Capital Improvement Project 2026 FAQ

School districts regularly evaluate the condition of their buildings and grounds and plan for major repairs, replacements, and improvements. Work of this size is generally completed through a voter-authorized Capital Improvement Project rather than through the District's annual operating budget. This allows the District to address significant facility needs while also maximizing available State Building Aid. Eligible capital work completed through a voter-authorized Capital Improvement Project allows the District to access State Building Aid that would not otherwise be available through the annual operating budget.

The timing provides the District with an opportunity to address identified facility needs while maximizing State Building Aid and using funds the District has already set aside for capital improvements. The District has also planned the project around its existing debt and capital financing structure so that the work can be completed with no additional impact to the local tax levy. Delaying necessary work also carries risk, as aging building systems continue to deteriorate and construction costs generally increase over time.

Completing eligible work through a Capital Improvement Project allows the District to receive State Building Aid toward the cost. Livonia's current Building Aid ratio is 77.8%, meaning that for every dollar of eligible project costs, approximately 77.8 cents is supported through State Building Aid. If major facility work were instead paid directly through the annual operating budget, the District would not receive that same reimbursement and a much larger share of the cost would need to be paid locally.

No additional funding from our local tax levy will be needed to fund this project.  This means that an increase in taxes will not be necessary to fund this project.  We will be using $7,175,294.95 from the 2023 Building Capital Reserve Fund and $3,421,342.05 from the 2025 Building Capital Reserve Fund.  The remaining funds will come from the District’s Debt Service Fund (that can only be utilized to offset these debt service payments), the existing capital budget and the majority of funds will come from State Building Aid.  For every dollar we spend on approved capital work, the state will pay for 77.8 cents of that dollar.  No additional tax dollars are needed to support the project.
 

Since establishing our first Capital Reserve Fund in 2013, we’ve slowly contributed nominal amounts of budget savings derived from fiscally sound and prudent budget oversight practices. By funding a part of the local share of the project utilizing these funds we are able to ensure that the Capital Improvement Project results in no additional tax impact on the levy. During the years in which the District received federal relief funding through the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan, those resources helped offset eligible operating expenses and allowed the District to preserve local funds. A portion of those resulting local savings was subsequently placed into Capital Reserve Funds for long-term facility improvements.

Yes, State Building Aid is ultimately taxpayer money. Under New York's current school funding structure, millions of dollars in Building Aid are distributed each year to communities that undertake eligible, voter-authorized capital projects. If Livonia voters authorize this project, those funds can return to our community to support our school facilities.

If the District does not access available Building Aid, necessary facility work will still need to be addressed over time, but a larger portion of those costs could fall on local resources. The Board of Education's approach is to leverage existing local funds to maximize available State Aid while addressing identified facility needs.

The Board of Education recognized from the beginning that a single project could not address every identified facility need or desired improvement. As we worked through the list of possible items, we worked with various stakeholders to ensure we prioritized health and safety items and mechanical items that are at the end of their useful lives.

The District Facilities Committee, consisting of a number of stakeholders, spent multiple days prioritizing all of the needs and wants and determined the scope to be presented to the Board of Education for consideration.

If authorized by our voters to pursue this project on Tuesday, Dec 8, we will begin to finalize the design plans and submit plans to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) in the Fall of 2027. Following approval from NYSED, the construction process will begin with bidding out the work followed by construction occurring in 2028-2030.

The timing is solely based on previous capital project approvals which cause us to maintain a financing schedule within these preestablished timetables. If voter authorized, we need to maintain our financing schedule by submitting plans in the Fall of 2027. The December 2026 vote is about matching past retiring debt, meeting deadlines, and securing future financing to mitigate the potential for state building aid funding dips that would impact our local annual budgets.

A simple majority of the total votes cast in-person and through absentee voting.

We will immediately evaluate exit polls and engage our community to determine the reasons for the vote not passing. We will strongly consider putting together a second vote in the Spring to ensure that we (1) address the safety needs identified in this project, (2) secure available building aid, and (3) manage our debt service in a fiscally responsible manner. We will learn from feedback and determine the best way to take this next step forward.

The District moved its administrative offices into the Middle/High School after the former Main Office space became available. We believed relocating our District Office staff closer to our students, faculty, and other school employees was both practical and beneficial. Importantly, the District does not receive State Building Aid for work performed on the Connell Building. As the condition of the building has continued to deteriorate, the cost of maintaining and investing in the facility for continued District use is no longer financially practical. The Board of Education has begun the process of exploring appropriate outside interest in the Connell Building, with the goal of identifying an opportunity that could allow the building to continue serving as a community resource in some manner.

No. Like any large facility, our schools will continue to require ongoing maintenance, repairs, and improvements. The Board of Education intentionally developed this proposal around a financially responsible project size that addresses many of our highest-priority instructional, infrastructure, and facility needs while maintaining no additional impact to the local tax levy. Other needs will continue to be evaluated as part of the District's long-range facilities planning.