More than 100 teachers representing kindergarten through twelfth grade attended the first Garden City Board of Education meeting of the school year on September 18th to quietly but powerfully let the public and board know that they are currently working without a contract.

The large group stood in the back of the middle school cafeteria. "Over 120 Garden City teachers attended this week's Board of Education meeting to demonstrate our unified and sincere desire to arrive at a fair collective bargaining to replace the previous one, which expired in June of 2006," Carlo Rebolini, president of the Garden City Teachers' Association, told The Garden City News. "We remain hopeful that we can come to a resolution and look forward to our next bargaining session on September 27th." Contract negotiations began in March.

School Board President Kenneth Monaghan said at the meeting that the Board has met with Central Administration and counsel and hope to resolve the matter soon. He said there are "very few" issues left to be worked out.

The rest of the meeting focused on relatively routine business, with the exception of one item: the granting of tenure to high school Assistant Principal David Perrotta. Perrotta has only been in the position for two years; usually teachers must complete three years before they are considered for tenure. After the board granted its approval, he shook the hands of board members as the audience gave him a standing ovation and thunderous applause.

In other news, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen said that even though every school year begins with a certain number of challenges, this year's opening day was very successful.

He is happy to see an increase in enrollment in Honors and Advanced Placement courses since colleges are now looking for students to take more challenging classes, even if it means a lower grade point average. The district revised its criteria for acceptance into high school Honors and Advanced Placement courses to make it more formalized and consistent and less restrictive. Selection is now based on published criteria and/or skill sets. Appeals are directed to the department chair, but are also reviewed by a middle school/high school department committee and guidance counselors.

The renovation of the cafeterias at the middle school and high school are almost completed after a delay in receiving equipment from the manufacturer. The locker room at the high school is in the process of being completed. The lockers are currently being installed and some floor work needs to be finished.

Other construction work done over the summer includes: curbing and paving along Rockaway Avenue, playground surfaces at Stewart and Stratford Schools and the updating of the high school photography lab with more current technology.

Dr. Feirsen also noted that offices were set up in the middle and high schools for curriculum coordinators. One criticism cited by parents when the district was considering hiring coordinators was accessibility since they would work out of two buildings. To address that concern, coordinators have a secretary and a direct access phone line. Phone numbers will be listed on the district's Web site.

Fino Celano, assistant to the superintendent, announced that the district hired 46 new teachers, including part-time and probationary teachers covering leaves. There are 15 new administrators, including eight curriculum coordinators, two principals, two Pupil Personnel Services administrators, one high school assistant principal and two central administration administrators.

Celano also provided enrollment figures. Total enrollment as of the first week of September was 4,288, which is an increase of 50 students since June. Forty of the students are at the high school, which has a student population of 1,203. Dr. Feirsen noted that figures are usually based on enrollment as of October 1st since districts usually see student enrollment fluctuation during the first weeks of school.

School Board Vice President Colleen Foley asked members of Central Administration to look into the condition of the Stratford fields. She said that concerns were raised at a recent meeting of the Estates Property Owners' Association. Administrators will report back with their findings at the next Board of Education meeting on October 16th.