Residents and questions addressed at Sullivan West

By KIMBERLY M. WEYANDT

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — Since the beginning of the end of the local elementary buildings, Sullivan West residents have packed the high school auditorium and saturated the school board meetings with questions and comments. On Wednesday, August 10, they got some answers.

At a special meeting arranged by Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, residents were given a chance to get the question state education department officials, Deputy Commissioner Jim Kadamus, Assistant Commissioner Jim Butterworth and Coordinator of School Operations and Management Services Charles Szuberla, about the state of the school district.

And while residents asked questions, they expressed their questions and opinions with the written word—written large on colorful signs.

On neon pink and green poster board, written in red ink and mounted on sticks, the signs screamed their single-minded thought from their front row seats. “Where is our money?” “This is war,” “Liar, liar pants on fire,” “State Ed. we need your help,” were the pleas of the unspoken.

“To say it wasn’t a significant year would be a gross understatement,” said Superintendent Alan Derry. “Many things have happened over the past five or six years and it’s very apparent. Promises were made, people heard oftentimes what they wanted to hear, a building was built that probably shouldn’t have been built…”

“Ooooh,” went the crowd in mock surprise before letting loose with deafening cheers and proclamations of “it’s about time” and “finally.”

“We have before us now,” Derry said, “is not so much to see who we can find in our past that is a bad person and led us here today, but to look at our current situation and lead ourselves forward.”

“This is a very difficult situation but not a hopeless situation,” said Kadamus. “We haven’t gotten to that point.”

The scheduled one-hour, question-and-answer meeting began at 6:00 p.m. and lasted until 8:30 p.m. Although residents had been instructed to focus on the future, many felt that it wasn’t possible not to discuss the past.

“Unless the officials here are allowed to hear the uncensored concerns of the people that are present today, they will not be able to accurately and responsibly address the problems we face,” said Noel van Swol.

“This is your time to ask the questions that you need to ask,” replied Gunther.

One of the biggest issues this past year was the closure of two of the district’s elementary buildings.

“I am very concerned with the process or the lack thereof that has gone into the closing of two schools,” Monica Meunier, a Sullivan West first grade teacher, said.

“What appears to me is that this year tough decisions were made, decisions that probably needed to be made and had been delayed,” said Butterworth.

“Why can’t we sell this entity and dissolve the merger, and go back to what we had which worked?” asked Robert Pheiffer.

“There is no state law that says you can unmerge a school district,” replied Szuberla.

The 18.8 percent tax hike weighed heavy on the minds and wallets of many residents.

“You have built a large structure and you have been living off of savings; it’s going to take a four-or-five-year plan to climb out of this,” said Szuberla.

“We need an investigation as to what happened to our funds. I don’t think anybody stole anything, but we have laws for a reason and if nobody holds the people in charge accountable, if there are no repercussions than why do we have laws?” asked Carol Wingert.

“There needs to be accountability. If anybody needs help fighting, I’m sick but I’ll help because this is ridiculous,” said Delaware Valley and Sullivan West graduate Jonathan Casterline, who attended despite a broken back.

A group of sign-bearing Long Eddy residents rose as Rhonda Gillow took a turn at the microphone. For the past few months the group had been trying to get the board to review their request to be redistricted out of Sullivan West and into the Hancock School District.

“This is our tax money and our children, but they don’t listen to us,” said Gillow who worried about the 35 Long Eddy students and the narrow back roads they would be traveling.

“We need outside help,” said Malcom Cross of Hancock.

“I have secured an amount of unrestricted aid for the school to use in any way it desires,” said Gunther. “One possibility would be to hire an independent [consultant].”

“The first purpose of an independent consultant would be to come in hold mirror up and say, this is what you’re working with,” said Butterworth.

But who would be choosing the independent consultant was almost as big an issue as hiring one. Distrust of the superintendent, the school board and even the state left district residents wondering when their opinions would matter.

“You guys gave us some poor advice, you lied to us and deceived us, and we built this school on a property that should be condemned,” said Bailey.

“We don’t need guidance,” said school board member Arthur Norden. “We’re stuck with what we have. There’s nothing left to manage and nothing left to steal.”

“The only thing we can do now is survive on a contingency budget. We had everything we wanted and declining taxes until you guys came in and convinced us we needed to merge,” he said.

“The real question is: will you stand by us when we ask for a full investigation?”

“Retaliating is the last thing on our minds,” said Szuberla.

But while “the school board has the duty to listen, you have the duty to stay informed,” Butterworth said to the residents. “Hopefully we’ll see a time of increased community involvement. That’s the kind of relationship you need.”