The Bellmore School District houses its kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students at the Charles Reinhard Center on St. Marks Avenue. It also leases 20 classrooms at the center to the private, non-profit Little Village School for children with developmental disabilities.
      In December, 1998, the Bellmore district notified Little Village that it would not renew its lease at the Reinhard Center, meaning Little Village had to find a new home. Ever since, Little Village has been raising funds to build a school of its own.
      However, Bellmore school officials said last week during a board of education meeting that they are concerned they have not yet heard from Little Village about what the school's plans are: that is, when and how it will move out of the Reinhard Center.
       Ted Tanenbaum, the Bellmore School Board president, recently sent a letter to Little Village reminding officials there of the district's intentions to make use of the classrooms now earmarked for the school. He requested a response from Little Village by September 19, asking what its plans are.
      Barbara Feingold, Ph.D, and Caryl Bank, Ph.D, Little Village's executive directors, returned a two-sentence message: "In response to your letter of September 6, 2000, our plans are not yet firm. We will advise you as soon as we know."
      That did not sit well with Bellmore Board of Education members. At last week's board meeting, Trustee Jay Breakstone said, "I'm very uncomfortable with the response from the Village."
      Bellmore officials are eager to hear from Little Village, as they wish to begin making plans of their own for the 20 additional classrooms the district will pick up once Little Village moves out. The Bellmore district is readying to implement a full-day kindergarten program for the first time, but it needs classrooms that Little Village now occupies to do so.
      Sheldon Dumain, Bellmore superintendent, gave a presentation outlining all of the changes students will find when the district takes over the Little Village space (see chart). Mr. Dumain said he could implement full-day kindergarten if Little Village does not move out on time. However, he noted that the district would have to put off the other changes for a year.       
      "If we had to, if we had to," Mr. Dumain said, "we could work cooperatively with Little Village, implement our full-day K next year, and move this schedule one year."
      Trustee Sherry Skolnik, the board treasurer, had said earlier that delaying implementation of the district's new program was unacceptable. She summarized her position in two words: "No way."
Bellmore school officials anticipate a jump in the kindergarten population next year, owing at least in part to students the district will likely pick up from private schools once full-day K is in place. Right now, officials are projecting a kindergarten enrollment of 172 students next year--up from 161 this year. The additional students, coupled with implementation of a full-day program, will require the district to hire four new teachers. At this point, school officials did not give a cost estimate for the full-day program.
The Herald called Little Village officials last Monday for an update on their plans and was told they are continuing to make them.

Myriad changes for Bellmore

      Come the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 school years, the following proposed changes are planned in the Bellmore Elementary School District: 1) Kindergarten will go from half days to full days; 2) certain grade levels will move to other schools within the three schools that make up Bellmore's pre-kindergarten to sixth- grade complex; and 3) the central administrative office will move
from the Early Childhood Center to Winthrop Primary Center.
The following outlines the grade changes:

(Currently)
School 2000-01 2001-2 2002-3

Early Childhood Center Pre-Kdgn-Kdgn Pre-Kdgn-1 Pre-K-2

Winthrop Primary Center Grades 1-3 Grades 2-3 Grades 3-4

Shore Road Intermediate Center Grades 4-6 Grades 4-6 Grades 5-6