Pocono News Section

Stroudsburg Schools - To Buy or Not to Buy

Stroudsburg Schools - To Buy or Not to Buy - Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at 4:45PM EST

STROUD TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY - While school taxes continue to rise one local school district wants to spend even more money. The Stroudsburg School District wants to buy land off of Chipperfield Drive in Stroud Township. But some people say there's no reason to buy it if it's not needed right away.
The district might spend more than $3 million to buy the land, not to build on, but to bank on for the future. "I'm not making any moves to try to build a mega elementary center. The only thing this property does is allow this school district flexibility in the future," said Stroudsburg Superintendent Dr. John Toleno.

He said even though the district doesn't need to build right now, the 62 acre property could be valuable later. "I think that his school is property poor," he explained.

But some taxpayers think in this economy, it's just not the right time. "How you gonna spend money and make taxes when people aren't working?" asked Carl Rega of Stroudsburg.

Toleno said this economy actually makes it a good time to buy property because it's going for less money. The land the district is looking to buy is going for $3.2 million. Last year it appraised for about $2 million more.

"Sometimes bad timing is good timing," remarked Toleno.

He also said the purchase wouldn't show up in the budget for two years and the district wouldn't have to make a payment until the fall of 2010. But Rega wasn't convinced. He said, "The economy is still going to be down in two years. It's going to be just as bad then as it is now."

The board won't make a decision until it hears from people on both sides of the issue. A public meeting at the Stroudsburg High School Cafeteria Wednesday night at 7.