Post school closing comments HERE
Several people have posted comments in different places I have moved all of them here.
Posted in School Closings 14 years, 10 months ago at 1:17 pm. 142 comments
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Mineola Superintendent's Blog
Over the past several months, I have heard complaints about Willis Avenue and why did we needed such a building, specifically about the administrative floor. Many of these people probably don’t remember or perhaps are new families to the district of how it use to be. The Central Office Administrative staff had their offices in the Middle School prior to Willis Avenue being built. If I remember correctly, the Middle School administrative staff were on the second floor. Because space was taken up by these offices, there was overcrowding and diminished classroom space.
I think Willis Avenue is a wonderful asset to our District. The pre-K and kindergarten classrooms are impressive, and I get a good feeling when I have to visit the administrative offices too. Do I think they are lavish – no. They are very nice and represent our district well. This may be a first impression to someone visiting our district for the first time.
When the administrative offices relocated, there were many other improvements being made to the other buildings directly for our students. It did not stop there. The Middle School Administrative was then able to be on the first floor near the entrance to the school which is the appropriate place for many reasons, and it alleviated the overcrowded conditions and added classroom space. The libraries in both the Middle School and High School were redesigned and upgrade. To the young families in the district, go and visit them. See what your children have to look forward to as they get older. The Jackson Avenue School’s Media Center was redesigned and upgraded – what a great place to enhance the educational experience of our children. With a cluster restructuring, perhaps more students will be able to have access to this state of the art Media Center. Just to name one more, the High School’s auditorium was redone where great performances are held by our talented students. There were probably other improvements to the other buildings that I am not aware of being done. These were all positive changes, and we supported them! We should all be proud.
I truly feel it is time to stop looking back and move forward. We all need to pull together and do what is financially better (which of course affects the educational level) for the Mineola School District and educationally and socially better for each and every student in the Mineola School District. We must take action now to avoid a dire financial crises in the future.
To say that Willis Avenue is the start of this school districts financial troubles is like saying the election of president Obama was the start of the country’s financial troubles (which a lot of folks do like to do!)
15,000 square feet for 34 adults… plus the entire school districts computer operations, 40 or 50 servers, plus all the employee records, financial records, student records….that space is getting a little smaller isn’t it?
Willis Ave is the safest building in the district to house our youngest students. With its card pass security doors, Security cameras, fenced in play ground. I would think it would also be one of the hardest to rent out. The bathrooms, drinking fountains, the class rooms, are all made for 5 year olds.
I live in Mineola, went to school here, and work here. I think clustering is a great idea! When we went from tiny little Meadow drive to the Middle School, I was sick to my stomach for weeks! In classes where I didn’t know a single person, it was a nightmare!
I think some one beat me up everyday for two years….
My child went to Willis Avenue and left with friends all over the district, and a love of education that I don’t think she could have received any where else.
While reading the newspaper and watching the news this morning, I couldn’t help but think about the comparison of the district’s budget to the latest round of cuts that the governor is proposing in the NYS budget. Governor Patterson stated that “in an environment where he had to cut funding to schools, hospitals, nursing homes and social services, no area of state spending, including parks and historical sites could be exempt.
There are people who couldn’t care less that the state park budgets are being cut. Others use the parks all the time and the cuts will hurt, those folks were seen on the news with signs about sparing the cuts to the parks. Still others that were interviewed said that, “while they use the parks and would miss the fireworks at Jones Beach, they understood the problems NYS faces and it has to come from somewhere.”
While I am not suggesting the parks are a perfect comparison to the Mineola Budget, I am suggesting that there is a similarity between the two budgets. The Governors of both NY and NJ are faced with similar problems and the answers all center on cuts in services. Why? Because the contractual expenses, pensions, health benefits, and loss of interest income, to name just a few have tied the hands of those in charge of putting forth a budget.
Sure there are going to be difficult sacrifices that need to be made in all areas both state and local but we simply are at the end of the pot of gold and need to make changes to survive.
To confused. That’s why I am posting here so that no one becomes confused about what’s at stake. I am unaware of any restrictions against board members posting on the superintendent’s blog. I’m sure the superintendent would have advised me of such a restriction. Since he’s moderating the posts before they are posted to the blog I’m sure he would have told me of any such restriction. Hope that clears up your confusion.
Ms. Donovan’s assumptions in paragraph 1 are correct.
Regarding her statements in the bulk of her post I respect her opinions expressed although I disagree with some of them.
As for the job of a board member I am aware of a board member’s responsibilities. I doubt that anyone will seriously claim I shy away from making difficult decisions. The decisions we’re making now will have long lasting effects on our community. As a member of that community I would want to have a voice in those decisions, beyond simply electing someone to make them for me.
I just have one question, if this is the Superintendent’s blog, why is a Board member asking and answering questions, as if it was his own.
Mr. McGrath
We agree this is a difficult decision but I am unclear about what you are saying regarding the budget apple and would appreciate further clarification. If, I understand your comment regarding 2 bites of the budget apple, you would be in favor of putting a budget forth to retain the current configuration, at perhaps 4% or greater (my numbers based upon what we have heard thus far) to see if there is support at the community level. IF that budget were to fail, I assume you would put a second one up for vote at a lower percentage, rather than immediately go to a contingency budget and have the district lose sports, fine arts, etc. I am not certain that I have correctly explained this the way you meant it, so please correct any thing I have incorrectly stated.
If, however, I did get it correct, here is my view and I guess that is what makes horse races;
If, that were the case, the district would have to bear the cost of 2 elections, which in the overall scheme of things is small potatoes, but it is nevertheless an additional expense. I believe but need verification, that the second vote would take place approximately a month later. That means it would be the middle of June before we knew the outcome of the budget vote. IF the second budget vote were to fail that spells contingency and the district is then in a time crunch to finalize the cuts before school begins. Therefore, of necessity, you would want to be reasonably comfortable that the second budget vote proposal would be low enough to ensure passing and avoiding contingency. In order to come up with a viable (second) number, the Board and the Administration would need to make certain reasonable assumptions that are based upon facts that are at hand now. Given the facts as we know them, contracts, TRS, ERS, business loss, etc, in my mind, there doesn’t seem to be support for the current configuration. Perhaps, better stated, there is not enough financial support, to warrant a higher percentage budget vote and if we managed to scrape by this year, where will that leave us for next year? This doesn’t seem to be based on solid fiscal planning.
Lastly, you stated, “ I’m sure that I wouldn’t want five or six people making such a community altering decision for an entire community, which is the situation we have now.” I don’t mean any disrespect, but I thought that a part of the job of a Board member was to make educated decisions for the community? It would be impossible to have the district guided by the masses, and therefore we elect board members to make decisions on our behalf base upon certain knowledge that the general public may or may not have access to.
I need to create a website so that everything is in one location. Hopefully by the end of the week
Dr. Nagler:
Thanks for following-up on part of my recommendation/request by creating a single link leading to the three blogs concerning school closing issues, but what about some of the the other points? Any word as to when you will be able to have the complete consultant’s report posted on the website and available for all to see, along with the video from the February 4th Board Meeting and a copy of Ms. Goffman’s PowerPoint on the pros & cons of clustering? Thanks.
It is hardly clear that the Mineola school district community cannot support the current school configuration. It’s not even clear that it won’t. What is clear is that the cost of doing so will rise faster than it has in the past due to this recession. As a result some people on the school board and school administration believe the community will not pass a budget that supports the current configuration. When you add the threat of a 0% contingency budget those board members and administrators are reluctant to chance the community’s rejection of any budget that would force us to adopt a contingency budget that would require us to cut 3.5 million dollars from the existing budget. The result of that kind of cut would not only force the closing of schools but would do so immediately without the necessary phase in that would allow us to maximize our savings through the excessing of unionized teachers and other staff. That in turn might force us to eliminate such programs as sports, and fine arts in order to close the budget gap.
However, we get two bites at the budget apple. Assuming up front that a budget supporting the current configuration would not pass takes the matter out of the hands of the community who may very well vote to support it. I’m sure that I wouldn’t want five or six people making such a community altering decision for an entire community, which is the situation we have now.
As for selling Meadow Drive, or any of our other properties, the financial benefit of such a sale would be a one time event. Should we need the property again in the future we would not have it and would have the added cost of purchasing new property to accommodate an influx of new students. In addition, although the school district’s name is Mineola it encompasses large sections outside the Village that also bears that name. In order to keep those people living outside the village vested in the school district community we need to keep a physical presence in those areas of the community outside the village. These decisions will have an impact beyond simple property tax relief and neighborhood school. The real value of homes in these areas will be affected by the decisions the school board may take in the near future. People may decide not to live here based upon the community’s unwillingness to invest in their school system.
As Ms. Donovan says these will be difficult decisions.
Parent with a different idea.
I want to be honest and state that I reside around the block from Meadow. Unfortunately, I was not blessed with children, but I have long been an advocate for children in education and a volunteer with the disabled as well as a disabled sports official for over 30 years.
I only mention this because I don’t want you to think that I have a vested interest in keeping Meadow opened over any other school.
I believe that to close Meadow, especially if the plan is to put 1st & 2nd grade in one building would be a poor choice. Meadow is the newest of the original schools, and is the only one that is single story, which for a disabled population is important. The disabled that need the most assistance typically are the youngest, as they mature many can get around with little to no assistance, of the type that might be necessary to evacuate the building in the event of a fire or other emergency. While all the building are ADA compliant, this is the only single story building and therefore classes are all on ground level.
As we speak Herricks is struggling with a growing population so to sell off a property would be a mistake in my mind. We should have no problem renting any and all of our buildings so in the future if the demographics change a building can simply be returned to the district.
This is truly a difficult decision.
It is pretty clear that this district cannot support the number of schools which it has now. The district had this same problem many years ago and the decision was made to close Cross Street. Had the district sold that property we would not be in this mess now. If we keep all of the properties then there is a chance that the closed school would reopen again as Cross Street did when the community affected had it opened once again. We need to make a final decision which can not be revoked a few years down the line. My suggestion would be to sell the Meadow Drive property. Now before everyone goes crazy just think about. The district should have all of the properties appraised for the purpose of sale. Meadow Drive could bring in a lot of money and would probably be the easiest to sell.
We may indeed be following the lead of certain districts in Nassau County by doing this I don’t know. However, if we are following another district’s lead we should be examining whether that district’s configuration change resulted in a positive change in its student performance from its previous configuration. I’m pretty sure if that information was available Sherry Goffman would have presented it to us at our last meeting. I don’t think we are going to be able to see, through any objective data, whether another district’s student performance improved as a result of such a change. Since there is no objective evidence to indicate that closing two schools and changing to a cluster system would improve student performance than the only reason for doing it would be financial, not educational. Any claim that closing two schools and going to a cluster system would result in any change in student performance would be completely speculative. Of course we do know approximately how much money will be saved by closing two schools and how much savings would result to the average individual residential taxpayer as a result, approximately $200.00 per year. Lets face it folks that’s why we’re talking about this. In addition, if the budget fails twice the resulting cuts would be disastrous, if not this year, then next.
I can understand and appreciate the difficulty in comparing districts. I thought there would be information to be gained from the “several districts in Nassau County that have already successfully transitioned into this model of instruction” (clustering) as indicated in Dr. Nagler’s letter to residents. This is clearly not the case. I’m stuck on this because it suggests to our community that Mineola would be following the lead of other local districts in closing schools and switching to a cluster system. Not true.
Direct comparisons with other districts are not easily done. The fact that they have clustered schools and that the grade ranges are different than ours is not the issue. One blogger suggested we look at a nearby district, which the blogger claimed its high school was ranked in the top 3% of the country. I checked the numbers, not only for the high school but for the entire school district. Not only was the high school not in the top 3% but Mineola High School performed better that their high school on most measures. Additionally, that district’s performance on state tests from 4th grade onward was certainly not in the top 3% of the country or NYS for that matter. That’s hardly an endorsement to adopt that district’s configuration.
The only district (that I know of) to close schools recently was Lawrence, and it was due to a decreased enrollment among other things. There are also many districts with similar enrollment to ours that have K-5 buildings. Jericho has three K-5 for 1,078 students; Lynbrook has three 1-5 buildings for 1,043 students. Each district is geographically different and has their own circumstances governing their decisions. That is why it is difficult to compare, but we certainly can learn from them when the time comes.
But did those districts close neighborhood schools and switch to a clustering model? Or with their small enrollments have they always had that arrangement?
Every community’s needs are different, but you don’t have to look far. Carle Place with an enrollment of 762 students has a K-2 and a 3-6. East Williston with 1,056 students has a K-4 and a 5-7 building. Another example is Hewlett-Woodmere with 1,313 students has PreK-1 and two 2-5 buildings. I can’t answer a lot of the questions you ask until the committee does their work. Ultimately the answer(s) will lie in what is best for Mineola UFSD.
I have said on many occasions that I offered a plausible suggestion on closing schools. There are many different ways to do it as long as the numbers make sense. I have shown the numbers in at least 4 different presentations.
Mr. Castiglia’s comment is the type of comment I was referring to when I spoke of the one’s I’d be paying attention to in the coming weeks. If people are not clear as to anything concerning the budget, closing schools, financial aid, etc… PLEASE, now is the time to let us know. This blog is the place to let us know it.
Dr. Nagler, I received the “Message from the Superintendent of Schools” letter at home this week and was surprised to read that “several districts in Nassau County have already successfully transitioned into this model of instruction” in regard to clustering grades. I know Ms. Goffman’s review of the literature turned up limited published research relevant to our situation. Her presentation did not include information about local districts switching to a cluster model, even descriptive or anecdotal reports if no published data. If it is the case that some of our neighboring districts have already gone through the process of clustering and closing schools, then I think we can all benefit from learning about their transitions.
I for one have many, many questions – Which districts? When? Why did they decide to cluster? How did it affect the children, parents, teachers, administrators? Was student performance affected? What grades were clustered? Were any programs enhanced or eliminated? Did they add another transition of buildings for their children? Were there changes in parent involvement? What about busing? Did they need to build onto their buildings and spend millions of dollars? What did they do with their closed buildings? Did the changes create the budget savings they were expecting? Did clustering level the tax levy over the long haul? Etc, etc…
Have you been in touch with these districts? What have you found out? How can we all learn about their experiences? I think hearing first-hand about the outcome of recent transitions in local similar areas could provide us ALL – parents, Board members, teachers, administration, community members, and of course children – with very important perspective. This could also eliminate the feeling that Mineola may be about to embark on a “clustering experiment.”
Thank you for all your hard work in helping us understand Mineola’s predicament and the difficult decision ahead.
Good point. I will see what I can do. The website isn’t designed for a “blog type” response, but I should be able to figure something out. Great suggestion MPN
Dr. Nagler:
I agree with Mr. McGrath’s February 11 comment that many of the posts on this blog seem to be as much personal attack as debate of the issues. One factor contributing to this may be that even with the time and effort you and the Board have put into trying to explain where the district stands, there is still a lot of confusion.
I think that most everyone will agree that the pending budget, possible grade reconfiguration, and/or school closings are the number one issues facing the district right now. In order to provide the information necessary to raise the level of debate, and to allow for more thoughtful and though-provoking ideas and potential solutions, may I recommend the following:
Provide ONE prominent link at the top of the District’s main homepage that leads to all information, presentations, videos and blogs pertaining to these issues. Interested community members should not have to search all over the site for information. As it is now, there are two separate blogs within Nagler’s Notions (and these are getting buried deeper and deeper as new, less important items are added). Neither the video of the February 4 Board meeting, nor a copy of Ms. Goffman’s PowerPoint on the pros and cons of clustering has been posted. The January 21 Board meeting video is under another two layers of menus in the District Information section. Past budget information useful for comparisons is located elsewhere. Because thoughtful debate can only occur when all the facts are known and readily available, please facilitate the process by consolidating all pertinent information via a central link at the top of the main page.
Along the same line, there has been discussion about the BOCES / Consultant’s reports (commissioned by the district at substantial cost). You have offered to provide the report upon request, but why not simply make it available for everyone to download and read via the website? This should be simple enough, and it will allow everyone to weigh the report’s findings and factor them in when forming their opinions. It would also relieve you and/or your staff the burden of responding to individual requests.
Personally, I see pros and cons in all of the options presented. I think there may be a good number of others who feel the same way, and who wish they had more information upon which to decide. Thanks for your support.
Although there have been a lot of posts and opinions expressed in them I note that the number of individuals participating in this blog are not much different from the number of people coming to our meetings. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, it’s much easier to let it all out in a blog than at a microphone at a public meeting of the school board. Personal attacks are never impressive and rarely, if ever, influence public officials decision making. I thing thoughtful and thought provoking comments have the most influence on the decisions made by public officials. Those are the comments I will be paying attention to in the coming weeks as the Board of Education prepares to make its decision regarding whether to close any schools. I look forward to reading those types of comments here. The others I will disregard.
It is clearly YOUR way or lose everything. What a shame. To best serve the community who employs you it is your duty to present all OPTION(S). You’ve decided to present the options in which you care to share. These options should also be based on the research performed by Dr. Fowler. In Dr. Fowler’s findings it was WILLIS AVENUE in which he recommended should be one of the buildings to close if need be.
You should draw up numbers to show the community what we are looking at if we close down Willis Avenue, the building which houses 1 floor of children and 15,000 square feet for 34 adults. THIS WAY, is the least destructive to our community. In addition, you and the Board should be polling the community regarding the above. Big mistake if you don’t.
In essence it is another run for our busses. So there isn’t a cost for buses, just gas. I don’t believe we have personnel solely for that run, but I will inquire.
Dr. Nagler, how much does bussing cost for the Willis Avenue School?
We can agree to disagree. Closing Willis and eliminating pre-K simply do not solve the problem. The savings you generate will not offset the reductions in revenue. If you review my presentation online you will find that I did in fact mention all of the options you speak of.
Re: Willis Avenue Comments
If the BOE remained a “constant” the concerns regarding Willis Avenue and the special circumstances it presents i.e, the lack of parking, lack of a full service cafeteria and such a small playground area could be addressed from the standpoint of what the thinking was at that time. However, I believe there is only one board member who MAY have been on the board when that decision was made and perhaps a conversation regarding what the “future assumptions” were compared to the current reality would give us a window of understanding. It won’t do anything to change the Willis Avenue school but perhaps we can garner a nugget to two of insider thinking to see where we went wrong in our assumptions so we can review the pitfalls of the past and potentially avoid costly mistakes this time around.
I am currently watching the Jan 21, 2010 BOE meeting. I was unable to attend due to acl surgery. My point is I wanted to commend you on your presentation and overall knowledge of the districts situation. You responded well to all the questions. To say the least I was very impressed. As an educator I am all in favor of the clustering the schools. Things cannot stay status quo. My son is currently being educated at Jackson Ave., and we couldn’t be happier. Thanks for all your hard work, and know that you are appreciated.
Dr. Nagler, closing Willis Avenue will not generate savings but closing two of the local elementary schools would? Are you saying we can’t rent/sell the Willis Avenue building? Out of all 7 buildings Willis Avenue is most suitable for whatever business interested. The cafeteria and playground are “fine”?? We build a “State of the Art” building to classify cafeteria and playground as “fine”. To have a cafeteria without a kitchen to cook in for OUR children, to have a playground which is probably the most appropriate for Pre-K children, to have NO parking and to have to rent parking space IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS AND AN ABSOLUTE WASTE OF OUR TAX DOLLARS. We can eliminate ALL construction costs of building onto our small elementary schools if we allow ourselves more options then the only two you propose.
Of course Kindergarten would fit back into the local elementary schools. You would have to move 5th grade to the Middle School, and 8th grade to the High School (the high school is at 1/2 of its capacity!!!!!). This most certainly can work!!! Strange that you wouldn’t even want to propose it as an option to the community members. You would also eliminate several staff (principal, security, janitors, special teachers) which means of course we can hire ONE ADDITIONAL teacher to add to a kindergarten class at one of the local elementary schools.
To suggest removing band, sports, or reading recovery is silly and a way to avoid the real issue. Band, sports and reading recovery are programs which for the most part all children in the district benefit from. Removing Pre-K from our district program is the answer. We have such a wonderful Kindergarten program, and an all day program too! Dr. Nagler, you are our Superintendent. If you moved into a school district where Pre-K doesn’t exist it can’t be THAT detrimental for a school district to have. Instead of creating an entirely different map for the entire school community, eliminate some of the items which were last brought in. Removing the Pre-K program WILL NOT hurt our children, however, having our children join a school for a 2-year period IS a mistake and is no way giving the children a sense of home and security at the start of his/her school career.
There is one question you didn’t answer. How much does the bus transportation cost for the Willis Avenue building only?
It’s in OUR district’s best interest if the Administration and BOE were to look at its neighbors (Carle Place and Garden City, both of which DO NOT HAVE PRE-K PROGRAM) to see how a successful district works. To start a new trend of housing 1 and 2 in one of our small neighborhood elementary school buildings is absurd. This is certainly an experiment I don’t want my tax dollars spent on.
Why is it that you are not interested in polling the necessary families to find out how our school community really feel? The BOE should have this VALUABLE information BEFORE choosing what is best for OUR children, not just the comments of what one may write on your blog or at a BOE meeting. The families who should be attending the BOE meeting unfortunately cannot because they have little ones at home to care for.
Administration and the BOE MUST poll the community on these very important issues.
Please let me know how much the bus bill is for Willis Avenue.
Thank you.
Mr Nagler, thank you for your response to “Mineola School distict taxpayer” Obviously this Tax Payer does not have a preschool age child. I am a Mineola School District Taxpayer as well, I however have 3 children who have used and utilized Willis Ave School to its fullest!!! Taking away the PreSchool program would be a set back for OUR children!! This is why we pay school taxes so that we can provide a fullfilling educational experience for OUR children. I am sorry to Mineola School District Taxpayer for the Burden that OUR chlildren (the future of America) has placed on Him/Her.
The value of pre-K has been researched to death. The earlier you engage a child in learning, the better it is. But you are confusing issues. The pre-k program costs the district approximately 500,000, a majority of which are salaries. If we were to eliminate the program that is what the savings would be. Similarly closing Willis Avenue will not generate a savings. Currently Kindergarten has 11 classes when they go to first grade in the elementary schools they become 12 classes, thereby adding staff. In fact, Willis Avenue is the most cost effective building. When the building was constructed the district moved to a full day Kindergarten program (which virtually every district in the county now has or wants.) Just to clarify. Willis has a playground and a cafeteria. Both of which are fine for its current use. If we were to expand the building both would need to be upgraded. Willis was designed to house administrative offices to move them from the MS. The MS now has a new library and office suite as well as 4 additional classrooms because central office is no longer housed there. If the second floor is better used for something else is the purpose of the conversation. Lastly, all of the elementary schools do not have the physical space to house full day Kindergarten. The solution to our financial future is not simple. Nor is it solved by singling out specific programs to be eliminated. Why not argue that not everyone participates in sports so eliminate that? Or the marching band? Or not every child needs reading recovery so get rid of that program. This type of discussion pits special interest groups against each other and doesn’t solve the underlying problem. We have 1,000 students in 4 buildings and that is very expensive to run. As I have said before, if the community wants this then they would need to pass budgets to support it. In a 0% contingency year how much do you want to gamble?
Dr. Nagler, you’ve repeated that Pre-K is a valuable program. Many of the proposed cuts relate to programs that have value. The question is HOW MUCH value do they have relative to others? For example, the Garden City School District, your home school district, DOES NOT have Pre-K, which suggests the amount of value you personally place on Pre-K.
Sorry to repeat myself but to add to the missing links of Willis Avenue School. NO CAFETERIA! What? A school with no cafeteria to feed our children? Sounds like an office building to me.
Again, just another reason why the community must guide the BOE THIS time.
If you relocate Kindergarten to the local elementary schools how is it that we would need more staffing? If we have 2nd floor space in Willis Avenue which consists of 15,000 square feet only housing 34 adults, yes, it does become a Kingdom in our community. Especially when we are grouping more children into the buildings due to our economy. GET RID OF THE PRE-K PROGRAM. Poll our community families. Move 8th grade to the High School. Move 5th grade to the Middle School. Re-draw school zone lines so Jackson Avenue is filled to capacity. Will this plan cost us millions? NO. Willis Avenue is our most attractive building to rent/sell. Of course it will rent for more than one of our older buildings.
If the BOE approved the Willis Avenue arrangement 10 years ago when building it then YES, the BOE does need our input because it is obvious the building just doesn’t make sense. NO playground for OUR children to play in. NO parking for employees/parents to park. 15,000 square feet of extra space on 2nd floor which CANNOT house children. THIS IS A WASTE OF OUR TAX DOLLARS! GET RID OF IT. We even eliminate the extra bussing which goes along with a separate building housing just ONE full day grade.
POLL THE FAMILIES. You may be surprised to see MOST will want to keep their home school. And, yes, it will work IF WE REMOVE PRE-K.
Dr. Nagler, please answer the following questions. (1) If Willis Avenue closes, how much would it save the community? If you are able to give us numbers on the closing of 2 schools, please let us know the numbers of closing 1. (2) How must is the current bus bill for Willis Avenue alone?
Thank you for having this blog and allowing everyone to voice themselves.
Thank you to all the Jackson Avenue parents who responded to my post! I was glad to hear your perspective on the issues. For now though, I am taking some time off from this blog to mull over things, it is way too stressful to obsess over something that may or may not happen. I just wanted to extend my thanks to those people and I hope that whatever the solution is that we all can handle this with grace and integrity for the sake of our kids.
Re: Sharon Damelas
On reading your post on Feb 5th I couldn’t help but reply. You called parents who spoke at the meeting selfish and arrogant because they mentioned concerns they had about their children. Yet a later in your post you said everyone should speak out and be truthful with their feelings and opinions without fear of repercussions. Why so you can call them selfish and arrogant? Or is it only if they agree with your ideas?
You also said you “heard” that people don’t want their children in school with large amounts of ESL students. Where did you hear that and what people are you referring to?
Don’t all the children merge in Middle and High school? If people were truly concerned with that why would they even be in this school district?
Why is it wrong for parents to speak of concerns for their children? Isn’t that their job as a parent? Also it doesn’t mean they are not concerned with other children.
You do have a right to your opinion but so do others. We should all try to respect those opinions even if we don’t agree.
$4M sounds like an awful amount of money to build classrooms on the 2nd floor of Willis (2008 figures) when we are planning to spend $8M to build on two schools (2010 figures)?
I was at the last two BOE meetings and heard the speakers. I find the mud slinging that is going on in this BLOG to be really disturbing. The stakeholders who spoke at meetings supporting a 4% tax levy are entitled to their opinion and are not necessarily representative of the entire Meadow Drive community, just as the stakeholders who support grade configuration are not necessarily representative of the entire Jackson Avenue community. To say otherwise is a prejudement made without facts.
The comments made by Disgusted and some others are attacking and personal and would therefore be censored from many internet blog sites. I would like Dr. Nagler to make a stand on this negative communication and keep this BLOG as a place for constructive thoughts, not a place where people with their own agendas try to separate the Mineola Community.
Ms. Whitlock, please do not speak for ALL of us when making the statement, “WE all know the administration would never give up their “kingdom” for our kids”. I believe they have mentioned several times that they would and could move their offices to another building if their current space was needed. Please give our administration a little bit more credit and respect than that.
At the risk of repeating myself: Closing Willis Avenue will not save money, we would have to add staff if we change the current configuration. The pre-k and full day K classes will NOT fit into all of our elementary schools. I am more than happy to move my office and all of central office to any other school. To make the second floor of Willis into classrooms would be approximately 4 million dollars (2008 figures). Parking as well as many othe rissues need to be determined before we make any type of move.
In this time of financial hardship and business are asked to do more with less, I think that the Mineola BOE should do the same. Cut personnel, freeze the 6 figure paychecks, DONT ASK FOR A TAX INCREASE There is no blood left in the stone. What is the sq. footage of the top floor in the willis ave school and how many people work there
I agree with mineola parent . Willis Avenue school is using lots of money. Let the administration and staff walk a block or two instead of making the tax payers pay 29,000 dollars for their personal parking lot. If we got rid of that building we could save tons of money. We all know the adminstration would never give up their “Kingdom” for our kids.
Thank you all for putting your thoughts on this blog. It is very helpful to me to read any and all comments pertaining to such an important topic. However, I would like to make one comment regarding the last post. Though it is true that only one board member has younger children, this in no way makes this decision any easier for the rest of us (in case you might have thought otherwise). I remember well being a younger parent and recognize the anxiety that decisions like the one we are faced with do cause. Two of my own children lived through moving to Cross from Meadow Drive (my oldest daughter was going into 4th grade when she had to transition). In fact, my second child went to 4 schools in 4 years (nursery school in Garden City, Pre-K at the high school, kindergarten at Meadow and first grade in Cross). I took the time to explain this so that younger parents will understand that I do have a great deal of personal experience in this area. In any event, we have received a great deal of comments and I would encourage you to continue to speak up, attend meetings and communicate with us. We are listening.
1. Carle Place Middle Senior High School is recognized as one of America’s BEST High Schools. CP High School ranked in the top 3% of public schools IN THE NATION. I recommend everyone visit the Carle Place school district website to see how a successful school district is run. They house K-2 in one building (that’s right, no Pre-K). Second building houses 3-5. The Middle School and High School are one BUT they separate Middle School (6-8) and High School (9-12). Anyone see a pattern here? The kids are housed in each school for NO LESS THAN 3 YEARS. I STRONGLY suggest our Administration and BOE consider the SUCCESS of our neighbors and follow THEIR lead.
2. If Willis Avenue is not “equipped” to house 1st graders, we need to recognize it is a waste of a building for our needs. GET RID OF IT! The second floor is 15,000 square feet and houses 34 adults. Do you not see a problem with this scenario? If our district needs to make adjustments then WE ALL SHOULD ADJUST. Don’t ya think?
3. Garden City School District (where Dr. Nagler’s children attend), has 7 schools for 4221 students. Herricks School District has 5 schools for 4082 students. Carle Place School District has 3 schools for 1467 students. MINEOLA HIGH SCHOOL HAS 7 BUILDINGS FOR 2697 STUDENTS.
4. Dr. Nagler, have you ever considered polling the families who will be effected by the likely changes? It may be in our district’s best interest to poll the families of young elementary school aged children (1) do they prefer to keep the small neighborhood schools they bought into when purchasing their homes and (2) if a program had to be eliminated from our district should PRE-K be the first to go?
5. Our BOE consists of adults of our community who, with the exception of one person, has older children, who would not be effected by a younger grade re-configuration. If the BOE was voted in by us it is important for them to know how the families directly impacted stand on this matter. This polling can better help them vote on this most important issue on the table during their BOE career.
There is no reason to spend money on construction when we have perfectly good buildings to utilize first.
Of course it is unreasonable to think one school should be overfilled when others have room. Why does the district not divide the children coming from WIlls Ave school more evenly into first grade? This way each school is filled beofre opening a new class and having to hire a new teacher. Spending millions on construction is not the answer. We already did that when Willis ave. was built. i believe a man said that at the board meeting , sorry i do not remember his name. He said all our troubles started when we built that school. Putting more money into building will not save us anything. I believe another gentleman spoke at the board meeting and stated that when we closed a school in the past it cost about 800,000 more in bussing. Well if we closed two schools are we looking at double that per year? Is that where we want our money going to bussing our kids instead of educating them? Personally I would rather pay a teacher than a bus driver.
There will be many additional costs attached to construction that we will be paying for for years that have nothing to do with educating the kids and when all this money is spent on construction, bussing, and maintenance of buildings when cuts do come it won’t come from there it will come in the form of taking away from the kids. We need to utilize our current buildings first and find a way to save money not add more problems to our already bad financial situation.
Mrs. Donovan
My statement wasn’t meant to be taken literally nor did I say the board or Dr. N did that. I was saying let’s not make any hasty decisions on a very serious matter without actually having a plan in place. I apologize if I wasn’t clear.
Mrs. Ramos
I didn’t propose passing a 4% budget this year as a bandaid. I made the suggestion so we could examine the issue more closely and develop a plan. If we only pass a 2.5% budget this year we have no choice but to close schools or lose programs.
While I do admit that I am in favor of keeping all the schools open I am not in favor of doing so at any cost or by cutting programs. I have a child in the middle school and another in 3rd grade. The clustering plan as proposed will not effect either of my children so I am not defending neighborhood schoools for my children. I am doing so because I feel they add great value to our neighborhoods, the district and the community as a whole. My children actually have more to lose if the budget doesn’t pass.
Again I do not envy Dr. N or the Board as they are in a precarious position trying to get a budget passed not only this year but every year. And while I may not agree with their decision on this issue I still support and appreciate their hard work for our children.
I especially appreciated Dr. Nagler’s patient and clear explanation of his reasons for supporting this plan. He was honest and straight forward in his explanation and I do understand his position. However I feel as parent,homeowner and taxpayer that we can get the levy of 4% passed and have time to work out a plan for the future of our district.
Ms. Ramos,
You are correct and I do apologize. The time has come for action, the district has spent much money (grade conf study) and time studying the options. Dr. Nagler has presented them and answered all questions and while a decision may not please everyone it certainly can’t be charged that it was done too quickly. We need to get on with a decision so a budget can be presented in a timely manner.
It is obvious that we are losing sight of what this blog is for, but quite frankly, I don’t feel that TRYING to pass a 4% budget to skate for one more year is really the answer. It is only potentially another bandaide, and it is obvious that we are running out of those. I feel that there has been enough time for the community to offer suggestions as to how to make whatever transition is decided on by the board and our administraion, as smooth and problem free as possible. Bashing people for their opinions and suggestions is by no means beneficial to trying to bring a community together. No matter what the decision is, we will all have no choice but to come together whether it be in the middle school, or potentially sooner, and we should try to start working together rather that against eachother. After all, it is about our children, isn’t it????
Mr. Duff,
To suggest that Dr. Nagler and the board are doing something for the sake of doing something is patently absurd and insulting regardless of where you stand on the issues.
I personally don’t see any purpose in “imagining” what a parent of a child from any school in this district would say because I really don’t know.
Mrs. Donovan,
Again I totally disagree with you. If a parent/resident thinks that the quality of education is declining or negatively impacted for any reason they should speak out and try to make a positive change. Join your PTA, go to school board meetings, run for the board, etc. Carting their kids off to private school is not going to solve any problems for our district. What is the next suggestion to people who don’t agree, should we tell them to move?
I have never believed or said that the Board or Dr. N have an easy job, rather I have said publicly many times that I do not envy their position. But doing something for the sake of doing something is not always the best decision either. We ARE planning on budgeting for closing 2 schools WITHOUT ANY PLAN in place to do so. That is why I suggested at the last Board meeting to attempt to pass a 4% budget this year with the plan to more closely examine the impact of closing 2 schools and plan the best method to do so if decided. This would keep all the schools open and all the programs intact for one year while the community decides what is the best plan to move forward with.
And could you imagine the response to a post such as yours if a Meadow parent suggested it to people who are not satisfied with something in the district?
Mr. Duff,
We are in agreement that everyone has a right to express their opinion on any and all matters as they see fit within the bounds of respectfulness. If you interpreted what I said to mean otherwise, it was not my intent.
I did not suggest that you should do anything regarding where to send your children to school. That, quite frankly is none of my business. Rather, I pointed out that if a parent truly believed that the quality of the education offered in Mineola would be so negatively impacted by the closing then they owed it to their kids to send them where they could get a better education than was being offered here. The emphasis being on truly.
I personally don’t believe that Dr. Nagler and the BOE are having a day at the beach with all of this either. It would be far easier to do nothing rather than making the tough decisions to ensure a better future for all of Mineola. There are too many varied interests to please everyone and ultimately a decision has to be made for the good of the majority.
I have attended many board meetings and listened intently to Dr Nagler’s proposal for grade re-configuration, and Ms. Goffman’s presentation on the pros and cons of clustering. If grade reconfiguration and clustering is inevitable, after reading these blog posts, I am now very apprehensive about how our community will rally once we are all clustered. There is so much unnecessary animosity amongst our community members. There are many preconceived judgments from people within the community and retribution for those who are merely voicing their opinion. Both sides have valid points and it is unnecessary to berate somebody for voicing their opinion. Am I to understand that it is a “bad” thing to sit with your neighbors at a board meeting because it will be perceived as cluster seating? Meadow Drive – a “kingdom”?
I have two children in the high school, one at Meadow and a three year soon to enter the district. I have been involved in many district wide and local activities, sporting, fine arts and social events. I have had positive experiences with people from all over the Mineola community. For the record, I know nothing of a secret Meadow Drive meeting, I have NEVER heard a Meadow Drive parent speak disrespectfully, or “belittle” anything or anyone. My family has deep roots in every corner of this community; Mineola, Williston Park, Albertson, Roslyn Heights and Garden City Park, I find it somewhat offensive that community members would post rumors and insults like that in a public forum, it only leads way to more controversy, and I don’t think we need any more than we already have. I don’t imagine that is what Dr. Nagler had in mind when he started his Superintendent’s Blog. Let’s concentrate on finding the best educational solution that fits within our financial constraints. The beauty of the Mineola community and schools is its diversity. At our High School, the students get along in impressive harmony. As parents, just think of the power we would have if we worked together in harmony and with respect. At this time our board of education and superintendent need community input, not bickering and insults.
Did anyone ever say that Meadow parents were not entitled to their opinion? They sure are, as anyone who blogs here is. The problem that many of us have with the OPINIONS coming out of Meadow is that it does not include the rest of the community’s concerns or issues. When I stated that I heard parents say they will pay for any increase in their tax levy that preserves neighborhood schools, it is because I heard it with my own ears. No, it was not said publicly at the last meeting, but it has been said out loud. Nowhere did I hear a Meadow parent talk about being concerned that middle schoolers and high schoolers will lose their sports and music programs if we don’t close buildings. I did hear Meadow parents say they will vote down the capital reserves referendum and the budget if the neighborhood schools close. My problem with this opinion is that it does not acknowledge that we live in a COMMUNITY of people with varying levels of income and education. Nobody said Meadow parents are selfish and self-serving for giving their opinion as you stated.The democratic purpose certainly is for all, just as providing a solutiion that benefits ALL children does. When I hear an opinion from Meadow parents that acknolwedges the inequity in the buildings and an opinion that talks abut a solution that acknowledges ALL children, from elementary through high school, then I am willing to listen.
As Dr. Nagler posted on another blog under his notions, the MHS once housed 1700 people. Today it houses LESS THAN 800. What is wrong with this picture? Sure, let’s begin construction on our elementary schools when the room already exists. Clearly, the Administration and the BOE need HELP! A TOTAL of 34 people work on the second floor of Willis Avenue. AND WE WANT TO MAKE MORE SPACE WITH CONSTRUCTION? There is something very wrong with this community if you don’t have a problem with this scenario. WAKE UP!
Re: Frustrated tax payer
There is total equity in the tax bills relative to the school taxes. The tax levy is determined by the budget and is constant for all taxpayers within the district. There will never be equity in the tax bills – in the manner you are looking for it, because that is not how it works.
The reason is that my home may be larger/smaller than yours, I may have hardwood floors, a family room, a fireplace, a dormer, or a 2 car garage to name a few of the variables. All these things are what drive the assessed valuation of your home up/down and by extension the dollar amount of your school taxes.
This is often where the inequity comes in to play and as a taxpayer you can grieve the assessed valuation of your home until March 1, 2010.
NYS has a 2 page pamphlet “How the Property Tax Works.”
It explains in very easy to understand language how the numbers are calculated.
The website is http://www.orps.state.ny.us/pamphlet/taxworks.pdf
It won’t make paying the taxes any easier to swallow but it will explain how the taxes are calculated.
re: Linda Ramos –
Linda you are absolutely right – we should be transparent and give our names on this blog and be prepared to back up our opinions.
Bewildered is me…Jennifer Schrader….but most of you know that already because you saw me get up at thursday night’s board meeting – I don’t however know who the “disgusted” parent is who basically told me I’m self serving. l also don’t know who the “parent from cross street” is who told me all I’m worried about is being inconvenienced. Oh yea…and the “little kingdom” comment gets two points too. Maybe in Herricks, Wheatly or Jericho, but Mineola Schools…c’mon….Also, I sat with certain people at the board meeting because guess what? …I know them…But hey, since the district is moving towards clustering and everyone on this blog seems to be a concerned and “involved parent” – maybe we should get to know each other because in a few years we will probably be in the same PTA.
On a lighter note – its a good thing we live in America because if we were in some other country we would have probably lost a finger or two by now.
We are very lucky the district allows us to air our concerns on their website and for that I have to thank Dr. Nagler.
For now – I still believe neighborhood schools are absolutely the best way to go for kids – and I will continue to push for it. I believe children should be able to go to school close to home – I absolutely believe the less transitions the better.
And by the way – just because I’m stating my opinion on a blog and at a board meeting doesn’t mean I’m stressing my kids out at home with the notion of change – My kids are absolutley clueless as to what is going on – I mean really…give me a little credit
This is in reply to Disgusted.
I was one one of the parents who spoke at the board meeting Thursday night. Let me begin by saying that my children will not be effected by the most likely clustering scenario and at worst my youngest will face 1 year of change, so I am not actually speaking for my childen.
Next I called for passing a 4% budget this year so we have time to more closely examine this prospect of closing schools and the effect that it will have on the children. The current budget with school closings is 2.5%, so it would an additional 1.5% increase to keep both schools open. At no time did I or any parent I heard say they were willing to support any amount of increase. The fact is taxpayers in Mineola school district pay some of the LOWEST school taxes in Nassau county. Again I am not advocating unlimited budgets or budget increases.
If you heard Mrs. Goffman’s presentation as you said you did then you would agree there is no real data on the impact of clustering, either good or bad. The report basically told us nothing.
Why do you and some of the other “anonymous” posters on this blog pontificate that “Meadow” parents are selfish and close minded for expressing their opinions about how their tax dollars are spent and how they want to see their elected officals act. Is the democratic process only for YOUR opinion?
After the meeting Thursday night I thanked and shook the hand of the gentleman from Foch Blvd for sharing his opinion on the subject. He was in favor of closing 2 schools and clustering. Although I don’t agree with him I did respect his opinion and his right to express it.
To Debbie Donovan:
If we are truely unhappy with the Mineola district or prospect of closing 2 schools we should send our kids to private school?
Maybe one of the sillier comments I have read on this blog. If I am truely unhappy with something in my district I will do what I am doing now, speak out on how I feel and try to rally people who agree to make changes. I will glady speak to anyone in an effort to make changes I think are beneficial to the children
Finally I find it hard for people to understand that some parents are upset by the thought of losing their neighborhood schools. Many decisions go into the purchase of a home, what is important to some is not important to others. But for people who purchased their homes with neighborhood schools being an important factor the prospect of losing that is understandably upsetting. As taxpayers and citizens they have a right to their opinion and the right to express it.
Okay I have to stop I am spending way to much time on this. But here are some ideas I have been thinking about:
1) Keep two elementary school (Cross, hampton, or Meadow) and make them 1st through 3rd grade. Rent one in case our population increases and we need room
Jackson Avenue School becomes 4,5,6 for the whole district
We sell the Middle School
the H.S. incorporated 7th and 8th grade. Benefit to this is I am concerned with the construction and spending 8 million. Some 8th graders take H.S. classes, we also have the intel program. We can separate the 7th and 8th graders with little $ spent on construction.
2) Jackson and School B become 1st through 3rd grade. We rent out 2 elementary schools.
Middle School is 4,5,and 6
7 and 8th go into the H.S.
3) If we pass the budget it is not fair to keep Jackson overcrowded so we can move all the Pre K and K classes to their neighborhood school. Keep Willis only for Jackson students Pre K, K, and 1st; Jackson becomes only 2, 3, 4, 5th All the other grades stay the same.
Thanks for reminding me of Seussical!!
Parent involvement is what you make it . You should care enough about your child that it doesn’t matter what building they are in or for how long be it 1 year or 5 years, to get involved. How irresponsible of us as parents would it be to not be involved because our children aren’t in a school for an extended period of time. I have heard comments made by people saying they did not get involved at Willis because their child was only there for a year. Should the newer teachers in our district say they will not give it there all while teaching our children because they quite possibly will not have a job in our district in a year or two? That is an attitude that I would hate for them to have while teaching our children. How irresponsible of me to not give it my all in the position I hold at Jackson because it is only for 2 years. If everybody took the attitude of not getting involved because it was not for an extended period of time this world we live in would be in more turmoil than it already is. We as parents have the responsibility of being involved in our childrens lives and the things that effect them for the rest of their lives not just when they are in elementary school, or is convenient or fits into our schedules. That is the job we take on when we make the decision to become parents.
On another note, thank you Linda Ramos for mentioning “Seussical”. I have note seen the performance yet, I will be going today. I have heard that it is wonderful. Would’nt it be horrible for us as a community if we had to cut out programs like this one because we could not afford them. Our children would not get the opportunity to get up on stage and show us what talent they have. What a shame that would be.
re: bewildered
I guess we were listening to two different presentations on Thursday. My take on Ms. Goffman’s presentation talked about the pros and cons reconfiguration (and there were more pros than cons). I could sit here and debate you on each of your concerns, some of which I feel are valid and some that I feel are not. For example, Ms. Goffman did not state that a decline in parental involvement is assured with reconfiguration. I heard her say that parental involvement may actually go up as parents may want to be more involved in a new building – it is really an unknown factor. The point is that many school districts do cluster all over New York state and the country but we have to figure out the best configuration for our district and all of our children.
The only thing I hear from the parents who want things to stay the same is that they will pay for any and all increase in their taxes to keep things as they are. These parents are in utter denial to the changing world around them. I don’t think Dr. Nagler and the board are delighting in the fact about closing buildings. It is probably the hardest decision they will have to face and they will need this community to pull together and put forth their best efforts, ideas and support to make sure that our children receive the best education that the COMMUNITY can afford to pay. Everyone needs to put aside their emotions and concentrate on the task at hand. Let’s put our heads together and come up with a plan that is fair and balanced for all children with the emphasis on excellence in education. I agree that we don’t want to rush into something but there is a time element to this process – budgets have to be voted on each year. I just don’t think we should waste our time and energy complaining how we don’t want things to change. We need to move forward and work together and acknowledge that there are clear inequities in the elementary schools and that taxpayers have had their fill.
Has anyone considered all the new apartment buildings Mineola is planning on and the potential number of children that may reside there in the future? Also, if you MUST do this horrible thing, how about taking into account schools where the LEAST number of homes will be affected (like those surrounding the schools)? Some schools have far less homes/houses that would be affected than others.
Please note that I unintentionally skipped a post by Sharon D. I now appears a few posts back. Sorry for the confusion. MPN
ummm….equity in taxes???? i though this was public education. didn’t realize some of us were treating it as if we are paying tuition. So what about renter’s???? what about those who chose to send their children to private schools? what about when all our children are all in Middle School and High School, should only the children from higher tax paying families be eligible to play sports, join clubs? The real underlying sentiment is now starting to show itself. Thank you. I guess “ALL STUDENTS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME STUDENTS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS”
Mr. Rob Fabiano I could not agree with you more. We live in the district of Mineola. Whether we are in one elementary school or another we have to make sure all are kids excel together. That is why we have to come together as a community not as Meadow, Cross, Hampton or Jackson Parents. We can not miss the boat on this one it is to important not to get involved. Ask Dr. Nagler and the board to keep our standards high for everyone. Our kids would reach to achieve what we expect of them.
Wow….Since so many of these recent comments have been directed at my statements at the last board meeting on Thursday night, I feel I have to clarify some things…First, it is clear that the example of the configuration Dr. Nagler proposed two weeks ago is uncommon. Most grade configurations cluster primary (pre/k through 5), intermediary (which since the last I heard was 6-8) and high school (9-12). If I heard Ms. Goffman correctly, most studies done on clustering within primary grades were done in rural areas. Since we do not live in a rural area, it would be hard to predict how clustering within primary grades would impact our children educationally. Therefore as a district, under Dr. Nagler’s proposed “possible” configuration we would be moving into unchartered territory. I used the word “experimental”. I honestly feel like dismantling neighorhood schools is a giant undertaking, extremely disruptive and quite possibly more costly than anticipated for an outcome that is quite uncertain. Our neighborhood schools are wonderful learning environments for all of our children. I know personally families from Jackson, Hampton and Cross who feel their children are getting excellent educations. I will be the first to say that many of the children in these schools are probably smarter than my own. This is not about, what did someone say…”staying in a little kingdom”? This is about providng our chldren with an intimate learning experience that can easily be povided in a neighborhood school environment. Once you start clustering within the primary grades it becomes more challenging to create that learning environment simply because the number of children in each grade is higher and the time spent in each building is less. Is it impossible? No…but why would we choose a configuration that does not optimize our children’s learning environment? My husband and I moved here from Queens because we wanted our children to have a smaller school setting while our children were still small. People have also stated in the previous comments that my problems with clustering are completely self-serving….Let me clarify…What I meant to point out was simply that there are some practical concerns that I don’t feel were very well thought out in Dr. Nagler’s proposed configuration. Practical concerns like bussing can make what seems like a good plan a complete disaster. When I try and visualize all of these buses driving all over the district, I wonder how it is all going to work? I wonder how much more money it is going to take and I wonder how long all of these children are going to be on busses? Is it impossible? No…But maybe it needs to be thought through more. Secondly, one of the great attributes of our schools is a sense that parent involvement is truly valued and cherished. Ms. Goffman clearly stated one of the disadvantages to clustering within the primary grades is reduced parent involvement. Parent involvement is a big deal. Shouldn’t a plan to dismantle and reconfigure schools seriously weigh how accessible our schools will be to ALL of our families? Is it impossibe to be involved in 3 schools? No, I do it now. But maybe there is a simpler way to reconfigure? Maybe this needs to be thought through more. My main concern is that as a district we don’t rush into any MAJOR UNDERTAKING before thinking through every possible detail. Reconfiguring the district and closing buildings are decisions we cannot undo once the ball gets rolling. Lets be sure it is for the better and lets be sure we do things right. I would hate for our children to have to bear the burden of a major mistake.
Why dont we talk about equity in taxes. If we all belong to the same schools district then why do some people pay A LOT more than others for school taxes. We should all share the same burden. B ut we dont. Lets have quity in taxes and all share the taxes equally when we all know we dont.
This is in response to Carolyn’s post.
I am a Jackson parent who has spoken out on many occasions about our school and the inequities I believe existed in the district in regard to class size and ESL population. I attended many BOE meetings, voiced my concerns and opinions, and flustered many people. The sad thing is that I stood alone while parents from Meadow, Cross and Hampton came out in droves when there were important issues to be decided. I spoke out for clustering when Dr. Benny & Dr. Fowler rolled out their options for our school a few years back. I don’t love the idea of children moving around so much. A better scenario would be one elementary school, but unfortunately, that’s not an option.
I believe Mr. Gaven is doing a great job and that we have a wonderful staff, however, I do believe that Jackson is saddled with challenges that the other schools did not have to deal with. Jackson parents tend not to speak their opinions. I’m not sure why. All I can say is that Jackson is the largest school, practically filled to capacity, located in the Heart of Mineola, and our opinions should be heard and counted. I know I’ve had to push through my insecurities and stand up for what I believed in, no matter how uncomfortable it was for me. Anyway, I am open to clustering as long as it provides for raising the academic expectation for all students. I am definitely against losing valuable programs for our children in order to keep buildings. One elementary school holds the blue ribbon of excellence award, we have three other schools that do not. It begs the question why? Meadow Drive doesn’t want to give this up. They have a valid concern. The current configuration works for their school best. I believe administration and the board need to make a promise to the community that no matter what direction we take to alleviate the financial burden, that our academic’s will continue to improve and excel and that the level of excellence is equitable throughout the district.
On another note, I attended Seussical Jr. last night at the middle school with my boys. If you haven’t gone yet, you should go today, it is an outrageous performance.
But that isn’t the only reason I am posting. I have to agree with John Napolitano that people should really use their own names on this blog, because I heard a lot of speculation last night as to who people were who had posted “under cover” for lack of a better term. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and why should anyone potentially get the credit, or a bad rep for what you had to say. As we all know, drawing our own conclusions can be dangerous. If you feel strongly enough tin your opinion, you should be ready to back it, be it good or bad.
re: frustrated tax payer
Racism? Realy? I am “hating” a group of people based on race? Please understand the definition of racism before you state your case. I am certainly not “hating”anyone. I am simpy pointing out that I am more interested in finding a solution that benefits all children, not just the children of one particular elementary school. That is not clouding my judgment, being self-serving is what clouds their judgment.
I have a comment to make, that I don’t want to be viewed as disrespectful, or snarky – please simply take it as a statement of fact.
If, at any time now or in the future you are unhappy with the education that the Mineola school district schools can offer your children (i.e) a public education, there is always the option of private schools. There are any number of private schools that will be more than happy to educate the children.
If you truly believe that the closing of schools will be so terribly detrimental to the education of your children then you owe it to them to register them in private schools. I hope that those of you who may be willing to vote down a budget that doesn’t support neighborhood schools, will consider this as an option. There are many valid reasons that neighborhood schools make good sense and they have served us well, however sometimes the big picture can’t be ignored. Hindsight is indeed 20/20 but sometimes we need to look at things through corrective lenses.
To quote Warren Buffett, One more Dance before Midnight Strikes
“It’s like Cinderella at the ball. You know that at midnight everything’s going to turn back to pumpkins and mice. But you look around and say, one more dance, and so does everyone else. Everyone thinks they’ll get out at midnight. The party does get more fun, dance partners get prettier, – one more glass of champagne. And besides, there are no clocks on the wall. And then suddenly, the clock strikes 12, – and everything turns back to pumpkins and mice.”
Midnight is here.
I’m a very proud parent of 2 Jackson Avenue students and a Willis Avenue Kindergartener. For those out there that feel that the Jackson Parents don’t “stand on our soap boxes” enough…here I am! Mr. Gaven is a wonderful, wonderful administrator! He knows each & every one of his 423 kids by name (& also the names most of their siblings that don’t even attend yet!) The teachers & staff at Jackson are professional, caring, dedicated, NICE people! When you walk into the building…no matter who you pass in the hallway, you will always be greeted with a smile & a friendly hello!!!
I love my neighborhood school, as do my children & we would love for everything to stay as is. In a perfect world maybe…but money, with everything else in this world of ours is an issue. My overall feeling is that we have to do what is best for the community as a WHOLE. Each and every student in the Mineola School District deserves an EQUAL education. I would hate for programs to be cut & activities lost!
I know all too well what it is to juggle 3 kids between 3 different schools ~ somehow I made & am still making it work, now between 2 schools! I will finally have my 3 kids together in Jackson this coming September ~ something that will probably be short lived, but I will once again, make it work!
My concern is for my little guy…starting grade 1 in 9/10 at Jackson…getting pulled out for grade 2 to a different school then returning back to Jackson for grade 3. I’m not 100% clear of that plan but over all, I feel that the kids will transition fine. Parents need to stay POSITIVE…our kids feed off of us!
Also ~ to the people that are stating “RESEARCH SHOWS”…please site where you got your research from so we may be just informed as you are.
Thank you Dr. Nagler ~ my husband has been attending your meetings and he truly feels that you are dotting all of your i’s & crossing all of your t’s!
Due to the post by Carolyn Sweeney on this blog I feel compelled to respond for myself, a parent of Jackson Avenue, not for the school as a whole or in the capacity of PTA president. I too attended the meeting last night and absolutely agree with Ms. Sweeney’s comments. I did not stand up at the microphone and speak because I am not comfortable speaking in front of large groups. I sat there and listened to parents speak and the first word that came to mind was “selfish”. Those of you who spoke against clustering all had one common phrase “my child”. This is not about your child, it is about our children as a whole. This is about our community, our neighborhood. Many of you have a warped sense of what community or neighborhood is. It does not encompass the several block radius around where you live. It is about our town as a whole. As large and widespread as Mineola is, it is still a small community where many of us know one another through school or the many organizations our children belong to. When we speak of issues that affect the children of this community we need to speak of all children. I find it arrogant for those of you who stood up there and said we should put the budget out with a 4.5% increase because fortunately you are able to pay the increase. What about thinking of other people in this town who are not in your position? Many residents are finding themselves in an economic situation that they never dreamed would ever happen to them, whether they have lost their jobs, had home foreclosures, lost investments or many other financial difficulties. Many are living on fixed incomes. The answer to them does not come as easily as it does to you. Stop being selfish and thinking of just yourselves when you ask for such a large increase. You are setting yourselves up for disaster. Like Mary D., when this all started I was not for schools closing, but a lot has happened in two years time. Nobody ever wants to see schools close or teachers lose their jobs, or for anybody to lose their job. But as a community we need to do what is best for all, not just a small sector of the community. This is a school district that is so divided at a social level and at an educational level. Wouldn’t it be best if we could all sacrifice a little in order for us to all have the same chance at the same common goal, a great future for our children both educationally and socially? I have heard fears of people who don’t want their children in a school with a larger amount of ESL students. Our children have never suffered for it. They use it as a learning experience. We cannot keep our children sheltered from life’s different experiences nor should we want to. They are our future. The same way we have learned to be tolerant of others, they need to learn as well. As far as transitioning between different schools, your child’s attitude is up to you as parents. We as parents need to make it a positive change. Your attitude reflects on them. Not only in this instance but all through life. I dare you to find me a parent who hasn’t once done something out of their comfort zone to make their child happy whether it be going on a ride at an amusement park or getting up on stage at a school function and embarrassing yourself. If you sit around and say that it’s going to be horrible having to go to a different school then your child will probably feel that way to. There needs to be a more positive attitude toward change. I strongly feel that the school board and the administration would not make a decision that would hurt or be detrimental to our children. That is not why they are giving all their time and effort to this matter. This is a tough decision that has to be made. There is no easy answer and whatever decision is made will not make everyone happy. That is an impossible task. What I do believe is that people need to be truthful with their feeling and opinions and not be embarrassed to express them. It is just that, your opinion and there is no need to hide behind a wall and not use your name on this blog or go along with the so called consensus of your school for fear of repercussions. It would make the board’s job of making the correct decision an easier one if the members of this community revealed their true feelings, not the feelings of those around them. Amazingly enough this blog has enlightened the community to the fact that when Meadow Drive parents speak in favor of keeping their school as is, they are not speaking for all Meadow Drive parents as seen by some of the comments made on this blog. As for the turnout of last night’s meeting, the many parents that I spoke to today were not aware that Ms. Goffman was going to be making a presentation about clustering or that the Workshop meeting was going to be open to public comments. If the public was properly notified I believe there would have been a much better turn out from community members of all schools, not just those privy to the information because they attended a private meeting the other day with Meadow Drive parents. We all need to be informed in the same manner. As a member of this community, as a taxpayer and most importantly as a parent, I truly hope a decision is made that will be in the best interest of the most important piece of this puzzle, OUR CHILDREN. Remember… It takes a village.
As a tax payer I do not want to spend millions on renovations when we already have buildings we can use for FREE. Our district started “emptying our buckets” when we dumped loads of money into The Willis Ave. School. Well here we are again. Spending more money we dont have. Why should we spend more millions when we can use the current buildings and condense the classes into maybe three buildings.
Why would anyone want to spend district money on construction now when money is so tight??
There must be another way? I hear the high school has lots of room and that some grades could be moved around to different buildings that wouldn’t cost us anything in renovations. If we close one school we could save teachers salaries and still save the millions we would have spent on construction.
To “disgusted” it seems you hate one particular group of parents and your racism against them is clouding judgements.
TO “ross Street parent” you also expressed some ager against some other parents. When I read your comments some kind of made sense until the anger set in and you started pointing fingers.
We are not here to point fingers. We are here to help get us out of financial trouble. I DONT want taxes to go up. If we spend every dime we have on construction then all of our”buckets” will be empty for sure. There are ways to save our district without bankrupting us in the process.
Let’s listen closely to what Dr. Nagler is telling us. Continue on the same course we are on now and we will not be able to give our children the quality of education ( academic and non-academic ) to prepare them for the future. Make the changes now that will guarantee the level of education our children are presently receiving and allow for improvement in the future. I do not have to defend Dr. Nagler, but rest assured he and his staff have spent countless hours researching what is best for District 10 students now and for years to come.
OK, I know what you’re thinking, how could a child even know or care about this stuff, but I do. I’ve been hearing about closing the school for about a year now and I myself started a petition in the Middle School (the board of education should have unless they threw it away.) If you are so intent on closing a school, close Willis Avenue-I’m pretty sure our elementary schools can handle it. I was in the last graduating class of Hampton Street, (when the students were there from pre-school to fifth grade) and I think we all came out pretty well. Oh, and I also heard you might choose between closing Jackson or Hampton. First of all, Jackson-it’s beautiful and it has probably the most room in the whole district and all my classmates that came from there are the most intelligent I know. As for Hampton (besides me growing up there) it’s a fine school. I myself have gotten a great education and I attend Honors classes. Not to mention all the blocks of houses around there. If you close that school what will happen to the families who want to settle down in the area and want to send their kids to school? It will definitely put a halt on home buyers rates in the area. (Yes I know BIG WORDS).
. Well that is all I have to say on the matter and I will be back to post on the Clustering schools thing.
From,
A person smart enough to know what’s going on
I am disheartened by the way parents are attacking eachother over this issue. We as a community are all entitled to have our opinions. I agree that Jackson has by far the most number of classes but our numbers are fairly in the same range per class. You can check these numbers by asking parents in each school Your next topic is ESL students, I was an ESL student raised in a home were English was not my first language and as a teacher have worked with Bilingual Students therefore I know from experience that ESL does not equate inability to learn in other areas. Additionally, if you are concerned about the equity for ESL students according to studies by Palin and Fager ESL students do better in schools where they have a longer grade span. Our financial problems: We are going to spend over $8 million to build on schools. In city schools construction can not occur in a building while classes are in session. Does that mean construction in Long Island Schools can’t start either after 3:30 pm. Until what time? We live in small neighborhoods who wants to hear banging until 10 or 11pm. How quickly if this also applies to our schools will construction be finished? If I am correct taxes are still increasing by 2.5% additionally I am concerned if we are saving 2M to put in a capital reserve each year what happens if the economy turns for the worst and we can’t put 2M into the reserve? Do we stop construction after a year? Have we already closed a school and our kids are now overcrowded? If the economy is still bad and we have a 2.5% increase saving into the reserve now the only thing left to cut are programs? Programs that I lost my neighborhood school to save. I am from the belief have the money and then close and build. We as a country partially got into this economic mess because we spent with the hope of getting cash later to pay. Now I am asked to risk my child’s education for to many IF”S. Make a plan outline it step by step then I will listen but as far as I am concerned if one school is better than another then we have to demand from our superintendent and the board to hire and maintain better qualified teachers who are doing the same in each school. I am a teacher not this district but I am accountable to my students, admininstration and parents do the same for the Mineola School District. Before we rally behind a plan we have to have all the facts. We have to ask questions. We have to attend meetings. We all no matter what our opinions have to express them and be heard. The best interest for our children is for all Mineola parents to come together and do what is best for our children. I was heart broken after the meeting yesterday that more parents were not there. Get involved because we need the community as a whole to progress.
I couldn’t agree more with “disgusted.” The group of parents from ONE of the FOUR elementary schools in our district continue their attempt to distract from the issues at hand while managing to disregard the rest of us who are also taxpayers in this district. We love our children and care about them just as much as you do.
Although the potential of closing and clustering schools looms large, in my opinion, the bigger issue is the inequity in our district. The same group of parents who are essentially demanding that the BOE put forth a 4.5 % increase have not been listening to what Dr. Nagler has been saying. Passing a 4.5% increase does not address what is waiting for us in the next 3 years. It is a given that next year and the year after that, programs will be cut. For 10 years I have listened to people from all over our district speak of the differences in our buildings. Who has smaller class size, who has more ESL students, etc. Now is the time to rid this district of the stigma that one school is better than the others.
As the mother of three children, all in the Mineola school district, I was shocked that a parent would state in public that clustering will cause HER to be inconvenienced. Newsflash…there is much inconvenience associated with being a parent!!! How about the positives associated with clustering? Equal class size, the same curriculum across grade levels and the social opportunities for the children that small schools do not always offer. What about a more diverse group of parents involved in PTA?
Clearly as a district ,we must move forward and implement a plan that is fair for ALL the taxpayers in Mineola. To continue this trend of continually passing a budget without regard for the future, is irresponsible and extremely risky.
To Dr. Nagler and the Mineola Board of Education, thank you for always keeping the best interests of ALL the children in our district at the forefront of your decision making process. I have no doubt that Dr. Nagler and the BOE will, in the end, put forth a plan that will fair, responsible, and educationally sound for ALL the children in the Mineola Union Free School District.
You have some very valid points “Disgusted”. Last night was my first meeting and just by the cluster-seating configuration it was pretty easy to see what you are talking about. Funny, for people who are against clustering grades, they have no problem sitting together and echoing the same sentiment over and over with no regard for the other schools. Some of their comments were selfish and I got the feeling that they are all about coddling their kids.
One parent described this as an experiment, well having children is an experiment. From the moment each of my kids was conceived life was uncertain, think back people, maybe you didn’t know the sex of your children before their birth! Or what about when we all went for all those prenatal tests that can tell you if your child will have certain genetic disorders, even those aren’t certain because while they may tell you a positive or negative result they can never predict the severity of some disorders! Our children are our greatest blessing , but if I’ve learned anything it is that you can never be prepared for all the challenges of parenting. I see this school issue as a parenting challenge that I know I’ll be able to weather.
Just to note- I found it peculiar that there were no parents from the Jackson Avenue school who spoke one way or another. Not that they weren’t in attendance (I am a future Jackson parent), but I just wonder how they feel about this model because their school is the most over-utilized.
I have been following the posts on this blog, but have not been able to make it to the meetings. I don’t want to ask questions that have already been addressed, but does anyone know what the current class size is and what they project the new class sizes to be? Student to teacher ratio?
Also, I see that Jackson is being considered as a school to keep, but due to the poor parking and “cluster” of schools in that area would one of the other schools be more practical to keep? There doesn’t seem to be any room to expand that building. Also, if we are worried about renting the property, I am sure Chaminade would be happy to rent the space to increase their empire! Just kidding, I love Chaminade, I just mean that they seem to have a lot of money to spend on their ammenities and this location would be ideal for them.
Thank you for your time.
So another BOE meeting and another chance for a group of parents from one elementary building to talk about what they want for their children and themselves. I heard a parent talking about being inconvenienced if they have more than one child in multiple buildings with PTA meetings, events and bus stops. Guess what? That already happens in the current configuration. Plenty of parents have already done this and continue to do this every year. Is it difficult? Of course, but the district cannot accomodate every child and every parent’s schedule. The effect of the number of transitions again came up. We all love to minimize stress in our children in any age group, but it is a part of life. How PARENTS deal with it will be a much better predictor of how your child will deal with it. We are talking abut ONE more transition.
Alll I heard from these parents was what they wanted for THEIR children in their little building. What about the children in Jackson whose building is stretched to the max? What about the children in the middle and upper grades who will be forced to walk away from their athletic and music program because Johnny could not deal with an extra transition?What about the taxpayers who have lived here their whole lives and are overwhelmed by tax increases on every level? I’ve heard these same parents state they can and will support any tax levy that will maintain their building and have the gall to suggest that those who cannot support it, should move. I hope that by the time these parents are seniors, they will have a more inclusive and kinder view of their neighbors. I have also heard them say they will vote down any budget that does not support keeping their neighborhood schools. If we are forced into contingency, I believe it when Dr. Nagler says it will force this district to make cuts that we may not ever recover from. But these parents will vote it down to punish the rest of us for not seeing it their way.
This is a COMMUNITY of parents, children, seniors, people without children, etc. We must take into account what is best for the majority of children and taxpayers. The only plan this group has is to put up whatever tax levy it will take to keep their little kingdom as is. THIS IS NOT A PLAN. It is a recipe for disaster that disrespects the rest of us and ignores the financial realities of the future. The self-centeredness of your wishes is certainly not lost on the rest of us.
I hope that the residents of this district come together with an open mind and an open heart and put their heads together to come up with a configuration that works for ALL the children and taxpayers.. Like Dr. Nagler said, not everyone is going to be happy. We are all going to have give up something. I just hope the self-serving interests of a few do not sway the Board into losing sight of what is best for the community at large.
There were a few things brought up at last night’s board meeting that I would like to address. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so here goes.
First: Parent involvement would decrease in two or three year school configuration. Being a very involved parent, I would have to say that those who want to and are able to will volunteer to the same extent they are now. Having a First Grader and a Fifth Grader, this is the only year that my children will be in the same school. I was a class parent for both of them, in two schools, because that’s what I wanted to do not necessarily for the school’s benefit, but for my children. I’m sure that I am not alone in the thinking that no matter how many people can be involved, it is always the same ones who get involved. This also pertains to Scouts, and sports, where the same committee members of the PTA are scout leaders and sports coaches.
Second: There are pros and cons to every change, and not any one change will make everyone happy. Change can be a very scary word if you allow it to be. What happened to “make the best of it”. I personally feel that if reconfiguration of schools, whatever the new model may be, is the worst thing that my children ever have to deal with that they are ahead of the game.
Third: I don’t feel that our ditrict is part of a “clustering experiment”, because obviously if there has been research done on it, we are not the first ones to consider it, or potentially go forward with it. Rather than make a public mockery out of our district, let’s try to make an example out of it for others to follow.
Fourth: I have been hearing a lot of the “lost sense of community” outlook. A community is not based on individual buildings, we are all part of one big community that starts at Willis, is broken up, and then re-groups again in the Middle and High Schools.
Lastly: We are all hearing about how we think this will effect our children, and I feel that it will effect them however we as parents tell them it will. Regardless of how many schools we as parents need to divide our time between, I don’t feel that that will have any impact on our childern’s experience or education unless we let it. Children are very resilient and acclimate to change a lot easier than we give them credit for.
I will end with a little story. My 6 year old has been hearing me speak about the situation in the district and he asked me” Mommy, does this mean that I may “GET” to go to Meadow, Cross or Hampton? That would be cool because I will get to be with all of my friends from Willis, and I could see how they do things in the other buildings”.
I just read a post by a parent concerned that a child currently in Kindergarten in Willlis has the potential to attend 3 schools in 3 years. Your response has left me scratching my head. That is EXACTLY what will happen to most of these children except for the ones like my son who will attend Jackson for 1 year then to another school only to come back to Jackson. That is going to be very confusing for these kids!!! Have you make any plans for the increase of students at Jackson in regard to Pick up and Drop off. Jackson is notoriously horrendous for this!! With Chaminade monopolizing the parking for parents now, how will we handle an increase of students. I am now hearing that construction may be required to accommodate an increase of student population at Jackson. I can’t imagine the nightmare this will cause for those of us who pick up our children at Jackson Ave each day.
My comments here are that of my own personal feelings and opinions and not meant to represent any other individual or the PTA. I have been regularly attending Board meetings for the past few years and have made the majority of meetings this year. I am a parent of three elementary aged students and my views here are a result of both of these things. Two years ago when the issue of closing schools was kicked around, I was totally opposed to it. At that time the option was close buildings or keep everything that we currently were offering. I was an advocate for keeping it all. It was easy then for me to let my emotional ties to our neighborhood school guide me. The way I see it now however, the options are not so clear cut. It is no longer close schools or keep everything. It seems now that our options are 1.close two buildings, 2. try to pass budgets that will include millions of dollars in reductions (effecting program), or 3. put out a roll over budget which most likely would not be supported by the community as a whole and therefore face a contingency budget of 0%. With all the information that has been given out at the special budget workshops and the regular Board meetings over the last few months, the financial difficulties our District is facing has caused me to accept the fact that indeed schools may have to be closed. I understand that it is very likely that this is the direction the Board will take. The Board of Ed and Central Office have allowed the community many opportunities to hear the issues, learn about the possible solutions and to question and comment on all of it. But I think we all have to remember that there are many groups that make up our community: stakeholders – some of who are for school closings and for clustering, some who understand the need to close schools but don’t prefer the clustering scenario, and those who are completely against it. But there are also non-stakeholders: tax payers in this community, many of whom have been calling for change for years. I think it is also important to remember that putting up a 4% budget and hoping it passes will still result in the need to make large reductions and staff layoffs. Do I love my neighborhood school? Yes, I would love for all my sons to be able to graduate from Meadow Drive after spending 1st – 5th there. But I don’t think it will be possible to keep all the buildings open and maintain the programs and the education that we currently have. So having said all of this, I would like to add that I am concerned about the increase in transitions that the clustering model includes. I hope that if the decision is made to close buildings that all will be done to redesign our District in the best possible manner to make as few transitions as possible, to maintain and even improve the education our children are receiving, and to foster a sense of belonging and community in the new schools.
I attended the meeting this evening and feel like I have more information to help me make a responsible decision for my family and the community at large (every vote affects all of us!). Although I attend meetings I am reluctant to address the board in the public arena because I have some questions and am afraid I will sound uninformed by asking some of them. First let me begin by stating that I am a product of a parochial school education and a native of Queens, so having a very localized school district is a bit foreign to me, so bear with my inquiries. First- can someone tell me why our school district encompasses Albertson and Williston Park but is called Mineola? Does this make our district larger than neighboring ones that service only their respective locality? Secondly, as a former NYC school teacher I am sensitive to teacher salaries, however, in addition to re-negotiating the teacher contract, what about opening up a discussion about attrition? Give those senior teachers a nice retirement package and hire newer teachers who will be on the lower end of the scale. As for the teacher’s union (who is almost certainly going to tell us to take a hike- that’s what unions do after all!) remind them that there are many unemployed people out there who would be happy to make their salaries at the current scale with a pay freeze. Lastly, it was a bit disconcerting to hear stories of how difficult a mother’s day could become with children spread throughout the schools. I have 3 kids too, so a real plan for reconfiguration may give some of us peace of mind. However, I LOVE that we have Pre-K and full day K and wonder if having such a great program is contributing to our academic successes in the past few years? I too can afford the increase right now, but what no one asked was- is this the last increase for a long while or will it continue to go up?
Again in the three years we’ve been here we’ve been fortunate enough to meet great people who are committed to their children as much as we are. It would be really horrible if this levy put families in a bind. Equally bad would be if people just decided to move out of the district because they are unhappy with the grade plan.
Dr. Nagler you have a tough sell and I think you are trying to be responsible with our money and kids. You just need to spell it out a bit more for some of us and hopefully we can all support whatever the board asks for.
I’ve been a mineola resident since the day I as born. I attended mineola school. I still remember the first day of kindergarten at hampton. I understand that the district has to make a desion on what they are going to do. I understand that school closing is a good idea, but the only problem is what schools are going to close. I have been hearing that Hampton and Cross are going to be closing, but I don’t get why. Hampton is located in an area around many house and not in a bussines area like cross or Willis. Also what sense would it make closing two schools that are right next to each other. You would have to spend more money on busing to bus them to schools that are farther away. It just doesn’t make any sense. I really hope that the district make the right decsion and I hope Hampton can keep it’s doors open.
Thank you Dr. Nagler for responding to my questions. I guess I’ll worry about the 8th grade moving to the High School if and when that happens. One bridge at a time.
I must reiterate the shape of not only the national economy but most especially the local economy. The good people of this district have given and given by annually passing the budget save for a very few. We have little choice in this matter; there are people who will not be able to live here anymore, if there is a high tax levy. If the tax levy is high, have you considered those parents who are paying for private schools may no longer be able to afford the tuition? If they are forced to withdraw their kids from these schools, there will be additional students in the district.
I guess I am puzzled about one aspect of the picture. A friend of mine is an electrician who over the past few years has been furloughed several times to save his “brothers’” jobs. The thinking…..Better to have everyone employed albeit a few hours less than normal, than to lose a man’s (woman’s) entire livelihood. Unfortunately, he has now been laid off and he is a district resident. The point of the story?
I am having a very hard time with the following:
Thorough all these discussions, never once have I read that the unions are seriously looking to sit down and renegotiate some terms of their contracts to help this situation out. It would at least “appear” that the teachers union is willing to let 20 teachers go within 3 years and that is fine with the membership!!!! I don’t understand this at all, they are willing to lose their “brothers’” and it doesn’t matter? While, I know it is indeed part of the “game” it appears selfish to me. Where is the concern for the students on the part of the unions? It is indeed fortunate for all of us, that we have such dedicated teachers in this district, but we can no longer afford to keep all of them. All of our district employees, no matter if a teacher, administrator, clerical, custodial, bus driver or aide, have enjoyed some wonderful benefits for the last several years but we are now faced with closing schools because in part, the generosity of the contracts is forcing us to do so. Certainly there are also other aspects that are contributory TRS, ERS, loss of financial aid, and interest loss to name just a few. But with all of those there is a slight difference, they are out of our control entirely. Some of you may feel the contracts are too, but that is really not true.
Please understand, I, know that there are some employees with whom I have spoken that agree with me, but can’t say aloud, to those, I apologize and sincerely hope you do not lose your job.
So, I ask all who are fighting to keep the schools open. Why is it ok to ask the taxpayers to continue to open their wallets, when we are getting nothing back from those we have been so generous with? Maybe, it would help and it certainly can’t hurt!
Please note that John Napolitano is in no way realted to School Board trustee Christine Napolitano MPN
Dear Regretful Parent…It’s good to know that someone else out there is concerned about my prurient interests ! And if you must know I never miss the Tigers Woods or Jersey Shore stories! The truth be told though,I do sandwich myself by reading that pinko ,pseudo intellectual publication ,The New York Times , in the AM ,and reward myself after a long day of verbal abuse at the office, with , The Post. I appreciate divergent opinions. But the point of my last comment was that our school district is being used as a example to the world at large as a bloated out of control beast that can’t be controlled. And they’re right. I don’t know about you or the rest of the residents of Mineola but it’s getting alittle embarrassing to say this is where I live. Our district is not being refered to as the home of the state marching band champions but as a place where the unions are running us into the ground. Fiscal sanity must prevail. And with all due respect to Regretful Parent and all the other participants of this blog I urge you to use your real name. Now is the time to express your opinions in the open…even if it means a certain amount of discomfort. Even the Great Oz had to come out from behind the curtain.
Hello, Dr. Nagler,
I wanted to thank you for using this blog to communicate to the parents and members of the district.
I just wanted to agree with your statement about the ying and yang. Money and education do go together. If we want to keep everything the way it is, then all of us have to invest. That’s just reality. Everything is more expensive…from shopping for food to keeping a mortgage. However,we want to keep the BEST TEACHERS we have in this district. That is why my husband and I moved here. That’s what separates us from other districts. The BEST is being given to what is valuable to us–our children. The teachers are there everyday with them! I know other districts are offering a 0% budget increase–that means the good teachers leave and no progress is done with technology. Why would a parent want that– just to pay less?
BOTTOM LINE—WE REFUSE TO INVEST IN THE MINEOLA DISTRICT, WE GET LESS!!
Other options: make the cuts in our own budgets, find other jobs, or move to another district.
Mr. Napolitano,
With all due respect, the NY Post? Did that article concerning our children debut under or over an article about Tiger Woods or The Cast from the Jersey Shore?
It depends on how you define ‘tax break’. The reason the school closing was brought up was to try to demonstrate a 2.5% tax levy over 3 years without losing program. So a ‘break’ won’t be a reduction, rather stabilization. The discussion about the 8th grade to the HS may become a reality if we are unable to generate enough money for capital expansion of the smaller schools. Right now the HS is the building with the lowest building usage. MPN
I must say that I am still very much on the fence of clustering schools. I cannot stand at the bus stop and complain about my school taxes and then choose to do nothing about it. My kids go to Meadow Drive and I have to say that I am not at all a typical Meadow parent. I respect the opinions of others and do not feel the need to belittle others, as some Meadow parents do. I do, however, like the small school atmosphere. All the students and teachers, no matter the grade all know each other by name. Would that happen in a larger cluster school? Probably not. However, on the other hand, being in a small school offers limited numbers of friendships. Meadow has always been known as a “clicky” school and it’s true! My kids learn that the hard way. What would be wrong with having a larger assortment of kids to choose from. Once they enter middle school, they might adjust easier if they know more kids. I can’t decide what’s best. I guess I have two “simple” question. First, if we close two of the schools, would I REALLY and TRUELY see a tax break or would there be some other excuse to raise my school taxes. And second, is the rumor true that 8th grade might be moved to the High School or would Middle and High Schools configurations stay the same. Thanks.
The notoriety of our school distrist continues to grow. If it wasn’t bad enough to be jammed into the 5:33 on the commute home last night on the lirr I had the pleasure of reading an editorial in that pillar of free thinking, The Post, that pointedly mentioned THE Mineola school district for being one of the two school districts in Nassau county that has a cost per student in excess of 30,000 $!! Whether that number is entirely correct or where the author received the information is not the issue because it’s right in the ballpark. The reality is we are facing a financial tsunami. To think that we are going to bailed out by the federal or state governments is a pipe dream at best and insanity in truth. Both of those entities would be considered insolvent if they were private enterprises. If it’s possible they are in worse shape then we are. But we have ability to correct these problems. They won’t be solved by recriminations and self serving statements from all parties that we have nothing to give. Be they parents concerned about particular school closings or all the involved unions that work in our schools. This is going to be difficult but it doesn’t have to be ugly. This country was built on the notion of shared sacrifice and I look foward to seeing Mineola mentioned in The Post at some point in the future that not only did we put ourselves in this financial bind be we were leaders in fixing our own problems . Our kids deserve nothing less. And in today’s world a very valuable lesson to learn.
Thanks for the correction! That is what I intended to say. My error.
Nice post Ted. One correction. I believe I stated we either pay for levy close to the roll over OR close schools. We I am an advocate for clustering schools, I am not stuck on it. A North South configuration is also an option but I my opinion not optimal. MPN
I just returned from the Hampton Street International Food Night. It was a great success thanks to the PTA, the site-based committee, Dr. Fleischmann and Hampton’s excellent faculty and staff. Thanks for a great evening!
Several posts earlier, Dr. Nagler stated that we must choose between 2 options, pass a budget close to the rollover budget and preserve programs or go to the clustering model.
I concede that clustering has benefits, The idea that all Mineola students would travel through the grades as a “cluster” or cohort has the surface appeal creating a more democratic district. The idea of a larger pool of classmates and ideas is also exciting.
That being said, I am surprised to see that people have not taken the time to comment on some of the benefits of small, neighborhood schools:
-We enjoy very effective reading and writing instruction with the Literacy Collaborative. The buildings are set up so that a lead teacher can coordinate between grades with great efficiency. That person provides top-quality professional development to his or her colleagues. This becomes more difficult as school size increases, with the potential for less time to be spent on fine-tuning instruction to each students’ needs.
-Small schools allow for excellent articulation from grade to grade. The developmental reading and writing portfolio that follows each and every student in grades 1-5 is among the best tools for tracking student development anywhere in our region!
-Small schools mean that principals and teachers can have truly in-depth planning conferences to provide interventions and enrichment for students whose needs are outside the general needs of their classmates.
-Small schools take on the unique personality of the neighborhood. One thing everyone on this blog shares is pride in Mineola. I really enjoy the Hampton experience because it connects me to my neighborhood socially and intellectually. Our neighborhood schools reflect the best of who we are and who we hope to be.
-Our small schools have been the key to the successful implementation of the pre-k to 5 programs that are helping Mineola develop into a district that will outperform people’s expectations. I have worked in some of the “best” districts in Nassau and Suffolk, the only thing that they have over Mineola is a far higher price tag!
Clustering would not bring about the end of the world as we know it. Children will not need years of therapy because they will have to ride the bus. But it also may not save as much money as people tend to think. The cost savings in staff reduction may or may not work out as projected. The cost of expanding the surviving buildings may far outstrip any estimate…anybody who’s ever gotten his or her car fixed or replaced a roof knows how easily that happens.
The potential, and highly likely, reductions in state aid are scary. So are increased retirement and healthcare costs. Each and every district in New York faces these same problems. I admire the openness and candor that Dr. Nagler and the district administration has shown throughout this process. I would go so far as to say that many districts would envy the level of access we have. Continue to use that level of access to your best advantage. Ask questions and make suggestions.
At some point the economy will improve. New families will choose Mineola. More children will enroll in our schools. Will we be better off in the long run with fewer schools and more expensive building projects and the debt that goes with them? We are servicing our current debt intelligently. Do we really want to add more? Clustering has advantages, but debt from building costs is not one of them.
Small schools are not perfect. They are, however, extremely effective at preparing our students for middle school, high school, and the ability to compete for spots in top colleges and a very competitive job market. All of our schools are sailing on the same course to the same destination. That is no small achievement! The short term costs of preserving that continuity are nothing compared to the long term benefits.
Yes Cindy….and…because of Mineola’s wonderful programs, our kids continue to be accepted in top colleges, regardless of which building they started in! Mineola is made up of many caring teachers, administrators, staff and parents who embrace our children at every level and help them become successful, independent adults!
Come see the shows….Seussical and Beauty and the Beast and the Winterguard Show and check out a sporting event and you will SEE WHAT MINEOLA IS ALL ABOUT – not a bad bunch of kids at all infact….A TALENTED GROUP of well rounded invidivudals with lots to offer once they go off to colleges of their choice !!!!
Prior to attending last week’s Board of Ed meeting, I was on the fence about the potential plans for a cluster school district. After hearing Dr. Nagler’s clear and concise presentation, I left convinced that a cluster school district is financially necessary and will benefit students, their families and all of the taxpayers of our district.
My children attended the Jackson Avenue School. Under the leadership of Matt Gaven and his dedicated, hard working teaching staff, our children had a wonderful educational experience. Being a part of our neighborhood school was a positive experience for our entire family. Initially, I did not want this to change. I can now see that a cluster school district is financially necessary at this time and has many advantages.
The educational programs will be jeopardized if we do not make this change. This change will help to protect these programs. This is putting our children first, contrary to what some said at the meeting. I truly feel it will unify our district. The children will come together when they start school and will form a bond which will last throughout their school years as opposed to coming together in the Middle School. Their families will also come together in the early grades. I feel this will strengthen parental involvement which is so important. We have all heard throughout the years about what one school is doing as compared to the another school. I always had the feeling of a divided district/community. Clustering will give us a stronger sense of community and will strengthen the district not only financially but educationally and socially.
Our district has made significant improvements over the last several years, and we should all be proud of where we are today. The students, teachers and the entire staff have worked very hard to get us where we are today. I strongly feel that making this change now will give our district opportunities to achieve more academic improvements in the upcoming years.
I have previously decided not to comment about this subject due to what community members might feel I am saying as a “self-serving” opinion, but I feel almost obligated to state a few things. I have lived in Mineola my entire life. I attended Cross Street for Kindergarden. It then closed, and I attended Meadow Drive. Then I attended Jackson Avenue and went through the rest of my education as expected, the middle school and then the high school. Now, as a resident and as parent, I am coming full circle. I have a child at Willis and a child at Hampton, ironically, 2 schools I never attended. The reason I decided to stay in Mineola is because I felt that my children would benefit as much as I did from the caring and dedicated teachers as I had growing up. People can talk about the “alleged” differences in elementary schools, but as an American citizen, who attended Meadow drive, in an ESL program with a teacher that I will forever remember – Mary Kenny – and then moved out of ESL and succeeded in her education, after having gone through 3 elementary schools, all I have to say is this – WE all want our children to succeed, and sometimes, things don’t go as planned. Between the economy and the situation we are in as a district, we have to face reality. There isn’t one solution that will make everyone happy but here are my 2 cents – if we all put our minds together, and look at all the possible scenarios, then maybe we can see a reasonable solution, and I think that is what Dr. Nagler has been attempting to do. That doesn’t mean everyone is going to be happy and that the outcome is something everyone is going to like. As a taxpayer, it’s difficult to see my tax bill go up every year and I know it’s probably more difficult for those that don’t have children in the school system. But here’s a thought…WE, as a district, have quite a few teachers who were once products of our school system and they decided to return to Mineola to give back because they felt that Mineola gave something to them. What message does that portray? In my opinion, it says that we not only received a memorable education, but also that we became adults that want to instill those same feelings in others. I don’t know what the perfect solution is, but I do know one thing – if I felt that my children were going to receive anything less than they deserve and should get, I, as a PARENT, which is what comes first, would not live here. The future at this point is unknown, but all of us have to look at the reality of the situation. Can we continue like this? And at what cost? Having said that, I know people will disagree with my opinion and that is ok. There will be those that feel I am looking after myself because I am a teacher. For those that think that, I will only say that I have and always will put my children first, just like I have always put my students’ interest and education above anything else.
Just a thought-shouldn’t clustering our kids create a strong sense of community for our children? Also wouldn’t it take away some of the sting of middle school as it currently exists. Our current configuration has kids making a “clustering” transition at one of the most difficult stages of life! I would love for my kids to go to school with the same kids throughout their entire educational career, the transition to middle school then would be “no big deal”.
By the way- Amen Mineola Teacher and Parent! What a great post, again I totally agree with you! Nice to know that there are fearless thinkers out there!
In an effort to further clarify any questions that parents may have I offered to meet with any parent(s) in any setting to discuss their concerns. I believe everyone has a right to their opinion and I respect them for that. My goal continues to be to have an open discussion about the financial future of Mineola and try and move this district forward so we do not lose any of the wonderful programs we enjoy. I am also aware that everyone will not agree with me, but that will not deter me from advancing ideas and continue to look for solutions to problems. Please know that I do not pre judge a group of people based on the opinions of a few. MPN
Thanks Mike.
My thinking was that the sale of the schools would “offset” at least a large portion of the construction costs, if not all and the reduction in expenses would also help. As previously stated, I had no idea at all if it were possible given what we currently own and if it was even possible given the “other” considerations such as fields, parking etc.
Dr. Nagler,
I have heard, and maybe I am wrong, because I was not there, that you have met with SOME Meadow Drive parents to discuss the possibility of schools closing and the budget, etc… I heard, and again maybe I am wrong, because I was not there, that very prejudice and arrogant things were said at this meeting.
I hope you and anyone that was in that meeting or any future meetings, know that not all Meadow Drive parents feel or act this way. Meadow Drive School as a whole has a reputation because of stuff like this.
If anyone has anything to say about Meadow Drive school, Meadow Drive teachers, Meadow Drive students or Meadow Drive parents, please stop grouping them together, they are all different.
This district is divided. In more ways than one. Everyone should speak for themselves and stop including me, a Meadow Drive parent in whatever it is you have to say about what is right or wrong for this district or my children‘s education.
Thanks for the info Debbie. I did not know that parcel of land belonged to Carle Place. I enjoy your idea of thinking outside the box.
Debbie – the cost would be prohibitive. That would mean housing 1,000 students in one location in approximately 60 classrooms. My guess would be 50 million. I also don’t know if the state would allow such a large addition on any of the acreage we currently have. MPN
Just a reminder : we ALL live in The Mineola Union Free School District and each and every school building belongs to EVERY member of this GREAT Community.
Thank you for your reply. However, if the 1st Grade were to be transferred to Willis Avenue, the parking and cafeteria problems could be mostly addressed by having staggered arrival, dismissal and lunch times so that none of the grades are coming/going/eating at the same time. Also–if it will cost 8 million to implement capital improvements at two proposed cluster schools, the capital expenditures would be a wash if 4 million dollars were to be spent at Willis and 4 million dollars were to be spent at one exisiting elementary school. In fact, the 8 million dollars proposed for districtwide capital expenditures could actually be reduced because 1st Grade classrooms would not need to be built in the proposed (non-Willis Ave) cluster school. The “real issue” which you cite as to playground space and a proper cafeteria is very minor in comparision to closing a neighborhood school. If these issues were so problematic, then why was Willis Avenue built in the first place with these defects? My son, who is currently attending kindergarten at Willis, does not complain about these things and they are a very minor part of his day. But closing a neighborhood school would have a devastating, long lasting impact.
Regretful Parent, I am only inquiring about the actual property that Mineola Schools occupy currently.( i.e.) Meadow, Cross, Hampton and Jackson for that suggestion.
The property you are speaking about belongs to Carle Place and that would be “out of district” and it has already been bid out for housing and the community and Town Board voted it down since it is a high traffic area and already zoned commercial.
That scenario would only be during the transistion, but yes it is plausable.
I did get an estimate of costs for converting Willis to accomodate classrooms on the second floor; it came in around 4 million. But the real issue is playground space and a proper cafeteria. In addition, parkingi s a real issue at Wilis that will only be worse with additional kids and adults.
re: Debbie Donovan
You know there is a huge parcel of land east of Waldbaums on Westbury Ave. It was once a BOCES school if i remember correctly. Plenty of square footage for a “cluster elementary school” grades 1-5. plenty of parking. i dont know who owns land but it would be perfect for traditional elementary school instead of another cvs or walgreens.
Dr. Nagler,
you are a great guy. and are in a very difficult position. but are you saying jackson ave. could have a scenario of grades 2 through 5? I could deal with that. My older daughter excelled at hampton and if the younger one got a year there and then went to jackson for grades 2-5 it makes much more sense than the previous scenario.
Thanks for your after hours work in responding to my families concerns.
While I am not in favor of closing any of the schools, have you considered closing one school instead of two schools?
This could probably be accomplished by moving the first grade of each elementary school to the Willis Avenue School, which is already configured for early elementary education and has an entire second floor not used by students. It would also reduce the capital expenditures which would be incurred to create the cluster schools. Also, have you approached the teacher’s union about any salary concessions? This should be considered becasue even a small salary give back or deferral across the board could potentially save one or hopefully both of our schools.
If that scenario was to happen when Hampton closed she would go to Jackson and remain there until fifth grade. Please remember all of this is speculation and it is premature to worry about it. Right now the Board and I are trying to get everyone on the same page about the financial future of the district. The choices are pretty clear- we pass budgets close to the roll over budget thereby preserving program or we close schools and reconfigure to preserve programs
Sometimes brainstorming can yield both interesting and absurd ideas. I am just wondering, and certainly can’t even guess where to being if it were possible, but is there any tract of land that we currently own, large enough to feasibly drop the current school and build a single school for the 1 – 5 grades?
Obviously that would be the ultimate “clustering” and then the remaining schools could be sold off.
Again I understand the need for parking and environmental studies and all things that are part of the schools like baseball fields and football fields etc. but I was just trying to think outside the box?
Thanks Dr. Nagler,
But from what i understand from the last meeting, There will be a school closing in June of 2011. Right now my child is set to finish Willis Ave. Kindergarten this year 2010. She will be attending 1st grade at Hampton St. for the school year of 2011. If Hampton St. is the school slated for closure at school years end of 2011 wont she have to move to the “cluster school” for 1st and 2nd graders to attend 2nd grade?
Then after completing 2nd grade she will move again to the “cluster school for grades 3,4,5?
Please correct me if I’m wrong. I’m trying to be as specific as possible.
Just read the last post and I believe once your child is moved to the 1st grade school they would stay there for 2nd grade too. That’s just what I got from Dr. Nagler’s BOE presentation but not sure.
Anyway, I feel some residents are being way too negative about schools consolidating and closing. I taught in a cluster school in the Harborfields School District. Look up their stats on Newsday and MLSI. They have some pretty good test scores and a very good reputation. They also have a diverse and large population in their schools similar to Mineola. Clustering does work and can be done the right way. I was part of a 10 class grade. That’s right the grade I taught had 10 classes. That is what Mineola will probably end up encompassing. Just look at our Kindergarten classes at Willis for an idea of what we are dealing with.
Speaking of Willis Ave I am hard pressed to find a parent who did not have a wonderful and productive year in Kindergarten. Of course there are some of you, but by and large, Wow a great program.
I am one of those parents who’s child goes to Meadow Drive. Meadow is a lovely school but honestly it does not blow me away. I don’t think the teacher’s are better or the programs superior than any other elementary school in our district. What is different is the class sizes and the community that surrounds the school. In my opinion I would welcome more diversity, more children, and more teachers in a school. NOT, more kids per class, more kids in the school.
Lastly, I really think that YOU as the parent set the tone for your children’s emotional well being. If you convey a positve can do attitude towards change your child will too. I remember attending Willis Ave in the 70’s and having it close in 3rd grade. I was not devastated. I hadly remember it. Don’t make it a big deal around your house and your children will be much better off.
We would never do that to a child. In any reconfiguration we would work hard to only have ONE transistion to a new building. MPN
Just something to consider.Especially if you are a parent of a child in Mineola Kindergarten today. Maybe i’m missing something here but this is the scenario you could be facing.
Next year your child could move to a new school which could face closure after the child completes 1st grade. Then the child moves to another school to start 2nd grade. Then finally she moves once more to another school where hopefully she can spend 3 consecutive years of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. Thats 3 different schools in 3 years.
How can this be positive for these kids?
Wow.In the seventeen years that we’ve been in Williston Park I haven’t seen such a spirited debate regarding local school policy. Well, it’s about time. When money was plentiful it was a non issue. The current economics have brought this absurdity of the educational system that exists in the tristate area to the forefront. Rest assured that we are not alone in this disaster. Every school district in the metropolitan area will be having this same internal conversation. A short note on clustering. My daughter attended Meadow Drive school for her first three or four years and when Cross Street reopened she was reassigned there to finish her last years in elementary school. Not only did she and her classmates make it out alive but they flourished. So,if only on a limited basis we have already had a positive experience with this concept. If as parents we present this idea to our children negatively how else do we expect our kids to react ? I think we should have alittle more faith in our children’s ability to handle this change ,here on the mean streets of Williston Park, because all aspects of school policy, from union givebacks/ concessions to clustering , have to be on the table. .
Dear Dr. Nagler
I find it heroic of you to agree to freeze administration salaries as a way to set an example for union members of our district. While I am sure no one wants to see any of their home schools close, nor do they want to see their teachers and principal’s laid off, have we considered asking the teachers for a temporary pay freeze? Would a pay freeze allow us to keep ALL teachers and principals in our district to remain teaching? I understand contracts allow for pay raises but during this economic crisis, with stores closing down, layoffs, foreclosures occurring, and our citizens having difficulty finding ways to make ends meet, doesn’t it make sense to ask the teachers union to consider this request? If this were asked of our teachers, would it help our budget? Cross, Hampton, Jackson and Meadow have all been home and have special meaning to each of us. They each hold a special place in all of our hearts. The bottom line is there is no elementary school in our district which fits the description of closure. And, the bus situation at two standing schools sounds like a crazy recipe of disaster to me. It is time to focus on other means of fixing our budget which would allow all teachers and administration to continue working and our children to continue receiving the “small school” education they receive, and the reason many of us purchased homes in this district.
If this were the route the district decided to take, we would look like hero’s on the front page of Newsday rather than a community one would steer away from ever wanting to purchase a home after the publicity it has gotten thus far on Eyewitness News.
I am a teacher in the Mineola School District, at the “particular” school where the students are rumored to receive a “higher level of education”. I am a former resident and graduate of the Mineola district. Needless to say, I have a great deal of time and emotion invested in this community. I will NOT get involved in discussing whether or not the clustering of schools is a good idea for our children. However, I will address the above post.
Please note that ALL of us, no matter which school we report to everyday, arrive at our jobs ready to give 110%. We, as a faculty and staff, give our students the best of the best. After all, isn’t that why you all reside here? Let me reassure you, no matter which elementary school you walk into, you will find dedicated teachers who care about children. We work hard to maintain the scores we have already achieved, and continue to move our students forward. This is a result of collaboration among teachers and administrators across the district, not just in our individual schools.
I am personally insulted by some of these comments about my colleagues. I consider myself lucky have many opportunities to collaborate with these fine educators I would be curious to see how people have gathered their data on the level of education each elementary school provides.
No matter what the next few years may bring, I can only hope that respect for ALL of our professionals is preserved. We have always felt a tremendous sense of support from our community, and it would be a shame for that to be lost now.
re: Regretful Parent
You totally missed my point. Pointing out that it is wonderful that you can afford a tax increase was NOT a sarcastic comment. It IS wonderful that you can afford a tax increase but so many people in this community cannot. My children are also my first priority and my husband and myself also work very hard, as most people I know do. We always need to fight for our children but we can only do that in a framework of what people can afford – that is the harsh reality. I personally do not think this plan hurts children. In fact, I think just the opposite. But of course, you are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. As to your comment about splitting the community apart, I hope that doesn’t happen. I think most intelligent people realize that a good school district benefits all – those with children and those without but I feel we cannot continue to throw money at a system that can work far more efficiently and yet provide an even better education for our children.
Carolyn,
Thanks for the kind words. I have been emotional often at meetings in this district but on this issue, I really can see that calmer nonemotional heads must prevail. It is the only way it will become a win-win for everyone.
I have often thought about posting a thought here on this site about this issue, but have stopped because I felt like I couldn’t articulate my thoughts clearly without being emotional. Thank you Debbie Donovan for your thoughts, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I too went to parochial schools all my life so my husband and I feel a bit like fish out of water, but nonetheless we want the best for our 3 kids and both of us feel very much like you do Debbie. We are living during tough economic times and what better lesson to teach our kids than spending wisely. Kids that grew up during the Great Depression went on to become the Greatest Generation. Imagine that!
Our kids will survive whatever comes their way, it is all in how WE handle it. If we make this difficult then it will be difficult, it will be. If we can be positive I am confident the children will be too.
I was born in Mineola(remember Nassau Hospital) educated in Mineola(Jackson, Willis, Old H.S and New H.S) and still want to live out my remaining days in Mineola. I just don’t know if I can afford to stay. There are many residents such as myself who find it difficult to pay our taxes, especially the school taxes. Clustering will have a double benefit to our great scool district( both my children went to school here). Number 1. Those residents who want to live no where else but in beautiful Mineola can do so. Number 2. Clustering will end the inequality of education that exists in the elementary schools at present. It is a well known fact that the students of a particular elementary school receive a higher level of education than the rest of the district. Lets bring school taxes to an affordable level and give all our kids the level of education they deserve.
re: taxpayer
You have a right to express your opinion just as I do. I am also a taxpayer and I strongly disagree with you. I am by no means well off and your comment about me being able to afford whatever my child’s education costs is wonderful was uncalled for. I will do whatever it takes to get my children the best education possible. THEY ARE MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. My wife and I both work full time now. I pick up double shifts and work my tail off. I’ll take on a second job if i have to. My children are excelling in the current system and i’m a strong believer in you get what you pay for. I dont want this to get nasty. I read your opinion and I am voicing mine. It’s terrible to see our community splitting apart.
While I am childless I have always valued a quality education for your children and have been an active support of quality education. Why you might ask? Because they are the future. I believe it would be great disservice to do less. Where I do disagree with some, is in the definition of what a quality education means.
I can best explain it this way: I am a product of a parochial school education system. I received an extraordinary education and along with many classmates matured to become responsible citizens. I did not have the “best” of everything, I had what the school and our parents could afford. While it was indeed a different time, we had over 50 kids in a class, and we learned and did well on Regents exams in the High School. Did we all do well? No, but that is no different than our schools.
As parents, I hope you can put the emotions aside and realize that if we continue on the path we are going, this district will be in both educational and financial ruin. We have always been told that, if it weren’t for the business community out taxes would be even higher. The business community is shrinking at an alarming rate because the merchants can no longer raise the cost of goods and services to offset the high taxes. They can’t remain as viable businesses.
Consider the value of your home, if the scholastic standards decline. It is a known fact that a good school district is one of the primary things people look for when purchasing a home. If, the tax levy increase become unmanageable there is a greater risk of foreclosures, similar to the ones many communities in Suffolk County are now experiencing. This is never a good sign for the either the community at-large or the schools.
Doesn’t it make more sense to close schools and still be able to offer the technology and programs we now have than to keep schools open and chop away from every section of the budget?
I am not an expert but I do know a little about economics. If you can’t maintain the expensive sports car, you have to trade it in for a “sensible” car that will get you where you want to go. You may not be in style but the ultimate goal of getting there is what is important. Mineola is getting to be that expensive sports car.
I urge all members of the community to embrace the “facts” of the budget without letting emotions get in the way. I am certain that if you can do this, you too, will see it is our only hope.
I don’t know where you are getting that figure of 25 bucks a month and by the way, no matter what the savings are, the fact that you can afford it is wonderful. However, there are plenty of people in this neighborhood who can’t and the last time I checked, we live in a community where we have to consider ALL the taxpayers. People need to wake up and see what is going on, not only here but nationally – times are tough and we can’t ignore facts.I also disagree with you that the elementary education (if the consolidation occurs) will suffer. I think clustering is a great idea both for children and teachers. Besides saving money, it will foster equity between all taxpayers’ children and teachers will educate in a more creative atmosphere. Lastly, your comment about freezing salaries is rooted in non-reality. Our teachers are amongst the highest paid in Nassau County (if not the country). Many, many people are being asked to freeze their salaries, even reduce salaries or losing ther jobs entirely. Asking them to take a pay freeze is not only practical, it shows respect to this community who appreciate their efforts but are asking them to join in keeping costs down.
Our community was just on eyewitness news about our school closings. This should do wonders for our property values. But hey at least we get to save 25 bucks a month on our tax bill.
On another note we should demand to know which schools are being considered for closure.
To the parents of schools up for closure, I implore you to watch how board members vote on this issue. Get out and vote when these peoples seats are up. It seems the people of Mineola whose children already have benefitted a great elementary education are the votes they are shooting for.
Lastly, to the people complaining about teachers and administrators freezing and/or cutting their salaries. Someone negotiated these contracts. I’d love to come into your job and tell you i’m cutting or freezing your pay but expect you to come to work and give 110% every day.
Dr. Nagler,
You explained all the financial aspects just fine, but I still feel that you need to let the district know which schools you plan to close and what will be done to those buildings. You need to let the district know which schools you plan to renovate and the time it would take to do that with the construction costs. And how about a reconfiguration plan for the 1st school closing, and a reconfiguration plan for when the 2nd school closes? In order for the board and the district to make a decision like this, I think we need to see the whole plan.
Thank you.
Thanks to Dr. Nagler and his administrative team for a well-planned presentation. Our choices are clear: Pass a budget that maintains “life as we know it” or make a carefully planned move to clustered schools.
It seems that a good portion of the savings would come from excessing 20 teachers over two years. Is it correct to say that excessing decisions would be made on the basis of seniority and not any kind of performance-based criteria? People need to be aware of that if it is the case. Your best teachers may not necessarily be the ones that we keep!
There are indeed some very attractive features of clustering. We also must really be certain that giving up our current configuration will result in better educational opportunities.
We all need to ask more questions and really search our consciences.
Thank you for such a clear and concise presentation last night. I do not believe the budget has ever been presented and explained in such a way. It is sad that the district has had to come to the point of possibly closing schools and although I have always been in favor of neighborhood schools, I believe there were some very interesting points made in support of clustering. These tough economic times are all around us, just drive down Jericho Turnpike and see all the businesses that have closed. Anyone that works for a corporation can see cut backs on supplies, hours, bonuses and such on a daily basis. So clearly we can not keep going in the direction of continuing to increase the levy at the rate we have been. Granted, some of the issues that have led us to this point should have been addressed years ago but unfortunately that is something we can not change at this point in time, we can only look forward and do what we need to do for the future of the district. The future should not involve cutting programs that are vital to the whole framework of the educational experience.
I stongly support the cluster school concept as presented by Dr. Nagler last night. Both my sons went to Mineola schools and I want to see the quality of education they received maintained and even improved. I offer the following reasons:
1- We are spending too much per pupil and clustering students will offer tremendous savings over the long term in both labor and capital expenses that are efficient and student orientated.
2- You need to keep Willis Ave. school open. This was not available to me when my sons went to school and it is certainly an improvement. We need to get to children early for their education. Also this is a modern facility for the benefit of the children in our school district.
3- The economy is in the tank. Residents especially our seniors and low income famililies are facing hard times. A realistic budget is a must.
4- I live near Wilson and Foch. Our “neighborhood school” was Meadow Drive over 1 and 1/2 miles from our house. Jackson Ave. school is less than 1/2 mile away. Yet, we enjoyed the educational experience at Meadow Drive. All the schools in the district are within reasonable reach. The neigborhood school argument is a red herring.
The Board of Education should be proud of the work you have been doing for the budget and the children.
I hope the Board of Education makes the correct decision and does not back off like it has done in the recent past. The children of Mineola deserve better.
Dr. Nagler, I’d just like to say that you did a good job laying out the options available to the school district at last night’s Board meeting. Though some of the shifting numbers need to be digested a bit more the core of your presentation was clear. Business as usual is a thing of the past. We cannot constantly go to the residents of the district and present a budget as an ever increasing beast that cannot be controlled.It’s like a bad science fiction story. It serves no one! We cannot just load up the budget and hope it passes. The students and residents deserve more. And despite some of the comedic relief that was provided last night the programs that are part of the mineola experience are essential to all the hardworking kids in the district. Thx John Napolitano
Great presentation last night!
Clustering grades is a horrible idea! There is NO research that shows it improves academic success. There is research however, that shows the contrary…it lowers academic success. Here is a novel idea that no one wants to talk about…How about teachers and administrators take a pay freeze or a pay cut…just like the rest of the free market economy in this country…after all Dr. Nagler clearly outlined last night that staff salaries comprise 80% of the budget!!!! Why are we looking at cutting programming which makes up only 20% of the budget? Quite frankly I would rather see my tax levy go up 4%, which is what $300.00 a year?? than to see my home school close. $300.00 a year is two nights out at the movies for my family. My kids do not need to see Alvin and the Chipmunks..Part 2…they can wait until it comes out on dvd….
I have lived in this community for over 35 years. During that time, my children were subject to the closing of Willis Avenue School and Cross Street School. I am at a loss to understand why the district surveyed the community and asked for their imput about the closing of schools but took no action when the majority of responses were to close at least one school. The Board listened to the people who came to the meetings who voiced their concern about the impact the closing of schools on their children. The closing of schools did not impact my children but they learned that change is something we must all do. We are now facing additional financial troubles with the reduction of state aid to our schools and the loss of many jobs within the commuity. I am begging this school board to vote responsibility. How can you justify keeping schools open when the buildings are not filled? I personaly work for another school district and we are now in the process of clusterig our elementary schools thus eliminating may teaching positions and saving the taxpayers from additonal increases which they canot afford. You were given this position to lead this district – I ask you to recommend to the Board that the closing of one or two schools is the only financially sound position which should be followed. Thank you.