Reporter community forum on school draws a crowd

A good crowd attended the Reporter Community Forum on April 30 at the Presbyterian Church’s Fellowship Hall — sponsored by Dime Bank and Suffolk Security Systems — to hear and participate in discussions on the state of the Shelter Island School and its role in the community.

A panel consisting of three school administrators, a student and a parent, moderated by the Reporter’s Charity Robey, weighed in on declining enrollment, finances and ideas about sharing services as opposed to consolidations of school districts. In her greeting to the panel and audience, Ms. Robey noted that the school in the Center “is at the heart of the Island, physically as well as spiritually. It anchors one side of a tight formation around the traffic circle of Town Hall, the Community Center and American Legion and the Library.”

She listed several benefits the school brings to Shelter Island, including the annual Spring Musical which, along with school sports, joins a small community together; a vibrant science program that recently enlisted students in obtaining well water samples to be analyzed by the County for pollutants; the many clubs and activities; and, perhaps most importantly, an early childhood education program. 

She quoted Islander Phyllis Gates, who said, “To me, a school is to a community what a family is to an individual.”

Ms. Robey introduced Brian Doelger, Ed.D., the present Shelter Island School principal and superintendent who taught Social Studies here from 2010 to 2014. After leaving the classroom, he served as principal at a middle school of about 900 students in the Patchogue-Medford School District, and principal of New Lane Elementary School in the Middle Country School District, one of the largest elementary schools on Long Island with approximately 1,000 students. Before returning to Shelter Island in 2019, he worked in the Riverhead District’s central office as Director of Human Resources. 

Asked to describe a typical day for him at school, Mr. Doelger said there’s no such thing. Since he’s both principal and superintendent, one day, for example, could be devoted to budget matters interrupted by a child having a social or emotional issue that has to be dealt with. One thing that doesn’t change is “Arrival,” where he greets students before school begins. An advantage of being head of a school of 200 students, rather than 1,000, is that he knows the names of the kids. 

“We want to make school the best part of their day, making it a joyful experience,” he said. He has after-school events two or three times a week “where I can be with and meet members of the community.”

The parent represented on the panel was Laurene Silvani, the mother of a son in kindergarten, a 2-year-old daughter, and is a member of the Parent Teacher Student Association. Ms. Silvani was asked about outreach to the wider community — including the families of the approximately 30% of Latino students enrolled the school — especially the idea of a “Communication Board.” 

This a device using photos to help children with language challenges, whether they are emerging English speakers, autistic or have a learning disability. Ms. Silvani was asked:  What kinds of problems do you see at the school that could be addressed by this and other educational techniques. She explained that it was an exceptional learning tool for students “especially those kids who may have a void” when it comes to language. She emphasized, as she would throughout the forum, the importance of people getting involved by attending public meetings. When the topic turned to affordable housing later in the evening and its effect on students and faculty, Ms. Silvani spoke again, urging residents to attend meetings of the Community Housing and Town boards.

Jackson Rohrer, a junior at the school, is editor of The Inlet, the school newspaper, and  has reported on sports for the Reporter since June 2024. He and his family moved to the Island from the city during COVID. Jackson spoke about a period of adjustment going from being with classmates numbering in the hundreds to just 13. His family was making plans to return to the city, but then realized there were many more opportunities in a small school. He mentioned the science program and sports. “There’s no competition for teams, no tryouts. You just show up,” he said. And not just sports — there are at least eight clubs available to students.

Communication is key in any endeavor, but especially education, and at small schools relationships between teachers, coaches and students “is personalized,” Jackson said. “It gives you a better prepping for life after high school.”

Two other panel members, East Hampton Superintendent of Schools Adam Fine and East Hampton Schools Assistant Superintendent for Business Sam Schneider spoke about shared services that cut costs and bring benefits to districts. Consolidation of districts, Mr. Fine said, are not feasible, but sharing services is workable, especially in the areas of maintenance, custodial departments and technology. 

Mr. Doelger mentioned that one shared service and money-saver was using East Hampton’s auto body shop facilities for students to learn a trade, rather than using BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services).

A question from the audience asked what was being done about declining enrollment. Mr. Doelger said the issue was not as serious as some believe. “When I started in 2019 enrollment was at 198. Now it’s about 188,” he said, adding there was a bump in enrollment with families moving to Island during COVID. Mr. Schneider, who was the business official at Shelter Island School from 2008 to 2011, said that the enrollment is about the same as when he was working here. Mr. Fine added that the immigrant population had helped keep enrollment relatively steady.

The three administrators said that budgets presented to the public were the result of hard work and careful consideration and rises have occurred due to locked-in costs, such as pensions, health benefits and salaries.  

Several audience members spoke in praise of the school and the role it plays in the lives of their families. Cody-Marie Miller said she had moved to the Island in May 2022 and her daughter has thrived in the smaller school. “It’s wonderful that I know all the kids she goes to school with,” Ms. Miller said. Island life also allows her daughter to “walk home after school and I don’t have any worries.” 

One of the more eloquent statements addressed to the audience and panel was from Norma Clark. She and husband Sawyer Clark have three young children. Ms. Clark spoke in favor of passing the school budget, which goes to the public for a vote on May 19. She specifically was in favor of funding for the pre-school program for 3-year-olds. “The program was not approved last year, leaving many working families without necessary support,” Ms. Clark said. She praised the Town Board and the community for stepping up to provide a program outside the school system. 

“I recognize that many in our community are retirees who may feel this budget doesn’t directly impact them,” Ms. Clark said. “But the future and longevity of Shelter Island depend on our young children. I’m certain that if everyone in this room had school-aged children, you’d be advocating just as strongly for this investment. The school system is a pillar of our children’s lives … I ask all Islanders to think about our future and vote ‘yes’ on this budget so young families can continue to grow and flourish here just as previous generations have.”

Several other audience members were in favor of passing the proposed budget; there were no voices at the forum against it.