By: Jonann Brady
The meeting last Thursday night was hosted by the Tri-Community Advisory Council, made up of school administrators and staff, PTA members and other concerned parents. This was the second meeting of the month for the group, which usually meets four times a year, and the meeting was a follow-up to a lively discussion a few weeks ago, which touched on many of the same issues.
In a cordial and often frank exchange of ideas, complaints and compliments, parents, community residents and district staff all agreed that the Malverne School District has a public relations problem that will take cooperation and better communications to overcome.
To kick off the meeting, Thedra McCrea, director of pupil personnel, said that in its effort to open the lines of communication between the school and community, the district was establishing e-mail addresses at each school, and was collecting e-mail addresses for parents in order to send information quickly.
The district is also starting a Parent to Parent program, said Davison Avenue social worker Eileen Duffy, in order to "bridge the gap between parents who know about the schools and new, incoming parents to the district."
subhead : Parents talk about race, turnover, test scores
But much of the two-hour meeting belonged to parents and residents, who brought up a host of concerns, though many also praised the district. Parents, both black and white, did not shy away from the issue of race as a contributing factor in public misperceptions of the district. The Malverne School District includes Lakeview, which is a majority black community, while Malverne-s population is overwhelmingly white.
Liz Zimmerman, who is white and a member of the Central Council PTA, said, "People are kept out of the district because of fear, and because of populations they-re not familiar with or comfortable with." She said that when she was considering sending her children to the district, she "walked into the school and walked around" and saw "very few acts of violence or prejudice."
Another white parent, Jean Esposito, who has a 6-year-old at Downing, said she wanted to send her child to the public schools, but "I heard all the stories ... People said, ÔWhat are you, nuts?- I heard these vague stories but no details." But Esposito said she made the right choice in Downing. "I-m thrilled with the school," she said.
Another parent, Lorraine Cucinella, who has a child in the elementary school and one in the middle school, praised the diversity of the student body and opportunities for extra-curricular activities. "[My children] have had wonderful experiences in this district," she said, adding that she would be the first to sign up for the Parent to Parent program.
But other parents said that the district faces staff instability, and not enough involvement on the part of either teachers or parents. Paula Zacharias, whose son is a Davison fourth-grader, said he has had three different principals during his short career in the district. "There is too much turnover of positions," she said and added, "Teachers have to show interest in students outside the 9-to-3 school day. Teachers should attend student performances."
High School Principal Glenda Good agreed that a high turnover rate was bad for teacher and student morale, but said that money played a big role in staff defections. "Everyone at this table could go somewhere else and make $10,000 to $20,000 more a year," said Good, who has been with the district 14 years. "But we like what we do. We like the community. We need your support."
Both Good and McCrae noted that there is a shortage of educators across the country, and the problem is not unique to Malverne. "There are over 100 interim or acting principals in Nassau County alone," said Good.
Parents also complained about a lack of communication in the district. Ed Newson, a member of the Herber PTA and the Lakeview Council, said he wasn-t even aware that the Tri-Community Advisory Council existed or that it was meeting until the last minute. He suggested inviting real estate agents to the schools in order to highlight the positive in the district. McCrae said that the district was already planning on doing that.
Other parents said they were worried about the district-s performance compared with others in the county. One man in the audience, who said he had a 2-year-old and a newborn, said, "This school is not performing up to other districts. Why? É Do you document what you-re doing to solve problems?"
Maurice Downing Elementary Principal Margaret McDaid said that the district was looking at test scores to help students improve their performance. McCrae added that all districts submit an Academic Intervention Strategy to the state to document how they are overcoming weaknesses, which is public record. Good also suggested that parents contact the district to receive a "report card" about performance.
But the meeting turned back to a positive note, with a high school student named Gerard giving the crowd a student-s perspective. "I think Malverne is great," he said, noting that he is active in several extra-curricular activities. "There is a lot of community service and a lot of outlets."
Maria Obiol, a Malverne resident who does not have children in the district but is expecting her first child, said she came to the first Tri-Community Advisory Council meeting and was so impressed that she handed out fliers about Thursday's meeting to all her neighbors. Toward the end of the meeting, she applauded the district for its significant improvement in fourth-grade test scores from 1999 to 2003.
Donna Santora, another district parent who also does public relations for the Oceanside School District, offered to "be part of the solution" by helping to form a committee of parents to help the district with PR. "The strengths are not being communicated in a positive way," said Santora.
At the end of the meeting, several parents signed up to help Santora and others get out the good word about the district.
