LONG BEACH, N.Y. — Long Beach voters will have $87 million on the ballot on Oct. 28, as residents head to the polls to vote on a proposed bond resolution for Long Beach Public Schools.

The proposed bond resolution would allow the district to borrow $87,697,655 through serial bonds to fund HVAC installation, playground renovations, athletic field and locker room upgrades and new instructional space installation at the high school, officials said.

District officials said the instructional spaces would include carpentry and robotics classrooms, marine science lab and technology and a new wrestling room. The proposal also earmarks funds for maintenance at the Long Beach Public Library, which the district owns.

“There’s a 15-year repayment period, so what we’re seeking now is approval — next week, on the Oct. 28 vote — to borrow, to finance this project through serial bonds,” Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations Michael DeVito said.

If approved, district officials say, the resolution would coincide with the end of debt service on the district’s 2009 bond plan and allow the capital improvements to be financed without adding to the district’s annual budget—or to its impact on taxpayers. District officials also expect 42.4 percent of the amount spent to be reimbursed by the federal government.

“This plan represents a thoughtful, fiscally responsible approach to addressing the needs
of our schools and community spaces,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jennifer Gallagher said in a release. “By reinvesting in our facilities now, we are ensuring that current and future students benefit from comfortable, modern learning environments.”

The work in the school district would likely take place over the next three summers if approved, with the money borrowed in two installments, DeVito said.

If the bond resolution is not approved by voters, DeVito said, the rejection wouldn’t automatically trigger a shrinking of the district budget. Debt service on the 2009 bonds exceeded $8 million in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years, and DeVito said the school board could reallocate future funding set aside for debt service into other areas, such as instructional programs. That reallocation, the assistant superintendent said, wouldn’t take place until the district’s annual budget process in May.

“The board may say, ‘Ok, the community doesn’t want to go forward with these capital programs, well, then let’s go forward with some of these instructional programs that we’ve been wanting to do,’” DeVito said. “Because now there’s room in the budget and there’s still a 0 percent increase.”

Polls will be open at East Elementary, Lindell Elementary and Lido/Long Beach Middle School from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. next Tuesday. A complete list of projects proposed in the bond referendum can be found at www.lbeach.org.