By DAN ISRAELI and JOSEPH KELLARD
The two districts have been talking about the possibility since the summer, and Long Beach school officials recently met to discuss the logistics of bringing Island Park¹s high school students to Long Beach.
Island Park¹s younger students attend Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School and Lincoln Orens Middle School, but the district does not have its own high school. A long-standing, regularly renewed contract with West Hempstead High School stretching back to the late 1960s, under which Island Park students have been sent there, expires next June.
Every five years, when the contract expires, the Island Park district forms a high school committee consisting of village parents, who review the status of the district¹s high school students. School officials then send out letters to neighboring districts, including Rockville Centre, East Rockaway and Lynbrook, to see which of them are willing to enroll its high school students. This year, West Hempstead and Long Beach, the usual candidates, have expressed interest in accommodating Island Park students.
³The committee this time said, ŒWell, we would really like to look at both options,² said Island Park school board Trustee Mike Hastava. ³We¹re considering Long Beach more seriously now, I guess, because you have a new group of parents, and they want to explore the makeup of both communities and see what each has to offer, and see if it will be beneficial for our kids and taxpayers.²
Island Park Superintendent Dr. Ed Price said that the committee has received a lot of information from the schools this year about Regents and graduations, and that members of the Board of Education met with their counterparts in West Hempstead and Long Beach to get updated data on both districts.
Enrolling Island Park¹s high school students at Long Beach High was a topic at a Sept. 25 Long Beach school board meeting, and members of the public had their first opportunity to offer their opinions. ³At this point,² Long Beach Board of Education President Frank Alvarado reminded the attendees, ³we are still just explaining to each other what is best for both of us.² A decision on a possible contract between the two districts is expected sometime in January.
A few Island Park parents spoke at the Long Beach meeting, expressing concerns about their students¹ adapting to a new environment. Allen Pozin, who has a child in eighth grade, said he is worried about how well 70 Island Park students ‹ the incoming freshman ‹ would be integrated into a population of nearly 1,400 at Long Beach High. Pozin acknowledged, however, that Island Park and Long Beach children aren¹t exactly total strangers, having played together in Little League and other after-school functions.
Long Beach board Trustee Pat Gallagher also commented on the bond between the districts, which he said should be considered when a decision is made. ³As a lifelong resident of Long Beach and having lived in Island Park, I can honestly say there is a natural connection between both communities,² Gallagher said.
If an agreement is reached, it would most likely bring Island Park students to Long Beach High incrementally, with all the students already attending West Hempstead being allowed to finish high school there. Long Beach would take in only Island Park freshmen each year, and keep them as they move through the upper grades.
As the semester continues, the two school boards will continue their discussions, and share the dialogue with the public. Alvarado did not rule out the possibility of the formation of a similar Long Beach High School committee.
The Island Park committee was expected to meet with the school board on Tuesday to provide updated information about the West Hempstead and Long Beach districts, Price said. He explained that the committee would put together a report detailing the pros and cons of each school in a number of categories, and present it to the school board in November.
Residents of both communities, however, still appear to have many unanswered questions about class size, facilities, transportation and resources. Alvarado noted that they would all be answered before a decision is made. ³If it turns out to be a nice fit, then it should be OK,² he said. ³If not, we¹re not going to force it.²
³The board expects to host a public meeting for the whole community, to present the committee¹s and board¹s information and get feedback,² Price said, ³after which the board will make the final decision.²
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
