Alternative to canceled Shelter Island School Pre-K under discussion

School Superintendent Brian Doelger, Ed.D., told Board of Education members at the July 14 meeting that the possibility of an afternoon school program at the Community Center has some major challenges, but the plan is being seriously explored. The aim is to make a program available to cover the three hours that were filled for the past several years by the Pre-K3 program that was struck from the Shelter Island School District budget for the next school year.

The proposal is to develop a program that would not cost parents tuition but would meet costs through contributions. It wouldn’t qualify as a Pre-K3 program, but would allow working parents, whose children attend morning sessions at the Early Childhood Learning Center at the Presbyterian Church on weekday mornings, to work uninterrupted. The plan is that a teacher from the private school would walk the young children across the streets to the public school’s Pre-K3 program.

That would not only help the parents, but also sustain the private program that has only enough money to carry it through the next year, its representatives told a committee.  They speculated that too few parents would be able to keep their young children on the Island for pre-school, without an afternoon program. That could result in sending children off Island for pre-school. Long-term, it could result in at least some of those children not returning to the Island for kindergarten and their future schooling.

For the moment, the effort is to continue to pursue this effort and explore others in time for the opening of school in September.

NEW APPOINTMENTS

Ana Campos is a clerk in the school’s business office. Fluent in Spanish, Ms. Campos, has been a key member of the district’s desire to bring programs to the school for parents whose children speak the language. She has now been appointed as a bilingual teacher’s aide in the district.

With the retirement of district treasurer Deborah Vecchio, the administration has promoted from within, appointing Maryann Impastato as district treasurer.

CONTRIBUTIONS

The Board of Education accepted a $500 contribution from the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth organization to the Unity Club.

REORGANIZATION

The word “reorganization” implies change, but most of those either appointed or elected at the meeting are the same people who have held their posts, but needed to be sworn in again for another year:

• Mr. Doelger as Superintendent.

• Kathleen Lynch and Margaret Colligan as Board of Education President and Vice President, respectively.

• Jacqueline Dunning as District Clerk.

New appointees:

• Ms. Impastato as District Treasurer.

• Molly Kendall as new Board of Education Member.