BOCES builds bigger campus: Rockland approves

Rockland BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) West Nyack campus will soon receive a major upgrade. On March 6th, Rockland County voters decided by an overwhelming majority to approve the construction of 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 .

The $47.9 million capital project will also allow for additional classroom space in the Jesse J. Kaplan School for students with exceptional needs. According to the Rockland County Board of Elections, the referendum was approved with more than 74% of voters in favor: 1,005 “yes” votes to 348 “no” votes.

Approval for the new expansion comes at a time of impressive growth for the facility, as enrollment in Rockland BOCES’ Student Services (Special Education), Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Early College High School (P-TECH) programs all report rising levels of enrollment . The borrowing approved in the referendum addresses the highest-need, student-facing capital project and plays an important role in enhancing BOCES programs, expanding facilities and supporting the education of students from Rockland County and neighboring regions.

KEY PROJECT ATTRIBUTES:

• 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

• Cafeteria: approximately 5,000 square feet with storage area for tables and chairs

• Regulation-size gymnasium/basketball court and fitness area

The $47.9 million project cost, which will be paid over a 25-year period, will be shared by the eight component districts that make up the Rockland BOCES Supervisory District. 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 (RWADA). 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 NYSED approval) and would be completed in phases.