Residents in the Riverhead School District voted down two proposals on a $96.5 million bond.
Proposition 1 would have directed $87 million towards building additional classrooms and other building projects in the district. It would've cost the average homeowner about $197 per year in additional taxes. It received 2,626 "no" votes to 1,151 "yes" votes.
Proposition 2 would have spend $8 million on improvements to the district's athletic facilities and would cost the average homeowner $36 per year. It failed with 2,775 "no" votes, to 993 "yes" votes.
Riverhead High School is already over capacity, housing over 2,000 students. Some people said adding a two-story wing to the high school would cause a bigger problem.
A district pamphlet said, "The Board of Education and administration have thoroughly analyzed the district's current and long-term facilities needs. The proposal scope of work has been developed to address those issues in a fiscally responsible manner that will benefit all students."
In a release after the vote, Riverheard School Board President Gregory Meyer said, "The board of education and administration wish to thank all residents who participated in the vote. We are, of course, disappointed and very concerned that the work proposed in both Proposition No. 1 and Proposition No. 2 was not approved by voters. The facilities issues included in Proposition No. 1 are real and will only get worse and cost more to rectify the longer we wait to address these problems."