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The district-wide referendum’s result, with 655 in favor and 994 against, likely came as a surprise to school district officials seeking more funding for a growing school district.
Student enrollment in the district has grown by over 20 percent in the past seven years and forecasts to continue upwards.
The rejected plan would have added over a dozen classrooms and built a new full-size gymnasium and turf field at Port Chester High School. It also entailed the refurbishment of Port Chester Middle School’s planetarium and renovations for several district elementary schools.
However, the price turned away voters. The state planned to fund $14.9 million for the project, leaving $26.6 million to the district and $13 per month for the average taxpayer.
Board of Education officials planned the project’s timing so that, if approved, it would offset the expiration of an existing $21 million school bond.
The vote, which was delayed after originally being scheduled for Dec. 1, took place in the Port Chester Middle School gymnasium.
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