets, and install LED lighting around the football field/track.
The board heard from Assistant Superintendent for Business and Personnel Carey Shultz, about the preliminary 2024-2025 school year budget. He said the district has several unknowns so far this budget season including state aid, how much the BOCES budget will be, how many special education students there will be and how much fuel will cost. The preliminary state education aid is $360,000 less than last year.
Shultz said he added up all the contractual increases, which total $500,000, included a 4% increase for the BOCES budget and factored in some other figures. He said from budget to budget the increase is $925,000, and the district would have a deficit of $312,000.
Shultz said the district could use some of its fund balance to offset the deficit, and said the district was audited by the state Comptroller’s Office and was sited for not using its fund balance more to balance the budget.
The board has scheduled budget workshop meetings for 5 p.m. March 11 and 18, and more will be discussed at the next board meeting March 25.