The Island Trees Board of Education, at their Oct. 27 meeting, approved a resolution to authorize Superintendent Richard Segerdahl to proceed with his recommended capital projects for the coming year, a major component of which would be a concourse level academic area at the high school.

Due to the large increase in the student population through the district in the last decade, district administration has had to look at each school as the population bubble reaches the next level. The district has prepared each of the buildings so far except the high school.

Right now the largest number of students, 909, will reach the middle school in the 2001-2002 school year. The middle school has prepared for that and will be able to accommodate those numbers.

The high school, which this year is at 653 students will see those 909 students, assuming no students move into or out of the district, in 2005-2006 and the district must be prepared for the 250 student population increase before the numbers eventually stabilize.

According to Segerdahl, this is the year for the district to do the expansion because of the high state aid ratio that is being offered.

The proposal offered by Segerdahl, to meet the need at the high school is to take a portion of the basement of the high school, which had been previously used , among other things, as a rifle range, and convert it into an art studio. This idea has been explored by the Island Trees administration, who have looked at a district in Suffolk County and one in Nassau, who have already done exactly the same thing and whose teachers are very happy with it.

The cost of remodeling the basement into usable classroom space would be $250,000. At the same time, Segerdahl is recommending that the district replace the first floor corridor ceilings with drop ceilings and new lights. The new ceilings are needed, according to Segerdahl, because currently it is almost impossible to run the wiring necessary to put computers in all of the classrooms. This would not be necessary to do on the second floor of the high school because they will be able to run the wires through from the first floor ceiling into the floor of the second floor. The cost of that project would be approximately $90,000. Segerdahl noted that these are all one-time costs and will not have to be included in the budget in future years. He estimates the wiring itself will cost approximately $5,000. Segerdahl would also like to replace the wall tile in the main office corridor.

By moving the art programs to the lower concourse, the area that was formerly used for art classes can be converted into a state of the art tech-Ed room, a new science lab, and two new classrooms. "That will allow Mr. Longaro [the high school principal] to meet the needs in the high school," said Segerdahl. He added that in two years, if the new science room wAS not added, there would not be enough room to give every student the lab time that is needed for them to meet the new state mandates.

Island Trees will also be renting rooms at Gallow out to BOCES as well as moving the preschool program from the middle school over to Gallow, and Segerdahl has recommended that while the other capital improvements are being done they replace the asbestos floor tile at Gallow, which he said is not appropriate for a preschool program. The cost of the removal and replacement of the floor would be approximately $200,000.

The total cost of all the capital projects suggested by Segerdahl is $1,240,000, which Segerdahl has rounded to $1,200,000, noting that he believes the cost of the projects will come in lower than this. Currently, explained Segerdahl, if the budget, with these improvements, is approved by the taxpayers in May, or anytime before June 30, 2000, the aid ratio for state approved projects will be 68 percent. For a budget approved after June 30, the aid ration goes down to 48 percent. Segerdahl explained that the net cost to the district, if the projects are approved by June 30 would be $384,000 as opposed to $576,000 if the budget is not passed, representing a saving of $240,000 to the district.

Despite some concerns about the plans raised by residents at the board meeting, who were upset that the moving of the art room to the lower concourse would displace the auto shop, the board of education unanimously voted to approve the superintendent's proposal.