Posted April 29, 2021

Dear North Shore Parents, Community Members, and Faculty,

Q. Dr. G, will there be a Proposition 2 on the ballot on Tuesday, May 18, 2021? If so, what is it for?
A.  Yes.  On May 18, 2021, the District is proposing Proposition 2, the establishment of a Capital Reserve Fund not to exceed $8,275,000. This is for capital projects.

If approved, the near-term projects include:

Replace fencing around track at HS
Add cardiovascular and weight equipment at HS
Create wooded trails for cross country training at HS
Renovate/replace gym floors at each North Shore building
Replace dugouts at HS

If approved, the remaining projects include:
Replace turf fields including:

Existing field at HS 
MS ball field
GWL upper field
Baseball and softball fields
HS practice and PE site
Replace existing track surface at HS
Wellness centers at HS and MS
Add bathrooms and storage
Field lighting at HS
Replace bleacher and folding partition at HS

A Capital Reserve must be created with voter approval for specific projects. They have a monetary cap and funds cannot be spent without voter approval (e.g., to expend the funds usually takes another community vote in a subsequent year). This proposal (Proposition 2) is designed to fund projects specifically related to athletics. In the past, this is how the large space air conditioning projects have been funded at North Shore as well as the upcoming North Shore Middle School locker rooms and the Glen Head Nurses’ Suite. They allow us to save money over time for projects that we anticipate/need. The Capital Reserve is funded with unspent monies at the end of a fiscal year and new taxes are not levied to fund them.

If approved by our voters, the proposed new Capital Reserve will allow the District to save money over time to pay for necessary capital projects that are outside the scope of the previously approved bond projects and the existing capital reserves.

Q. Why is the District proposing a referendum for another Capital Reserve Fund to bank more taxpayers’ money when they already have over $7 million in the Capital Projects Fund and $1.3 million in unused funds from completed projects going as far back as 2016?

A.  The Capital Projects Fund’s balance as of 6/30/20 was $7,041,167. There is not another $1.3 million addition to this amount. As previously mentioned, these funds are being drawn down to pay for ongoing construction projects that have been approved by our voters. For example, the funds include, but are not limited to:

The $3,000,000 transfer from the capital reserve which our voters just authorized in May 2020 has been earmarked toward voter-approved projects specifically for the renovations of the GH nurse’s office and the locker rooms for both boys and girls at North Shore Middle School.

The bulk of the 2019-20 fiscal year’s $1,603,428 operating transfer from the General Fund to the Capital Projects Fund is being used for new projects and the District’s share of ongoing capital projects that are partially funded by the State’s Smart Schools Bond Act grant.

The balance of the $3.4 million transfer from the capital reserve authorized by our voters in May 2018 is being spent down on projects beginning in 2018-19 fiscal year and continuing into the 2019-20 and 2020-21 fiscal years. As of 6/30/20, $1,351,727 has been used towards ongoing construction projects and the District anticipates that funds will be fully expended when the projects are brought to completion.

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All the best,
Dr. Peter Giarrizzo

Superintendent of Schools