By Andrew Coen
Students in both the Lawrence and Hewlett-Woodmere school districts are scheduled to return to class on Wednesday, Sept. 3, but Hewlett High School will not open until the following day due to construction.
In Lawrence Public Schools, a new era is beginning, as Dr. John Fitzsimons takes over as superintendent. He officially became the new schools chief for District 15 on July 1, the day after the district was forced onto austerity when the proposed budget was defeated during a re-vote. Fitzsimons listed three priorities for the 2003-04 school year: healing rifts in the community, restoring the community's confidence in the administration and school board and raising test scores.
The new superintendent said he wants to improve relations between the public- and private-school communities. In an attempt to put an end to some of the divisiveness, Fitzsimons met with all five of the district's parochial schools to discuss a commitment to providing special-education programs for both the public and private schools.
We're all here for the community, whether it be public-school children or private-school children, said Fitzsimons. I want to create a healthy dialogue between the two groups.
Fitzsimons also wants to see community confidence restored in the administration and school board. In addition, he has established teams of educators in a bid to raise test scores and student performance.
We're excited about our new leadership, and so far everything is going very well with that, said school board president Frank Parise. We're looking forward to a new beginning.
The projected 2003-04 enrollment for Lawrence Public Schools is 3,747 students, down by 29 from last year. However, according to Sam Donato, interim assistant superintendent for business, new students are still coming into the district while others are moving out, so an official number will not be known until October. The private-school enrollment in District 15 is projected to be 3,935.
There are no new major programs, but two special-education classes and autism classes that were previously taught at Board Of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) will be added in Lawrence.
Major construction in District 15 includes the completion of the repairs to the Lawrence High School roof, which was approved in last year's budget. According to Donato, the roof is in the final stages of construction and is expected to be ready for the start of school.
Lawrence's administration and teaching staff is smaller by 19 staffers, to 820 from 839, mainly due to a cut in the number of bus monitors. There are 23 new faces at Lawrence High School, where principal Dr. Steven Kussin is very optimistic about the upcoming year. The nice thing about education is that with the start of every new year is a new cycle and a fresh start, said Kussin. We're hoping for a great year.
Hewlett-Woodmere
Administrators at the Hewlett-Woodmere School District will face some important issues in 2003-04. Two of the most important ones will be finding a replacement for superintendent Dr. Charles Fowler, who announced that he will retire at the end of the school year, and deciding what action to take on the Woodmere Middle School building. These are two big items, said school board president Richard Braverman.
Despite these issues, Braverman sees a promising year ahead for the district. We're looking forward to a good year, he said. The opening of the new addition to Hewlett High School is exciting, and we are also looking forward to a new athletic field at the high school, which could solve the problems we've had in the past of a lack of fields.
New construction at Hewlett-Woodmere includes the planned renovation of the high school football field, with a new field turf surface, as well as an addition to the high school, which includes a 40,000-square-foot expansion and a new parking lot. The entire 200,000-square-foot building will have a new heating and cooling system, new energy-efficient light fixtures, a new biology room and a renovated auditorium. New flooring was also installed in the cafeteria of the Franklin Early Childhood Center.
Hewlett High School Principal Joyce Bisso is very excited about the completed construction and the upcoming year. Having been through almost two years of construction projects, we all look forward to the benefits of our community's commitment to excellence in instruction and service housed in a superior high school facility, said Bisso. This school year will be one filled with tremendous promise. I can't wait for Hewlett High School to be filled with students and staff.
The projected public-school enrollment for Hewlett-Woodmere is 3,199, down 24 students from last year.
With Dr. Myrna Uhlich, the deputy superintendent, and Allan Orenstein, executive director of pupil personnel services, both retiring, District 14 will have two fewer administrators, since their positions will not be filled as a result of an administration re-organization. The district has also added two special-education teachers and two special-education assistants.
One major new program added by the district this year is the Handwriting Without Tears program at the Franklin Early Childhood Center.
