Central District to nix middle school substitutes next year

Kennedy High School junior Ross Shulman returned to the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Board of Education meeting last Wednesday to make his case that the district should eliminate substitute-teachers to save money and preserve full-time teaching positions. Instead of substitutes, Shulman advocated for a plan to use empty general-purpose rooms and cafeterias to house students under the direction of aides when their teachers are absent.

Shulman, a Herald student columnist, said the Roslyn and Half Hollow Hills school districts have nixed substitutes, and doing the same would save the Central High School District more than $500,000 annually.

Much to Shulman’s delight, Superintendent Dr. Henry Kiernan said the district would eliminate substitutes at Grand and Merrick Avenue middle schools in the 2011-12 school year and see how well the plan works. If it’s successful, it might be expanded to Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham high schools.

Kiernan told Shulman, “We took into account all of [your] suggestions….Thanks again for your efforts, and we appreciate your efforts.”

Trustee Diane Seaman said, “I really do appreciate your time very much…You really did it –– very impressive.”

Cynthia Strait-Regal, the deputy superintendent for business, said she is unsure how much doing away with substitutes at the middle schools will save the district. She will know better once the plan takes effect in the fall.

In his April 7 Herald column, Shulman wrote:

“The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District is planning to cut 13 teaching positions next school year. Before the district cuts these teachers, though, it must do everything in its power to save them. They are the people who give your children an education, not SMART Boards, not artificial-turf fields and not substitute-teachers.

“The Central High School District’s total expenditure for per diem substitute teachers in the 2009-10 school year was $512,365.00. Since the district would lay off its newest teachers first, the substitute-teacher expenditure is equal to the combined pay of about eight regular teachers.