Amityville schools first on LI to open their doors

Schools opened their doors Wednesday in Amityville, the first district on Long Island to kick off the new school year.

Officials were surprised at how many students entered those doors. Enrollment figures unexpectedly surged, Superintendent John M. Williams said. The district, which last year served roughly 2,800 students at five schools, has had steady enrollment the past few years, he said. But this year, that is expected to increase by 200 to 250 students. At Northeast Elementary alone, kindergarten classes swelled by more than 65 students to 217.

"That's a big jump, especially for kindergarten," Williams said. As a result, he said, class size will increase from 16 to 23.

Northeast Principal Pauline Collins said some of the rise in enrollment may be due to an influx of Latino families or because some families can no longer afford private school. But she said she's also been working hard to promote programs and events at the school and believes good word-of-mouth is finally paying off.

"I'm really not surprised," she said. "We're doing a lot of great things here and parents are learning about them."

A teacher should be able to handle 24 students, Collins said, noting enrollment figures were similar a few years ago. "They've had a honeymoon period for the last few years," she said, noting there may be a need for more playground and cafeteria aides, she said.

The district, which lost $1.3 million in state aid this year, trimmed 10 staff positions, including five teachers, Williams said. "We can't continue to make these kinds of cuts."

One way to strengthen the district is by having an extended school year, he said. Instead of the usual 180-day year, Amityville has 187 days, necessitating the early start. Amityville was the only local district to open Wednesday, according to Nassau and Suffolk BOCES. Baldwin, Jericho and Elwood start Thursday. Most districts begin classes after Labor Day.