The Board of Education of the Massapequa Public Schools approved the facilities plan presented by Superintendent Dr. Lawrence Pereira at their regular meeting held Oct. 17. The plan addresses the need for instructional space at targeted schools to meet the district's growing enrollment, and was designed to strike a balance between instructional, fiscal and political realities.

The three phase plan consists of the following projects:

Phase I--Immediately plan for the construction of four classrooms at Birch Lane, renovation of existing space at Ames to create four classrooms, and installation of up to four portable classrooms at Ames for the Fall of 2003.

Phase II--Construction of up to seven classrooms and expansion of the current gymnasium at Ames for 2004.

Phase III--Renovate existing space at Massapequa High School to create up to 12 classrooms, reclaim the Hawthorne Building from BOCES, move central administration to Hawthorne, and renovate current central office facilities to create up to twelve new classrooms for 2005.

Included in this plan is a district initiative to continually monitor student numbers through home sales data, enrollment study updates, and the conducting of regular census.

"The board's action allows us to direct architects to begin developing plans and filing the necessary paperwork with the State Education Department for Phase I," explained Dr. Pereira.

Careful management and long-range fiscal planning have resulted in the district being in excellent financial condition. Therefore, the impact to taxpayers for this plan is expected to be minimal.

Additional information regarding construction, funding, and plans for implementation will be brought to the board over the next few moths. Members of the community are encouraged to look for notifications of upcoming meetings and discussions on Phase I.