Trustees Eliminate 6th Grade Center; Create K-4 and 5-6 Schools
At a special meeting Monday night, the Huntington School Board voted to reconfigure the district’s elementary grade levels, creating four K-4 buildings and sending all fifth and sixth graders to Woodhull School. The vote effectively reversed a decision by trustees last spring to create a sixth grade center at Jack Abrams School.
Monday night’s 4-3 vote came on a motion by School Board Vice-President John P. Paci III, which was seconded by trustee Elizabeth Black. Voting aye was Mr. Paci, Mrs. Black, trustee Richard McGrath and School Board President Bill Dwyer. Voting nay were trustees Christine Bene, Kim Brown and Emily Rogan. The vote means elementary school students will no longer attend classes at Jack Abrams School.
“We will be working hard to provide a smooth transition as this new grade level configuration is implemented,” Superintendent John J. Finello said. Jack Abrams School will continue to house the district’s administrative offices and officials said they will be exploring several additional possible uses of the building.
Mr. Finello said the district plans to look into creating a daytime alternative high school program at Jack Abrams School as well as holding adult education classes there. Other possible uses of the building include offering home teaching services there and providing programs inside the district that some students attend through expensive out-of-district placements.
In the coming days, district officials will be working on many organizational details that need to be addressed, including shifting some teachers and aides. Last year’s third graders will now be staying for fourth grade during the coming school year in the same school they attended in 2009/10 . Woodhull had been slated to house all fourth and fifth graders in the district. Instead it will school for fifth and sixth graders.
Monday night’s vote to change course and eliminate the sixth grade center before it even opened follows another well-publicized act of violence in Huntington Station, not far from Jack Abrams School. A 16-year old girl was shot in the leg following a party in the area.
The special meeting drew a standing room only crowd to the Jack Abrams School auditorium. There was plenty of passion from both those who want to keep sixth graders at Jack Abrams School and those who want them moved.
Earlier in the day Superintendent John J. Finello met with the district’s primary school principals to discuss the possibility that fourth graders would return to the same school where they had studied as third graders.
Before voting, trustees outlined their thoughts on whether or not Jack Abrams School should cease housing elementary school age children. “It was a tough decision for trustees, but now that it has been made, we will carry it out and work to make this an outstanding year for every student,” Mr. Finello said.
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