One Dutchess County School District Delays Classes For Rare Reason

One school district in the Hudson Valley had to take to social media on the evening of Wednesday, December 11th to announce a delayed opening the next morning on Thursday, December 12th.

The reason for the school delay had some parents and community members quarreling on social media.

Millbrook Central School District's 2-Hour Delay

The district took to Facebook on Wednesday night to share they would need to pose a 2-hour delay on Thursday, December 12th due to leaks in 3 out of 4 school buildings. But that's not where the story ends.

With the Hudson Valley experiencing bouts of heavy rainfall and intense winds on the night of December 10th, the leaks at least had an obvious cause. But community members were quick to comment on how 3 leaks with "a significant number of roof leaks in the Middle School" seems like a ton of leaks.

In a post that shared the 2-hour delay news in the public Facebook group Millbrook NY Community, some questioned how the school let the roofs get to such a state.

Millbrook Central School District's Capital Project Vote

In November, residents living in the Millbrook School District area were able to vote on 3 proposed Capital Projects.

The 3 propositions were created through an Energy Preformance Contract (EPC) approach. This means the proposed projects would, "reduce energy spending and increase operational efficiency."

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The first proposition included funding to be used for ADA-compliant heating systems and replacing roofing and windows for two schools in the district - one of which was the Middle School that just experienced, "a significant number of roof leaks."

In a video on the Millbrook Central School District website addressing questions about the propositions, images were shown of molding ceilings from leaks and window panes deteriorating. The video even goes on to explicitly state, "If these propositions fail, it could lead to temporary or even long-term school closures."

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The other two propositions followed similar changes to heating systems for the High School and the Alden Place building. Each proposition could be voted on individually.

If all 3 propositions passed, the total cost of the projects would be over $59 million in total. Taxpayers would be responsible for less than half of that burden at around $20 million after revenue like state aid and cash reserves were taken into consideration.

Poll Results for Millbrook's Capital Project Propositions

On November 20th, Millbrook Central School District shared that Proposition 1 which included funding for the new roofs received 242 Yes votes and 287 No votes.

All 3 propositions would fail to pass.

2-Hour Delay for Leaking Roofs

While a 2-hour delay isn't enough to fix a roof, it was enough time for the district to assess the damaged areas and "remediate where possible to ensure a safe environment for our students and staff."