By Laura Lane
The Merrick board touched on the issue for the first time at its March 15 meeting, but after a brief discussion, it quickly decided to table the talk.
Merrick trustees and Superintendent Dr. Ranier Melucci said they had reviewed a consolidation study that Bellmore-Merrick residents performed 30 years ago, as well as a 1997 study conducted by the Valley Stream Central High School District and its three component elementary districts.
After hiring a consulting firm to carry out the study, the Valley Stream districts voted against merging. Three of the four Valley Stream districts voted for a merger and one against. For the districts to have consolidated, all four would have had to agree to the proposition, said William Stris, a Valley Stream school trustee.
Melucci said there were several issues to weigh when discussing consolidation. Foremost, the superintendent said, the board would have to consider if and how a merger would benefit the children. Melucci said class size could become an issue. He wondered whether it would increase.
The superintendent also noted that each of the five Bellmore-Merrick districts has different contracts with its teachers. "Under consolidation, we'd have to accept the highest negotiated contract," said Melucci. "Also, would there be all-day kindergarten? We have it in our district, but would this become an issue?"
Melucci said the Board of Education would have to be reorganized, and he wondered whether the tax rate would go up for Merrick residents. "The question is, would Merrick residents have to pay more in terms of assessments than they're paying now?" the superintendent said.
Merrick children are eligible for busing, a service that North Merrick doesn't provide. Merrick spends a little over $1.1 million annually on busing. Melucci wondered how an increase in busing might affect overall spending.
Trustee Diane Seaman said she came to the meeting prepared to discuss consolidation, but she agreed to wait until after budget season to talk about it at length. Seaman believes consolidation could benefit the district academically. "The hope would be that articulation from one school district to the next would be seamless," said Seaman. "Merrick has many meetings now with the central high school and middle school to talk about what we need to do to have the children prepared. The difference with consolidation would be that these meetings would be to reiterate philosophy and policy."
Board President Susan Schwartz wondered, "Is bigger better?" She noted that the two studies examined by the board had left several questions unanswered.
Members of Bellmore-Merrick Parents for Change, which has pushed for consolidation talks, have noted that state aid would be available to offset the costs of a merger. But Seaman warned that districts couldn't count on how much aid the state would provide.
Trustee Nancy Kaplan wondered what the driving force would be for Merrick to consider consolidation. Kaplan said, "What is it that we're not happy with in our own district? Until I understand why, I'm not sure we're using our time as we should."
Trustee Benay Shear said the only reason to consider consolidation would be if it offered a cost savings and an educational benefit, which isn't clear now.
Trustee Louis Kruh reminded the board that the five Bellmore-Merrick districts took seven years to study consolidation during the 1970s. In the end, school officials decided against it. He suggested that the Board of Education check with the Town of Hempstead to see what cost savings it might reap under a merger.
Comments? Llane@liherald.com, or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
