The East Rockaway School District is beginning an exploratory review of whether to realign its elementary schools into a K–3 primary building and a 4–6 intermediate building, a configuration commonly referred to as the “Princeton Plan.”
Superintendent James DeTommaso said the proposal is in its earliest stages and emphasized that no decisions have been made.
“We’re in the discussion phase,” DeTommaso said.
District officials clarified the current enrollment figures, with Rhame Avenue’s 324 students and Centre Avenue’s 255 students. DeTommaso said these numbers prompted renewed interest in evaluating whether resources are being used efficiently.
Assistant Superintendent Sean Murray said the district will first meet with teachers and staff in a committee format over several sessions beginning this week. After the holidays, the district will share a draft proposal with the community for feedback.
Administrators also clarified that middle school transition concerns mentioned elsewhere do not apply to East Rockaway, as sixth graders remain in the elementary schools; therefore, a reconfiguration would not alter the middle school entry point.
Danielle Vicino, an East Rockaway parent, expressed concerns about the potential impact on families. She dislikes the idea for several reasons, she said, including the added burden on parents who would need to manage drop-off and pick-up at two different schools, the risk of being penalized for lateness due to traffic or parking limitations and the uncertainty of whether the district would provide bus transportation for families who rely on walking.
Vicino said the change could also limit important social time for children.
“After school many children play on the playground helping them socialize and build relationships outside of school,” Vicino said.
“Making parents go to numerous schools will take away this time children have to form bonds outside of school hours.”
Rick Deutsch, an East Rockaway resident, described the Princeton Model as a cost-efficiency strategy in which grouping students of the same age in the same building allows districts to avoid duplicating programs, materials, and staffing across multiple elementary schools.
But he noted skepticism about whether it fits the community.
“But parents like to have their children close to home, so the Princeton Model isn't going to happen in East Rockaway,” he said.
Donna Riese Daly, an East Rockaway parent, highlighted the district’s walkability and her own experience raising children in town, and said parents should feel comfortable with high schoolers walking themselves to class.
“I had two kids at different schools and my son walked to school with his friends, Daly said. “It's a one mile town.”
DeTommaso said the district will begin working with teachers after the new year, followed by meetings with community members.
“I’ll lay out all the options for the community to see, and they’ll give us feedback,” he said.
East Rockaway, one of Nassau County’s smallest districts with roughly 1,100 students, last examined its building structure more than a decade ago. DeTommaso said the community and its demographics have changed significantly since then, calling the review an opportunity to evaluate what configuration best serves current needs.
“We're a totally different community than we were in 2012,” he said.
Murray emphasized that the district’s approach differs from prior discussions.
“In the past, the administration went to the community [and] said, this is the plan, and it was outcry,” Murray said. “What we’re doing instead is, these are the ideas. Let’s make a plan together.”
DeTommaso noted that enrollment disparities between the district’s two elementary schools have prompted the discussion.
“What ends up happening is you have to hire staff, and then when you’re hiring staff, that’s more money on the budget, then that’s putting more of a burden on the community,” he said. “But if we could combine resources and split, we have the people here to do it.”
The “Princeton Plan” model, first developed in Princeton, New Jersey, in the 1940s, was initially implemented as a means of addressing racial segregation and equalizing class sizes between schools. The system divides elementary students by grade level rather than neighborhood, typically grouping early grades in one building and upper-elementary grades in another.
Over time, the approach has been adopted by a number of small and mid-sized districts across the Northeast, including some on Long Island, as a way to balance enrollment and better allocate resources.
Research on academic outcomes has been mixed. Some studies suggest that intermediate-grade schools can strengthen curriculum alignment and social development, while others find no clear advantage over traditional K–5 or K–6 configurations.
Supporters argue that smaller grade bands allow teachers to specialize in a narrower developmental range and collaborate more effectively. Critics warn that the model may increase school transitions, which some studies associate with academic declines, particularly when transitions occur in sixth or seventh grade.
The district plans to form a committee of educators to study possible effects on instruction, operations and the overall learning environment before making any recommendations. After the committee’s review, the district will host public forums to share findings and gather feedback before presenting any formal proposal to the board.
While the discussion is still preliminary, DeTommaso said the process will focus on collaboration and transparency.
“We’re talking about it,” he said. “We’ll develop a plan with the teachers and bring it to them, and see what they think, and then try to poke holes in it.”
