Voters Approve Rockland BOCES Expansion Plan

WEST NYACK, NY — County voters approved Rockland BOCES' plan to build a new, 52,000 square foot, two-story building to support current and future growth of Rockland BOCES Career and Technical Education and STEM programs in West Nyack and allow for additional classroom space in the Jesse J. Kaplan School for students with exceptional needs.

According to the Board Clerk, the referendum on the $47.9 million capital project was approved with more than 74 percent of voters in favor: 1,005 "yes" votes to 348 "no" votes.

Enrollment in Rockland BOCES’ Student Services (Special Education), Career and Technical Education and Early College High School (P-TECH) programs continues to soar, BOCES officials said.

The educational services agency is running out of space, Rockland BOCES District Superintendent Christopher D'Ambrese said in February. "There are student waiting lists today and enrollment in our programs is expected to increase nearly 20% in the next decade."

Rockland BOCES is one of 37 Boards of Cooperative Educational Services across New York State which cover a combined total of 721 public school districts. Locally, Rockland BOCES serves about 38,000 students from eight school districts: Clarkstown, Nanuet, North Rockland, Nyack, Pearl River, Ramapo, South Orangetown and Suffern.

The borrowing approved in the referendum addresses the highest needs of BOCES programs, expanding facilities and supporting the education of students from Rockland County and neighboring regions, officials said.

Project highlights:

• Addition of four, large classrooms in the Jesse J. Kaplan School following relocation of the existing Culinary Arts facility
• One commercial and one standard kitchen for the Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) Culinary Arts program
• Two specialized Culinary Arts classrooms
• 15 STEM classrooms (11,300 square feet) for continued growth of Hudson Valley P-TECH
• New 5,000 sq.ft. cafeteria with storage area for tables and chairs
• Regulation-size gymnasium/basketball court and fitness area

The cost, which will be paid over a 25-year period, will be shared by the eight component districts. Each district’s share of the cost is determined by the number of students that reside in that particular district compared to the other component school districts. This is referred to as Resident Weighted Average Daily Attendance.

The average cost to a Rockland County residential property per month will be $2.36 — an average based on a property assessment of $500,000.

Work is expected to start in spring 2026, pending approvals from the New York State Education Department. It will be completed in phases with an expected opening in the Fall of 2027.

Every effort will be made during construction to minimize disruption for students, staff and local residents, BOCES officials said.