At the Dec. 10 Great Neck Public Schools Board of Education meeting, the board began a discussion of the overcrowding issue at the South campus. A letter from the school district's PTA parents prompted the board to address the issues at this time, although Board President Barbara Berkowitz noted that "looking at enrollment trends" is a board goal for this school year, and Superintendent Ronald Friedman reported that the concern is already a topic at the administrative and school levels.

The PTA presidents' letter asks the board to make this issue a priority, "so that we can address the disparity that exists between the number of students attending the secondary schools on the north and south side of town." Quoting the district's enrollment figures, the letter states that on Sept. 28, 2007, there were 297 more students attending South Middle School than North Middle School, and 350 more students attending South High School than North High School.

South High School PTA President Dana Epifan spoke, telling the board that the "growing population of students at the South end" will not be solved "by a single resolution." She asked for a public discussion of options. "The feeling at the school is that it is crowded," she said.

Ms. Berkowitz assured that the situation "concerns us at every level ... we would be remiss if we did not investigate and explore options in public." And Ms. Berkowitz then stated that there would be an "open dialogue in public" at a meeting in January.

However, Ms. Berkowitz also said that she could not "promise" a solution by September 2008, it might not be until September 2009. "We will explore every possibility for the best interest of all the youngsters," she said.

At the end of the meeting, during open time, the South overcrowding/redistricting issue again surfaced (since the letter, at the start of the meeting, could only be addressed by the letter writer and the board of education). Two Saddle Rock Elementary School parents spoke, both concerned about the fact that most Saddle Rock students go on to the South schools, and the few who go to North Middle and North High go on to secondary school without their friends and support groups. Parents feel that not only friendships are affected, but academics too.

One parent stated that she had heard many Great Neck Estates parents saying they wished their children could go to the North secondary schools.

The parents also asked that the school district, in seeking a resolution, try to make the changes sooner rather than later, "so you don't mix up families." It is the belief of one parent that there are many young families that would be affected by a split if changes are not made until September 2009.

A South High student spoke, too, reporting that South High's newspaper, The Southerner, addressed the issue this month in an editorial. "It's a very real issue," the student told the board of education. The Southerner article, "The Southerner explores solutions to South's overcrowding problem," told of crowded classrooms and science classes held in non-science rooms. The article expresses concern that if the South student population continues to grow, learning experiences will be compromised and resources might be negatively impacted. The article then explored solutions, such as an optional zone in the south part of the peninsula, with mandatory North attendance for all newcomers into the optional zone, and construction.

Dr. Friedman responded, stating that a lot of discussion has already begun. "We want the enrollment to balance ... it's a little too high at South," he said. Dr. Friedman went on to explain that about 20 years ago the imbalance went the other way and the solution back then was redistricting. He also said that whatever the decision, the district will work to make it "the least disruptive to students and families."

Dr. Friedman said they would look at optional zones and locations, and also look at Saddle Rock Elementary School and the E.M. Baker Elementary School. "We will look at numbers and demographics ... we need to make the best case predictions," he said.

At this point Ms. Berkowitz reiterated that all changes might not be made right away. She said that the first changes "might not trickle down to the elementary schools right away;" that the board might just address the middle schools and high schools at first. And again she said the "public process" will start in January.

"The groundwork is being laid; we want input and we learn, then react," stated Board Trustee Lawrence Gross. And he assured that "whatever happens, there will be seamless education at both schools." He did note, though, that even though there are concerns that an over-large school might negatively impact education, there is also the concern that a very small school might not be able to offer a wide array of courses.

Dr. Friedman then offered some clarifications, explaining that the North High numbers have pretty much stayed the same and that North High can hold more students. He also noted that many north end students attend parochial schools, not the public schools.

Ms. Berkowitz ended the conversation for that evening stating that "No one in the district suffers from a lack of anything ... this is not an emergency ... it will be done the same as all of our decisions are made."