By Marley Seaman
The issue that got the most attention was what parents called overcrowding in Baldwin schools. "Plaza is increasingly getting to the maximum for all their classes," said parent Donna McDougal.
Board President James Scannell said that the board was aware of the problem. Soon, he said, the board would take up the question of commissioning a demographic study to learn what the district's problems are. Such a study, which could happen at the beginning of the 2006-07 school year, would examine population trends, birth rates, real estate trends and other data to determine which schools, if any, were facing an overcrowding problem and which could have problems in the future. The board would then consider its options.
Parents said that one of those options, redistricting - redrawing the boundaries that determine what school a student attends - is the clearest answer to the problems they see. And some noted that it didn't take a study to see that classes are overcrowded. "It's obvious that they're bursting at the seams," said parent Mary Kelleher.
Of redistricting, Scannell said, "That is something the board has frankly been reluctant to consider. It's not as simple a solution as one might think." He described it as a "huge" and "controversial" project, saying that the makeup of Baldwin's schools could be permanently altered. "Our district has always seemed to cherish the neighborhood schools," Scannell said.
Board member B.A. Schoen told the Herald after the meeting that the board regularly examines these issues, and last performed a demographic study in 1995. "It's the sort of thing that a responsible board does every 10 years," Schoen said. "We have to figure out what's the expectation for the next decade and beyond."
Schoen said he expects funds for a demographic study to be included in the proposal for next year's budget in May. If that budget is approved, he said, a study could begin by October and be completed around this time next year.
Schoen also said that he was not sure redistricting would be an ideal solution. "Everybody's idea of redistricting is that they stay where they are and the other people move," he said. "Nobody wants to be that other person. In every district that's ever done it, it's always been a big nightmare. And it's never going to be a permanent solution."
Scannell said the board would keep the public informed. "We're not going to go behind closed doors to decide," he said.
Close schools on Election Day?
Another Baldwin parent presented the board with a petition requesting that Baldwin schools be closed each Election Day. "I really think that we need to consider closing the school every Election Day, or moving polling stations to an alternate location," said Dana Zingale.
Zingale began collecting signatures to close the elementary schools on Jan. 10. After receiving a positive response from parents at the public comment meeting, she told the Herald she planned to meet with district PTAs and try to have all the schools closed on Election Day.
"Some people weren't even aware that the schools were a polling site, and were upset ... when they found the building was open to strangers," she said.
Zingale told the Herald that in other districts, Election Day is always a staff-development day, and that the students are not in the buildings while the public votes. Citing the five letters she received about sex offenders moving into Baldwin in 2005, Zingale said the district lacks the security personnel to keep students safe.
"They're saying they posted somebody in the school [on Election Day], and it happened to be a teacher," she said. "A teacher is not a security guard. She's trained in teaching children, not in security issues. So to me, that's not sufficient."
Scannell said that the educational calendar made it impossible to close the schools every Election Day. "We would like to be closed on Election Day as often as possible," he said.
Zingale said she felt the board needed to change its priorities. "The safety of our children overrides the education," she said. "We need to consider their safety first."
'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'
The meeting began with a preview of the Baldwin Middle School's performance of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." A parent in attendance commented that "The music and drama program in Baldwin are almost unparalleled," and thanked the board for supporting the groups.
Comments about this story? Baldwineditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
