Letter to the Editor: What Lies Ahead For S.D. 3?

To the Editor:
 
Huntington School District No. 3 is facing challenging times. The closing of one of its schools is only part of it. Overcrowding at the primaries was an issue long before that decision was made.
 
The Long Range Facilities Planning Committee created in early June was tasked with creating a long term plan on accommodating the district's 4,400 students to submit to the Board of Education. The school board can vote on whether to approve the committee's recommendation or not. If approved, a bond will be set to vote by the town on whether to approve the monies necessary to implement the plan.

The committee has completed three of its five meetings with no tremendous progress yet. The first two meetings were dominated by a few members set on discussing the crime in Huntington and what to do about Jack Abrams School. A decision that the committee had no control over.

The third meeting finally began discussing possible scenarios of grade levels at each school and the necessary new construction and renovation necessary for each. The committee was given 41 possible scenarios ranging from $35 million up to almost $90 million. And more possibilities were discussed. Out of the 41, only one has a high probability of receiving aid from New York State. That is the scenario that was just in place during the 2009-10 school year. In order to receive state aid, the district's schools must be at or above capacity. That capacity must carry the inevitability of building and/or purchasing a requirement to accommodate the existing students and programs. Now, with one of Huntington's schools sitting vacant, there is a very low probability of receiving state aid for any scenario that does not include Jack Abrams.

The Huntington taxpayers will have to vote on the bond proposed. Will one that does not include state aid get passed?

Cathy Ribando
Huntington