Schools

Central District Takes a Night to Recognize Students as Budget Looms

National Merit Scholarship finalists and sports stars honored at board meeting; parents take issue with summer school cut and music program at Grand Avenue.

There were extra chairs assembled for last night's Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Board of Education meeting to accommodate students who were being honored.

The boys of Calhoun High School's winter track team were among those recognized last night at a meeting that gave the board a breather (for the most part) from budget discussions.

Five National Merit Scholarship finalists were also presented with certificates by the board:  Kennedy High School's Laura Serbin and Matthew Stern, Calhoun's Jun Luke Foster and Daniel Qui and Mepham's Michelle Dimino. 

Find out what's happening in Bellmorewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Those students, among just 15,000 finalists out of an original pool of 1.5 million nationwide, will be notified in the coming months if they have won a scholarship. 

While most of the crowd was on hand last night to applaud student achievements, there were a few parents who came to speak before the board. One of them was Kathy Whelan, of Bellmore, who ripped into the board for considering eliminating the district's summer school program in the face of massive state aid cuts. 

Find out what's happening in Bellmorewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"This is a huge decision," Whelan said. "I think you can find the money elsewhere."

Whelan, whose two children attend private schools, was also upset that letters sent out to district parents alerting them of the summer school situation were not delivered to all taxpayers in the district. 

"You tell me I need to send money," she said.  "Then you choose to use my tax dollars to notify public school parents of no summer school.  No one bothered to notify me." 

Superintendent Henry Kiernan responded that the price to send the letters to all homeowners would have been "exorbitant" and he said a copy of the letter is posted on the district's Web site

Trustee Janet Goller said that next year's proposed state aid cuts to the district- more than $2.5 million- were the largest she has ever seen, but she continued to assure residents that nothing in the budget was finalized yet. 

"It's a work in progress," she said.  "I know by the time we get there, the budget will be different." 

The board will hold a budget review meeting at 8 p.m. on March 24. 

In other discussions during the board's public hearing session, three Bellmore parents of students at Grand Avenue Middle School criticized the school's music program for not being challenging enough. 

"The orchestra is playing at the same level in seventh and eighth grade as they do in fourth grade," Sharon Homburger said. "Not only have these children not progressed, they have taken three steps backward."

Kiernan told the parents that school officials would look into the issue.  

In other school board action:

  • Kiernan announced that schools will be open on Tuesday April 6, a snow make-up day.  


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here