Parents react to possible North Bellmore school closure

More than 450 parents and residents in the North Bellmore School District turned out Thursday night to tell a special committee to find an alternative to closing one of the district's six elementary schools.

The committee, made up of parents, residents and school officials, is examining the issue in the wake of federal and state budget cuts. It's considering closing one school and renting the building for additional income. The campus would not be shuttered until next fall.

One parent told the committee he had a petition signed by more than 1,000 people demanding that the committee come up with a plan that does not involve closing a school.

The committee took off the table a plan to rearrange the grades at each remaining school to cut down on the number of teachers at each location. Transportation costs would have been too high and it was unpopular among parents.

Shrinking budgets and fewer pupils have led to the recent closure of elementary schools in the Mineola and Lindenhurst districts.

The elementary-only North Bellmore district already has made other reductions. Superintendent Arnold M. Goldstein said the district went from five to three librarians and made additional cuts in music and physical education.

Goldstein said there might be other ways to reduce the budget gap, such as changing busing, eliminating programs and asking for concessions. But, he said Thursday night, these changes would not solve the district's long-term budget problems.

Angela Bennett, a committee member, said closing a school should be a last resort. She's lived in Merrick since 1996 and has two children, one of whom is a student at Park Avenue Elementary School.

"A school is almost equivalent to a church or synagogue," she said. "It's a second home, a safe place."

She said she bought her home specifically because of the Park Avenue school, which she called a "warm, wonderful" place.

Felicia Romeo, 36, of Bellmore, has two daughters, ages 3 and 5. She opposed the plan tabled by the panel to change the way students would attend schools by grade.

"I do not want to see them in separate schools," she said. "Siblings should be in the same school. . . . The community of the school will be lost."

The committee researched the merits and drawbacks of sending students to different schools by grade. They found that while there are cost savings, balanced class sizes and centralized resources, more students will need to be bused and will spend more time in transit.