The New Hyde Park-Garden City Park School District held a public budget workshop before its regularly scheduled board of education meeting on Jan. 12.
Parents spoke at the hearing, commending the district on its popular programs such as Science Lab and music enrichment and urged the board to preserve as many of them as they can in next year’s budget. The music program in particular garnered praise.
“It not only helps the children, but I think it brings the community together,” Danielle Messina said, observing that the student concerts offer parents a chance to meet one another and enjoy their children’s hard work.
One concern that did come up repeatedly during the hearing was that the third grade class at Manor Oaks was growing too large to be contained in just two classrooms. Parents made requests to the board that the 53 students in that grade level be split up into three classes next year. According to the parents, Manor Oaks already has three fourth grade teachers.
Garden City Park School Principal James Svendsen made opening remarks to welcome parents to the regular meeting and give the board an update on all the progress being made in the school this year. Svendsen detailed how the district is continuing to use the most modern resources available to prep students for standardized tests and get them ready for high school.
“As we move toward the future, we can all be assured that our children are using technology and becoming comfortable with all its benefits,” Svendsen said. “But even the tools and technology cannot replace a great teacher.”
Svendsen observed students and teachers working together in a “meaningful way,” utilizing tech such as SmartBoards and iPads in the classroom.
Curriculum Update
Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology Judith LaRocca gave an update on what’s been going on in the classrooms district-wide and gave parents a glimpse of what teachers have in store for the coming year.
According to LaRocca teachers are working hard to refresh their materials and meet Common Core standards within the district’s budget constraints. There is always ongoing staff development and personnel take virtual field trips to keep their skills sharp.
The district is implementing an ELA Pilot Program in grades 3-6 and teachers across the district are participating in the Writing Fundamentals Program. They work off a standard
“How Writers Work” kit for the first marking period before branching out into specific areas of study.
LaRocca plans to maintain the district’s current software and hardware in next year’s budget and cites recent tech upgrades to printers and overhead projectors as important steps forward because of the savings on supply costs the newer models have created.
The district is utilizing the Putnam Northern Westchester Social Studies ELA curriculum to integrate reading and writing skills into other subjects and areas of study.
High School Changes
Trustee David del Santo gave a brief reminder to parents that starting next year, students attending New Hyde Park Memorial High School in seventh and eighth grades will undergo “detracking” in their math and science classes that will afford each student more time with their teachers, creating what del Santo called “50 percent more learning.”
“Detracking” refers to doing away with advanced classes in those subjects and allowing students to be placed in regular classes for some areas of study and advanced or advanced
placement classes in others.
“It allows the high school environment to be more inclusive and challenging,” del Santo explained.
There will be an inter-school PTA meeting at the New Hyde Park Road School on Jan. 28 where parents can hear more about the change from officials from the high school district.
The next public budget hearing for the NHP-GCP district will be before their board meeting on Feb. 9.
