Principals Present Space Needs
By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

As the season quickly approaches when children will sit down and with careful consideration create their "wish list" for holiday gifts, principals from every building in the Garden City School District sat down with the Board of Education Monday evening to discuss what they would like to receive in the future in terms of additional building space.

The work session was a follow-up to another work session held in June where Dr. Paul M. Seversky, a consultant for the New York State School Boards Association AdvisorySolutions, presented the results from phase II of a demographic study which included a capacity study of all district buildings using New York State Education Department guidelines. He determined how many children each building can accommodate, and compared the totals to enrollment projections. At that time, School Board President Kenneth Monaghan acknowledged that the Board of Education knew that the school district needs more space, and will have to make decisions in the future regarding when, where, how much and for what purpose.

In April, Dr. Seversky presented Phase I of the demographic study to the Board, which included an enrollment study and population trends.

With demographic study results in hand at the latest work session to focus on the issue, the Board concluded that the high school has the most immediate need for space, especially for its general classroom, music and physical education programs.

The middle school is also over capacity, based on student enrollment. If long-term projections remain accurate, the middle school may need several additional classrooms to keep class sizes within current guidelines and maintain the team structure in core subjects.

Although the totals vary among the primary schools, they are slightly under capacity when based on student enrollment alone. Elementary schools are also slightly under capacity.

He acknowledged that the study has a broad range of outcomes, and accuracy is compromised the further away enrollment figures are estimated. Projections have consistently overestimated actual enrollments. Enrollment as of Sept. 30 compared to the most recent projection indicates that slightly fewer students are currently attending district schools than predicted (4,274 vs. 4,292 projected.)

He also said that the Board will consider all options, especially the possibility of "moving people around for a few years," which he said has been done in the past. Dr. Marie Braccia, principal of Stewart School, and Diane Hopkins, principal of Stratford School, said their buildings can accommodate additional classes if the Board wanted to consider moving some primary level classes. Hopkins said her school could fit two first grade classes starting in the 2008-2009 school year. Stewart School can accommodate at least an additional 75 students (three classes) without sacrificing dedicated rooms for programs. If more students need to be moved, rooms can be reallocated if necessary.

At the primary level, primary school principals suggested the possibility of moving one of the special education classes from Locust to Hemlock.

Monaghan also expressed a need for the Board to speak with Village representatives to analyze how new potential housing projects may influence the school system. In regard to areas within the Village where new development is possible, Garden City Superintendent of Buildings Michael Filippon is cited in the study naming four potential residential development areas: the 25-acre site where the Nassau County Department of Social Services building currently sits into a residential townhouse complex; the Cathedral of the Incarnation property into assisted living units; the property at 550 Stewart Avenue; and redevelopment of a portion of the Garden City Hotel into residential condominium units. Monaghan also added the property along Ring Road near Roosevelt Field Mall that the county wants to develop into next-generation housing.