Sullivan West cancels trips to France and NYC

LAURIE RAMIE
Posted 8/21/12

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris, Sullivan West Central School District has cancelled its spring recess trip to France.

Superintendent Dr. Nancy …

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Sullivan West cancels trips to France and NYC

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LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris, Sullivan West Central School District has cancelled its spring recess trip to France.

Superintendent Dr. Nancy Hackett said it was unfortunate that the impact of world events hits home when announcing this news to the board of education on November 19.

Language arts teacher and French club advisor Daniela Fox had come before the school board in June to propose an ambitious, experiential learning trip to France, Switzerland, Austria and Germany from March 19 to 27, 2016. Interested students from 10th, 11th, and 12th grades would pay around $2,800 each to participate, with fundraisers taking place to offset the cost.

A previously-scheduled senior class trip to New York City is also off for now, out of concern for its high-alert status as a potential domestic target.

Dr. Hackett said, “We decided as a district” against taking school groups to either location in the interest of safeguarding our children. She said advisors are actively discussing other options.

While no objections were raised to nixing the trips, board member Lucas Arzilli said he hopes that some alternative can be found so that the French language students don’t miss out on what could be “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for them.

In other business, a special forum on student needs and school facilities took place in advance of the business meeting.

Addressing the board, Dr. Hackett said, “In January, we officially start our budget review. This information is what you need to start thinking about. This is an interesting conversation around kids and buildings. We’re going to look at the past, present and future.”

With charts projected on one of the district’s new smartboards, Dr. Hackett reviewed enrollment statistics and trends, average class sizes, and the capacity of the district’s two campuses. All of the information plays into staffing and programming decisions.

In the 2014-15 school year, Sullivan West welcomed 92 Kindergarten students, but began this year with only 65 at that grade level.

“That was a real shock to us. It’s below what we anticipated,” she said.

To project enrollment for Kindergarten students, birth statistics from the Department of Health for five years prior are researched. On that basis, Sullivan West numbers for 2017 suggest a further decline by 3.3%, yet 2018 could see a 4.8% increase.

“The scary thing for us as a district is planning one year ahead, two years ahead, three years ahead. It’s a very delicate balance to go through this process,” Dr. Hackett said.

Even with the uncertainty of student numbers, the district’s two buildings appear to have plenty of capacity to handle any future increases.

Sullivan West Elementary School in Jeffersonville, built in 1938 with additions done in 1961 and 1994, and occupying approximately 54 acres, is rated for a pupil capacity of 856 students.

Current enrollment for pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade is 561. Projected enrollment for 2019-20 is 610 students.

Sullivan West High School in Lake Huntington was built in 2003 on approximately 68 acres of grounds. Its 135,000 square feet can accommodate 997 students.

Current enrollment is at 493, with a projection for even fewer students, 448, by the year 2020.

Dr. Hackett said, “As we plan for the future, we need to be incredibly cognizant of the projected enrollments,” adding that the administration is accountable to the taxpayers who support the district for the decisions that get made.

In that vein, the superintendent expressed gratitude to the community for supporting the $3.3 million capital projects referendum on October 27 for construction, repairs and renovations at both campuses with a vote tally of 258 in favor to 121 opposed.

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