Let’s talk about facts.

FACT:

This capital project is the result of nearly two years of community collaboration, meetings, feedback, revisions, and planning focused on the needs of current and future students.

And importantly, this proposal is meaningfully different from the last one presented. It is better. It gives more to more people. And it will make a difference in students’ lives every single day. The Board of Education did exactly what we ask people in volunteer leadership positions to do: listen, respond, adapt, and improve the plan based on community feedback. That is leadership.

FACT:

The opposition continues to recycle outdated information and surveys from well over a year ago— stripped of context— and present them as if they reflect the community today. They do not.

FACT:

The project is tax-neutral.

Not “sort of.” Not “maybe.” Tax neutral. The district cannot legally present it that way if it were not true.

FACT:

This is a $17.5 million capital project, while neighboring districts have recently approved projects exceeding $100 million.

And because this is a capital project, not part of the operational budget, the district receives more than 50 cents back from New York State for every dollar spent. Think about that for a moment. If someone told you that every time you invested $1 into improving your home, 50 cents would immediately be returned to you, most people would consider that a smart investment. Now let’s talk about the issue this group keeps trying to inflame: field lights. First, notice how their arguments keep changing depending on what they think might gain traction. One week, turf fields were supposedly a disaster. The district listened to concerns and pivoted toward grass at BRS, despite acknowledging the maintenance challenges. Now, suddenly, grass is the problem. One day, turf is irresponsible. The next day grass is irresponsible. Why? Because this campaign is not rooted in solutions. It is rooted in opposition. They will grab whatever buzzword they think might scare voters into saying no.

And that brings us to the lights.

They call them “stadium lights.” That phrase is intentional. It is designed to create an image that simply is not reality. These are modern field lights specifically engineered to direct light downward, with virtually no spill beyond a short distance. Meanwhile, what they are NOT telling you is this:

FACT:

This year alone, 21 games would have been canceled without lights, most impacting female athletes.

FACT:

Section One athletics determines scheduling requirements for high school sports— not Pleasantville.

And Section One is moving toward requiring more games later into the evening because of factors impacting districts across the region: a shortage of officials, fewer bus drivers, transportation demands across multiple districts, and later school dismissal times. This is not a problem Pleasantville created. And it is not a problem Pleasantville can solve on its own. The district has explained this reality over and over again. Yet opponents continue acting as though the district is hiding some secret alternative or distorting the truth.

FACT:

The temporary diesel-powered lights currently being used are a legitimate safety concern.

The diesel fumes are awful for athletes to inhale during games and practices. The glare is blinding. In fact, even neighbors opposing this project have acknowledged how intolerable the glare from these temporary lights can be. Other teams have reportedly refused to play under these temporary lights because of the visibility and glare issues they create. And yet somehow, there are people who would rather continue using these unsafe temporary lights than support a long-term solution specifically designed to improve safety for students and athletes.

FACT:

The Board of Education has already created a detailed lighting policy limiting use of the lights to less than 2% of the total hours in a year.

FACT:

The district has allocated approximately $150,000 specifically for sound and light mitigation measures.