ONONDAGA, N.Y. ( NCC NEWS) – A proposal of new housing in the town of Onondaga is causing an uproar of controversy about how it will affect local schools.
Residents gathered at the Onondaga Town Hall on Tuesday to voice their opinions about the 96-unit apartment complex proposed by CBD Companies.
Of them was resident Etta Dewey, who disapproves of the plan. She suspects the apartments are Section 8 housing, in which low income families are provided a voucher to help pay for housing. Dewey thinks providing families with this housing won’t be fair to current residents paying taxes.
She said, “My daughter’s paying $12,000 a year in taxes, where these people will be going to our school district for nothing, they’re not going to be paying taxes.”
Her daughter, Raegan Dewey, said she’s concerned adding kids in local schools will diminish care for her son, who has a disability.
“I think it’s going to put a strain on our school districts, my son is special needs so I’m really concerned it would increase the sizes of the classrooms,” Raegan Dewey said.
Jamesville’s Dr. King Elementary School faculty member Karen Carson sees things differently.
She thinks the complex will be “giving other children the opportunity to be in a good school district and have the sports opportunities that our kids have – and the training.”
Carson thinks this would be a good opportunity to help underprivileged families displaced from the construction of Interstate 81 around 60 years ago.
According to US News, Onondaga Senior high school is among the top 4,000 best high schools in the country.
The Onondaga board is still determining if it wants to approve the apartment complex to be built.
