District cancels summer rec program

After months of uncertainty over whether the Malverne school district’s summer recreation program would be scheduled this year, school officials announced on the district’s website last week that the program has been canceled due to inadequate participation.

School officials, including Business Administrator Thomas McDaid, said during a series of budget workshops in March and April that in order to run the program, at least 100 residents had to sign up and pay its costs — a total of $110,800.

But McDaid explained that registration for the program was held on May 7, and only 21 district residents signed up. The program — which offers sports, arts and crafts and field trips for students in kindergarten through fifth grade — was to be held at Howard T. Herber Middle School on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in July and August.

“It’s disappointing, but it wasn’t self-sustaining,” McDaid said. “It was a low turnout. But just because we aren’t having it this year doesn’t mean we won’t have it the following year.”

In previous years, McDaid explained, both the district and residents have paid into the program. He noted, however, that the district has, over the years, paid approximately 75 percent of the costs. This year, he explained, the program had to be self-sustaining because the district, in crafting its $48.6 million 2012-13 budget, had to contend with increasing mandated costs such as health insurance premiums and pension contributions.

“This was not something we could afford to do,” McDaid said of the program.

But some residents expressed frustration with the cancellation, questioning where children who normally attend would go and how the decision would impact working families. Laura Gredel-Frey, a parent of a child in the school district, said she was very disappointed that the program would not be offered.

“My daughter and her friends from kindergarten went last year and had a very good time, on the trips and in the classroom,” she said. “Maybe some of the parents didn’t care if the program got approved, but I did.”

Lakeview resident Michele Lee-Cadogan, a former Malverne school board trustee, described the decision as unfortunate. “It just seems that a door is being closed on the children of the district,” she said, “when we should be in the business of serving our young people.”

But Superintendent James Hunderfund, who described the program as “heavily enrolled” over the years, saying that roughly 150 children took part each year, stressed that this year the district was faced with tough decisions. “That’s the problem with these mandated costs,” Hunderfund said, noting that the district had to make the program self-sustaining as a result of the increases. “It comes down to reductions of programs or personnel because the cost can’t be absorbed.”

Hunderfund — who said that the program has existed since 2005 — pointed to the low turnout for registration. “It was a program that gave the kids socialization experiences, a lot of academically related projects, field trips,” he said. “But people must have alternate plans for their children, or are sending them to some other program. We would like to offer the program — I feel badly that we didn’t.”

Asked if the 2012-13 budget, which is 2.29 percent larger than the current spending plan, would be affected by the cancellation, McDaid said there would be no change in planned spending. “The budget-to-budget is 2.29 percent — it’ll always be that,” he said. “We just won’t spend $110,800, because we will not be receiving the revenue.

“This does not mean we have additional funds to spend,” he added. “Some think we’ll have additional money, but that’s not the case.”

Board First Vice President Karen Aker said that the reason for the low showing for the program might have been the cost of participation. “I think this year, people couldn’t afford it,” Aker said. “It’s a lot of money.

“Though it was a program that the kids liked, the parents liked it, too,” she added. “It’s a shame, especially for the working parents. It was a big hit for them. Now what are they going to do? I can’t see it coming back.”

McDaid, however, said that the program could be brought back if residents somehow raised to money to pay for it. “It could come back,” he said.

But Lee-Cadogan was doubtful of that possibility, and said she remained concerned about where children who usually attend the summer program will end up this year. “It may not seem like a lot of money,” she said, “but the reality is that some of our neighbors are unable to add this expense to their own budgets.”