Katonah-Lewisboro voters will get another chance to OK pre-K center

By JEFF MORRIS 

The Katonah-Lewisboro Board of Education authorized a new bond proposition to be decided by district voters on Oct. 20. 

Conceptual designs for the outdoor space including a discovery garden and indoor classrooms at the proposed Early Childhood Center. Courtesy of KLSD

The vote will be a second attempt to gain approval for a universal pre-K center at the former Lewisboro Elementary School, aimed at complying with the state’s mandate that the district provide universal pre-K access by the 2028-29 school year.

The new proposal calls for a $19.95 million bond, a reduction of $4.55 million from the original $24.5 million. The new bond proposition was authorized by the board Aug. 27. 

Rather than simply reframing the plan as a slimmed-down version of the Lewisboro Elementary School pre-K/community center proposal that voters narrowly defeated in May, the district is rebranding it as an Early Childhood Center and refocusing its scope.

The details of the building plan remain the same as what was introduced at the board meeting of July 30. Gone from the original proposal is a dedicated community-center space, with the gym that dates to 2003 the only part of the building that remains available to the public. The gym will no longer have a direct connection to the rest of the building, though it will depend on it for power, wastewater and HVAC. It will get a new roof, but otherwise improvements will be minimal, with a revamped air conditioning system eliminated.

Community input

The district conducted a summer listening tour, including surveys, focus groups, a Zoom hearing, and a Request for Information sent to preschool operators, aimed at determining why the original referendum failed and what the community actually wanted to see.

These resulted in a focus on four main areas: fiscal responsibility; maximizing state dollars; efficient use of the facilities; and long-term stability.

Another key factor is the involvement of “community partners,” emphasizing continuing relationships with the Country Children’s Center and Katonah Playcare Early Learning Center. The district had been faulted for excluding those partners from the original plan, with critics contending that dedicated local providers could be driven out of business and parents deprived of choice.

An informational slide from KLSD summarizes the revised bond proposal. Courtesy of KLSD 

An informational slide from KLSD summarizes the revised bond proposal.

The current district presentation heralds the new approach as the KLSD Early Childhood Partnership. It encompasses the KLSD Early Childhood Center, with prekindergarten classrooms funded through a state allocation, early intervention and preschool special education opportunities, and space designed to adapt as community needs change; as well as Community Partners anticipated to provide two pre-K classrooms while continuing programs for 2- and 3-year-olds. Both components include additional services and options for families.

At the Aug. 24 meeting, Carmelina Myers, executive director of Country Children’s Center, and Gail Porter and Janine DiBart of Katonah Playcare, all appeared and spoke appreciatively of the district’s approach.

“What’s exciting to us is to have a collaboration,” said DiBart, who spoke of a continuation of services so that the flow from preschool into elementary school is strengthened.

“That you’re utilizing people who we have been doing this for a very long time is really exciting for us,” said Porter, “and we’re looking forward to the partnership.”

Incorporated in the conceptual designs for the Early Childhood Center is a discovery garden, which Director of Learning Maggie Konrad said was an opportunity to “really collaborate with our community partners and lean on their experience and expertise as it comes to early childhood learning and development.” That expertise would also be utilized in designing the pre-K classrooms. 

As part of a continuum of services, the district is anticipating future use of two of the remaining spaces in the new center as transitional rooms for special education purposes. Plumbing for two future bathrooms would be installed as part of the project, but those rooms would not be completed at this time.

Continued engagement

Determined to avoid what the surveys said were weaknesses in the way the original plan was presented, the district is putting on a full-court press of engagement and information opportunities.

Part of that process is a property tax impact calculator that has been placed on the district website, allowing residents of each of the district’s towns to see the estimated tax impact on their property based on their home’s assessed value. It generates an estimated monthly cost for each year through 2045. The calculator may be accessed at www.klschools.org/o/klsd/page/les-property-tax-impact-estimator.

There is also a virtual information and Q&A Zoom session being held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9; a regular board of education meeting at the JJHS library at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17; an information and Q&A session at the Lewisboro Library at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24; an information and Q&A session at the Katonah Village Library at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29; and another virtual information and Q&A Zoom session at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5. And there is another regular BOE meeting at the JJHS library at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.

Superintendent Ray Blanch said a postcard is being mailed to every district resident. Board president Barbara Williams said she will be at the Lewisboro Library Fair, and is ready to engage with people wherever they are.

The actual bond vote will be Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., at each of the locally zoned elementary schools.