Officials mull closing 2 schools due to revenue, enrollment decline

This week's top stories

1. School closure proposals divide Northport-East Northport parents

Declining enrollment and a projected revenue drop have prompted officials in the Northport-East Northport school district to consider closing one or two schools next fall.

The number of Northport-East Northport students was down 11% last academic year compared with five years prior, and 96% of kindergarten through fifth-grade classes were below capacity last year.

"When I was a kid here, families of kids of three or four weren't uncommon," said Superintendent Robert Banzer, who grew up in East Northport and graduated from the district. "Now, that would be on the higher end."

To consider paths forward, the district hired a consultant who proposed scenarios that include closing one or two schools, which could save millions of dollars annually.

Some parents oppose the idea, arguing schools shouldn't be overhauled during a pandemic.

"I was horrified," said Jen Geiger, who has two children in the district, describing her feeling upon learning of the possible closures.

Others support the reorganization effort, saying it's a necessary step that school officials have handled thoughtfully.

"Everybody in this district would keep things as they are if they could," district parent Julie Hendricks-Atkins said. But "we have a big issue in our school district that we can't ignore."

Northport-East Northport officials say the school board is expected to announce its decision Nov. 19.

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2. Teachers call out over virus fears

Seven positive COVID-19 cases at Connetquot High School among students, a teacher and staff members last week triggered up to 45 teachers to call out in one day.

• Anthony Felicio, president of the 640-member Connetquot Teachers Association, said teachers were uneasy about being in the building after the positive cases last week. Teachers weren't pleased, he said, with the district's choice to keep the school open despite positive cases sprouting up within a day of each other.
• Superintendent Lynda Adams said "absenteeism was at an unparalleled level and certainly caused a significant disruption to the learning process for our students."
• Substitutes, administrators and other teachers filled in for those who were out. But the district still had to merge some classes to get them all covered.

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3. Some colleges to call off spring break

Adelphi University, Hofstra University, Long Island University, St. Joseph's College, Molloy College and SUNY Stony Brook have canceled the traditional week off for students that's typically scheduled for March.

• Other schools are going ahead with the recess, with at least one — Farmingdale State College — planning a COVID-19 testing regimen for students as they return to campus.
• Nationally, some of the largest colleges and universities, such as Boston University and Florida State, have canceled the break, too. This past March, spring-breakers were criticized after scores of young people flocked to beaches and resorts, especially in Florida, while coronavirus cases were raging across the country.
• Koffa Akakpo, 18, of Queens, a freshman at Farmingdale State College, said it's unfair for schools to cancel the break, but he's not surprised. "… we really can't complain because there is COVID and we have to make do with what we have," he said.
• "I think it's the right thing to do — that's the bottom line," said Herman Berliner, Hofstra University's provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. "If it wasn't for COVID-19 … we would certainly want to break, but I think [the students] also understand that we are doing really well in the midst of a pandemic."

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Resources for you

• Founded by a former teacher, primarygames.com offers a variety of free online games in subjects including math, reading and science.
• knowledgeadventure.com also offers free online educational games that are organized age, grade and subject.

Your questions answered

Have questions? Send them to ednews@newsday.com. Newsday’s education reporting team will pick one to answer in this space each week.

How many Long Island schools are teaching students on remote, hybrid or in-person learning models this fall?

Hybrid learning is by far the most common educational model adopted by Long Island schools this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to state Education Department data obtained by Newsday last month through a Freedom of Information request.

A total of 375 out of 611 Long Island schools listed in the data were teaching on a hybrid model, with students taking classes remotely part of the week. That's 61%.

Full in-person instruction was the next-most-common approach, with 210 schools, or 34%, taking that route.

Complete remote instruction was the least common of the three models, with only 26 schools, or 4%, adopting it. Those schools fell into eight districts: Carle Place, Copiague, Elmont, Island Trees, Roosevelt, Southampton, Southold and Uniondale.

Full remote instruction also was more common in Nassau County, where 20 schools adopted it, than in Suffolk, where only six did.

Round of applause

Six Long Island students have been named finalists in an inaugural writing competition and will have articles published in a science journal this fall.

The Stony Brook Young Investigators Review recently held its 2020 Young Investigators Writing Competition, which invited Long Island high schoolers to write articles of up to 1,000 words that explored scientific dilemmas. The competition received 121 entries.

The winners were Arnav Hak and Angela Zhu of Jericho High School, Dylan McCreesh and Aman Mistry of Smithtown High School East, Yashita Chaudhary of Half Hollow Hills High School West, and Natalia Pszeniczny of MacArthur High School.

— Find the latest education news at newsday.com/long-island/education. Jesse Coburn can be reached at jesse.coburn@newsday.com.