The Sewanhaka Central High School District (SCHSD) Board of Education met for a brief public meeting Feb. 4 to discuss the 2003-04 budget, amongst other controversial community issues. The eight-member board - which is comprised of two members each from Elmont, Floral Park, New Hyde Park and Franklin Square - announced that student enrollment has surged dramatically at all five district schools.

The budgets for equipment and supplies have increased and new teachers need to be hired to accommodate the increasing classes. Because of the combination of these needs and the $2 million state budget cut, the board admits certain programs, especially BOCES Occupational Education programs, may be at risk.

Exactly which programs will eventually be cut would have to be voted upon. School Board President Martin Cernese said, "As times get fiscally tight, we are forced to make tough decisions. Education, unfortunately, is a sponge for money." That explanation, however, was not enough to satisfy alarmed parents.

Catherine Maye, who has children in H. Frank Carey Junior-Senior High School, said, "By cutting these BOCES programs, we are limiting students' abilities to support themselves as adults."

Margaret Murphy, who also has children attending school in the district, agreed, "Targeting an individual BOCES program for a cut is pitting one parent against another to compete for services. Parents are already burdened more than their fair share by paying for workbooks and $100 calculators that used to be paid for by the district."

But Superintendent of Schools Dr. George Goldstein stated that the board has to recognize practical limitations. In the meantime, Cernese said the board "will continue to work with numbers as we get them, even as they continue to radically change."

The district's plans for the summer school programs were also discussed. Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School will be the site for junior high school students while Floral Park Memorial High School will serve as the site for senior high school students.

Although Superintendent Goldstein says full-student enrollment is anticipated, he feels there is no need for a third site. The board is in the process of re-evaluating admissions criteria for admittance into the summer school program. Each of the district's five schools has been named a National School of Excellence and the Department of Education officially designated the Sewanhaka District as a National District of Excellence.

The next regular meeting of the SCHSD will take place in the third floor board room of Sewanhaka High School, located at 500 Tulip Avenue in Floral Park, on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Public session begins at 8 p.m.