HALF HOLLOW HILLS Copyright © 2013 Long Islander Newspapers, LLC
Online at www.LongIslanderNews.com
N E W S P A P E R
VOLUME SEVENTEEN, ISSUE 3
20 PAGES
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 , 2013 DIX HILLS
Will Your Child’s School Close? Steering committee says two elementary closures are possible Half Hollow Hills photos/Jacqueline Birzon
Keith Anthony, Robin Fox and Tim Hayes headline The Paramount Comedy Series this Saturday.
Make Room For Comedy By Peter Sloggatt psloggatt@longislandernews.com
It’s all about the music… until comedy comes on the scene. This Saturday night, laughs take over The Paramount’s stage with the return of The Paramount Comedy Series, hosted by Long Island Comedy’s Paul Anthony. On the lineup for Sept. 21 are comedians Tim Hayes, Robin Fox and Keith Anthony, and if previous shows in the series are an indication, a few special guests will get mic time as well. “This is our 15th show at The Paramount,” said Anthony, adding that the series provides some prime-time exposure for comedians while giving Long Island audiences a top-rate night of comedy. “The venue is a fantastic venue for comedy. The floor is set up cabaretstyle, and there’s not a bad seat in the house,” Anthony said. “None of the other venues I have have two giant screens alongside the stage. It’s a real party, very upbeat and a lot of fun. As big as it is, though, it still feels very intimate.” The talent is top-rate, too, he said. “You would never see all of these comedians on one show anywhere else because they are all headliners (Continued on page A18)
Sabrina Frazier, the mother of a child at Candlewood Middle School, says she is concerned over how school building closures would impact student programming at a Sept. 12 community presentation. Inset, Joseph Tantillo, a member of a commitee that investigated potential closures in Half Hollow Hills, presents some of the committee’s findings last Thursday to a room of more than 100 residents. By Jacqueline Birzon jbirzon@longislandernews.com
A group commissioned by the Half Hollow Hills School District to recommend at least one building closure for the 2014-2015 school year told residents last Thursday it would be in the district’s best interest to close not one but two elementary schools to save money. Declining elementary enrollment and impending budget cuts led the 28-person Facilities Study Group and Steering Committee to recommend that the district close either Vanderbilt Elementary or Forest Park Elementary Schools and also close either Chestnut Hill or Signal Hill Elementary Schools. Otsego, Paumanok and Sunquam Elementary Schools were taken off the table due to geographic, population and building capacity factors. While much of the Sept. 12 presentation, held at Candlewood Middle School,
focused on how the district can maximize on cost savings, parents expressed concerns over bigger class sizes, the timing of the transition with the implementation of the Common Core state standards, redistricting and the impact the closures would have on educators. Jeff Warren, parent of a Candlewood student and a district graduate, raised concerns over increasing class sizes when the district is faced with the new implementation of the Common Core curriculum, which resulted in lower state test scores this year across New York. “Is this the time we could be looking at dramatically raising class sizes? How many teachers will be cut? And administrators?” Warren asked. “I want [to see], on a line-item basis, how much money is being saved… If it’s given to the board, we should see it, too.” Committee members did not comment on how class sizes would be affected after closures.
The steering committee was selected in June and is comprised of stakeholders who represent nearly every demographic group in the community; it includes residents, teachers from all 11 school buildings, business owners and others. “We’re going to have to lose two schools,” committee member Joseph Tantillo said. “The option was not popular, but it quickly became our approach.” The group told the more than 100 residents in attendance that the Fran Greenspan Administration Center, which houses close to 24 administrators and no students, would “not result in significant savings” and therefore will not be recommended for closure to the board. Group facilitator Michael Keaney, a retired educator and private consultant, said the Sept. 12 presentation is a “work in progress” and may change before it is presented to the Half Hollow Hills Board of Education on Sept. 26. (Continued on page A18)
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