By NANCY HILER
"We have to do the roofs somehow," said Ted Tanenbaum, a Bellmore Board of Education trustee. "We have to continue to talk about how we're going to do it. We can't have kids sitting in classrooms with water dripping on their heads."
The bond proposal would have funded a number of capital projects, including roof replacements and repairs, in the three elementary schools. About $1.25 million would have gone to Winthrop Avenue Elementary School, $2.44 million to Shore Road Intermediate Center and $2.91 million to Reinhard Early Childhood Center. The Board of Education approved the bond proposal in November, after a public hearing in October.
"We didn't have a large turnout, and that's always disappointing, particularly when that kind of money is involved," Superintendent of Schools Sheldon Dumain said. "We didn't get too much comment, no feedback, but the roofs have to be fixed because they are leaking."
In a joint statement, Bellmore PTA co-presidents Shari Gurvitz and Gayle Apfel said, "Our children are the future of our community, and we need to ensure that the buildings that are used to provide their education are adequately maintained."
Dumain added, "We need to provide a safe and sound envelope for safe and sound education to take place. And that's what we're going to do. We are still working on it, and will continue to present options to the board."
Those options might include voting again on the same bond proposal, trimming it before a revote, or finding another way to finance the project, said Tanenbaum.
"The PTA hopes that the Board of Education will decide to put the bond issue up for a revote," Gurvitz and Apfel said. "Once they do, the PTA will get the message out to the Bellmore parents to support it for our children and the community."
Asked whether the bond would be put before the community again, Dumain said, "That all depends on what is discussed. I would say that the topic will come up at the board meeting on Tuesday night."
The next Board of Education meeting was scheduled for Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Winthrop Avenue School, after press time.
Comments about this story? NHiler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.
