Some District Residents Say Reopening Toaz is Not Prime Solution to Safety Concerns or Overcrowding

The Huntington Union Free School District is experiencing growth and will likely continue to do so. Hence, it has been exploring reacquiring the former Robert K. Toaz Junior High School on Nassau Road.

Some district residents say that better, more cost-efficient solutions are available.

At the Board of Education's Monday, February 8 meeting Adam Spector said that the estimated $40 million price tag to reconvert the building is too high and that there are better solutions. He noted that at the board's last meeting, architect Roger Smith of Burton Behrendt Smith, an architectural and engineering firm, reviewed the current condition of the building and said reacquiring it and updating it for reutilization as a public school would be less expensive than building a new school from scratch or adding onto the district's other schools. Spector said he felt that Smith seemed to believe the Taos acquisition was a "done deal."

 "It appears somebody already told architect that the Abrams school would be closing and Toaz replacing it. Why is the board considering using a site to house 400 more students with a playground about a quarter of the size of this one at a site where third- and fourth-grace children will need to cross Woodhull Road each time they want to go to the alternate play area across the way? These two outdoor areas together don't match this one here [at Jack Abrams Intermediate]. Are there really people who would rather spend $40 million on Toaz than send their kids to this school?"

Spector argued that moving district administrative offices out of Abrams and expanding that school would ease overcrowding at the primary schools at a significantly lower cost than acquiring and refurbishing Toaz. "Here there is ample outdoor space and parking and an auditorium," he said, adding that proposals to convert primary schools to K-2, rather than the current K-3 configuration, would lead to redistricting for students.

"That would be a real shame," he said. "Why would it be better to close this school  than Woodhull? Could it be the goal of keeping some kids out of this school and out of this neighborhood is the real driving force? I certainly hope not."

The Abrams school is located near the LIRR station at 155 Lowndes Road in a relatively high crime area. In particular, on September 1, 2009,  just three days prior to the current school year's opening, a shooting occurred across from the school.

Trustee Kimberly Brown said that she would never be in favor of closing Abrams.  "In no way, if we go forward with purchasing Toaz, am I in favor of shutting this school down and leaving it in any way," she said. "I want to keep it open as a school. I want it on record that that's my opinion on that."

Resident James Cahill praise board for moving ahead toward making a decision but also taking its time to research options thoroughly. He added that, whatever the decision,  the district needed to be more safety conscious at all times.

"Six months ago we had a shooting outside and tonight I walked up and the front door is propped open," he said. "Alarm bells went off in my head."

The former Toaz building is located at 300 Nassau Road. It is approximately 120,000 square feet in size and includes two parcels of land amounting to more than 11 acres.

The building, named for a long-time superintendent, was erected in 1938-39 by workers from the Depression-era Works Progress Administration with the cost split between the federal government and district residents. A 1969-70 addition added several thousand square feet of classroom space, as well as a bigger gymnasium.

The Huntington School District operated the building as a school from September 1939 through June 1982 when it was sold to Touro Law School. Touro, in turn, sold it to the Good News New York Church in 2008, which owns the building today but is in arrears with its taxes in the amount of $12,995 as of January 10, according to town records.

The district has seen slow but steady enrollment growth in recent years and modern day educational programs have created a space shortage in almost every building. Superintendent John J. Finello has begun meeting with individual school PTAs to discuss possible solutions to the district's space crunch.

Huntington school officials have been keeping a close eye on a 26.5 acre tract of land located on East 5th Street in Huntington Station near the state armory that is currently zoned for 109 four and five bedroom homes. Avalon Bay is proposing a 530-unit complex there. Whatever is ultimately built, the district is expecting it to produce additional students and is preparing for the real possibility that more classrooms will be needed.

In recent years the district has conducted long-term enrollment and spatial needs studies, converted storage rooms to instructional space and constructed new classrooms at Woodhull Intermediate School. One plan to add significant space throughout the district was estimated a few years ago to cost more than $50 million dollars.

The district now has four primary schools with students in grades K-3. They are: Washington,  Flower Hill, Jefferson and Southdown. The district also has two intermediate schools: Woodhull and Jack Abrams, with students in grades 4-6; one middle school, Finley, and the high school.

Whatever the district's decision to satisfy the projected enrollment increases, construction on any building would not likely begin for several years, according to Smith. After a proposal is approved by voters, the district would send its plans to the State Education Department. It is estimated the Toaz renovations could take up to two years before the building is ready for occupancy by students.

Trustees previously retained the law firm of Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C. to advise the district on developing long-term strategies for addressing its space requirements. The firm is now contacting the current owners of the former Toaz building to determine its availability.