RSS 2.0 FeedThursday, December 22, 2011, Bellmore Life
Jacob Gunther School to close
Parents to get students' new school assignments in January
Trustees Rosemarie Corless and Joe Perrone discuss an issue during the contentious board meeting.
The North Bellmore School District Board of Education last night passed Resolution 14.4 by unanimous consent, effectively closing Jacob Gunther School at the end of the last school day on June 30.
Parents will begin receiving notices by mid-January of what school their children will attend next fall.
Of the students attending Gunther, 130 will be transferred to Saw Mill Road School, and 79-80 will be transferred to Dinkelmeyer, Superintendent of Schools Arnold Goldstein announced.
Also passing was a resolution to hold elections in May to allow the community to decide if it wants to reduce busing to two miles, from the current 1/3-mile for grades K-3 and 1 mile for grades 4-6.
Reducing busing could help the district realize roughly $1 million in additional savings still needed to close the 2012-13 deficit gap.
After passage of the Gunther resolution many in attendance walked out, while others – during an opportunity to speak – began a barrage of criticism toward the board, claiming it was unable to see the deficit problem coming.
At least two community members called for the board to be voted out.
Board President Grace Cramsie said the problem was two-fold, and that one of those, the underutilization of space within the six buildings, could no longer be tolerated in the budget.
When asked by an attendee how long the district had known about the underutilization, she said the district had known about it for years.
But she identified the 2% tax cap placed on the district as finally forcing the board to make a decision to close the school because of underutilization, due to decreased enrollment. Other factors tipping the scale included reduction of state and federal aid to the district.
“We have been cutting where we can for years,” she said, but the 2% tax cap forced the board’s hand.
Carol Barnao told the board that closure of the school will end a 40-year family tradition within the school: Her brother, Salvatore Monello, has a scholarship in his name given to a Gunther student every year.
“That will end with the closing of the school.”
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