An announcement was made at the beginning of the North Shore Board of Education meeting on Monday, Oct. 15, that the board had voted not to renew the contract of Superintendent Robert Root, which expires in June of 2002. The board must give eight months notice of their decision to renew and at a meeting on Oct. 9, they voted 5 to 2 not to renew his contract, with Trustees Brennan and Murphy voting for renewal.

The announcement came as a surprise to almost everyone in the audience and no reason was given to the public for the decision. The announcement had not been included on the agenda and there was no discussion of the matter. Dr. Root served as assistant superintendent at North Shore for 14 years and is currently beginning his 4th year as superintendent.

In his report, Dr. Root congratulated Kate Berthold and Martyna Szczesna for winning the prestigious NCTE Writing Award. The National Council of Teachers of English selected both representatives from North Shore High School as winners.

A presentation was then made of the Plan for 2010, "a blueprint for the future" of North Shore Schools. Charged with reflecting upon and expanding the mission statement, a committee made up of teachers, parents, students, board members, principals, a curriculum associate and the superintendent met 10 times over five months. The four main discussion topics were: state standards and assessments, educating the whole child, moving toward an essential curriculum, and the use of time during the school day.

Discussions of these four topics focused on all grade levels from Kindergarten to senior year in high school and recommendations were made by the committee in each of the four focus areas. They recommended utilizing state tests appropriately as diagnostic tools and not over-emphasizing their importance in the day-to-day functioning of the student. The committees recommends expanding the variety of opportunities for all students to experience "the joy of playing, not just for the sake of winning." They urge the development of a school curriculum, which allows for deeper investigation and the teaching of writing at all grade levels. Finally, the committee recommends exploring the use of block scheduling for more effective instruction.

In a second presentation, recommendations for special education were made by Administrator Dr. Jay Silverstein. Inconsistent implementation, improper committee and delayed evaluations have led to an inefficient use of resources, according to Dr. Silverstein. He recommends a tighter adherence to state criteria, a centralization of referrals, and use of an IEP system which best suits our district.

The board then began a long discussion on safety in our schools. A lockdown of all the buildings has already been put into effect and the possible addition of security guards and keyless entry doors was suggested. Guards at the main doors of each school would screen all visitors and require school ID's from middle and high school students. Staff at the elementary schools would control the entry of all students in the morning hours. More vigilant measures, such as cameras, were discussed, as was the amount of added security needed for special events, after school activities, summer session and the safety of students on school buses and at recess. Professional security personnel for approximately 180 days for eight hours a day as well as installation of keyless entry doors throughout the district would cost between $250,000 and $500,000 to implement. Money would need to come out of the fund balance for this year since none had been budgeted for this kind of use. Safety concerns have also put all school trips on hold. The middle school trip to Greenkill planned for December will be discussed at the meeting on Monday Oct. 22 at the middle school.

A proposal by Trustee Pombar to modify the format of the board meetings was then discussed. He proposed adding an additional public comment period at the middle of the meeting to allow for more of the community to speak. Scheduling an additional open meeting during the year and posting the agenda on the school website was also suggested. Trustee Brennan proposed better advertising of the two open meetings already on the calendar; one on Nov. 5 and the other on May 7. It was agreed by the board to try an additional public comment period at the next meeting that would follow the discussion items on the agenda.

There will be no change to the district transportation policy after a request for service into cul-de-sac areas. It was also announced that due to the events of Sept. 11, the KeySpan property in Glenwood Landing is under a lockdown and any use by the school district as a transportation center has been denied for the present.

The final public comment period was taken up by community members expressing their disappointment in the board's decision not to renew the superintendent's contract. There was confusion over the lack of discussion of what many felt was a very important decision by the board and some anger over the timing of the announcement since it had not been posted on the agenda.

The next board of education meeting will be held on Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. at the Glen Head Elementary School.