REPORTER FILE PHOTO | The Shelter Island Board of Education met Tuesday night.

Should the Shelter Island Board of Education reduce its numbers from seven to five? It’s a question members have grappled with in the past, but for the five members at Tuesday night’s meeting, the opinion was split.

“There are still reasons to consider it,” board president Stephen Gessner said. Many larger districts have a five-member board, he said. But to reduce the number of board members would require a public referendum, Dr. Gessner said, raising the question whether such a resolution could be advertised in time to be put on the ballot in May when voters go to the polls to act on the proposed school budget.

It’s a subject that will get more discussion in April when the full board is expected to be in attendance.
Tuesday night, Thomas Graffagnino, board vice president, joined Dr. Gessner in suggesting a samller board could work, even though he had some concerns about nights when a five member board could be down to three people because of absences.

But Linda Eklund, joined by Marilynn Pysher, were concerned the volunteer board members already have a lot of responsibilities with various committee meetings and splitting the work among five people might impose an unfair burden. Elizabeth Melichar didn’t comment. Alfred Brigham Sr. and Mark Kanarvogel weren’t at the meeting.

The subject was raised Tuesday night by Superintendent Michael Hynes who pointed out that it had previously been discussed with no resolution.

SECURITY
The district’s security committee, pressed into service following the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, are convinced the tighter measures they have instituted on Shelter Island are effective, Dr. Hynes said.

At the same time, he acknowledged a woman who last month complained about her young son being forced to walk all around the building after slipping out a door that locked behind him to see the snow. She acknowledged that the boy was wrong to have gone outside, but said staff should have used some discretion and allowed him back in through the door he exited. Dr. Hynes said the committee agreed that the staff must be “sensitive” to individual circumstances and what’s age appropriate. A middle school student exiting through a wrong door would have to go to the front entrance, but a young elementary school student should have been readmitted, he said.

Still, the tightened security requiring that everyone coming through the front entrance with all other doors locked during the school day seemed to be providing an added measure of security, Dr. Hynes said. While there was a bit of early grumbling from some parents about the wide open campus becoming so closed, most quickly adjusted, appreciating that the changes were made to protect students, he said.

As for further measures such as installation of cameras, that will have to await the budgeting process, Dr. Hynes said.

In other actions, the board:
• Heard from Janine Mahoney that National Honor Society students would be going to Shirley on Saturday to learn to put up vinyl siding on a Habitat for Humanity house.

• Got a rundown on the winter and spring sports programs from Rick Osmer who said that while fall sports are played in conjunction with Greenport students, both the winter and spring sports teams are fielded by Shelter Island students alone.

• Heard from student Libby Liszanckie about the May 8 Broadway trip for students in the arts. She told them that it was a reward for their hard work during the school year and said it inspires students to have such an experience.

•Appointed Hope Kanarvogel, Karyn Pennacchia and Mallory Wissemann as substitute teachers at a rate of $110 per day; and Justin Moore as a substitute custodian at the rate of $10 per hour. As is required of all school personnel who come in contact with students, Mr. Moore must clear the fingerprinting process before he starts work.