Schools

Smithtown School Board Votes to Close Nesconset Elementary

Vote passes unanimously.

The fate of Nesconset Elementary was sealed Tuesday night as Smithtown's Board of Education voted to close the building at the end of the current school year.

After board member Joseph Saggese requested a roll-call vote, all seven members voted in favor of closing the building.

While the vote to close the school was unanimous, this was a particularly tough decision for vice president Theresa Knox, a mother of former Nesconset Elementary students and former PTA President for the school.

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Prior to casting her vote, Knox said while affiliated with the school her responsibility as a board member is to the entire district.

"I've promised this community, some of whom are quite dubious, that after looking at all the information I would do the right thing," she said. "I am deeply associated, proudly, with Nesconset Elementary ... This is one of the hardest things I have ever done."

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Following the meeting Knox shared some of the reasons why the school is important to her and the district.

"Maybe 15 years ago we learned that it was the third oldest continuously operating school in New York State. It’s not going to be anymore. That is very sad to me. It’s a part of the district’s history, it’s an iconic building, and it was home for me," she said.

Chris Alcure, who was appointed to the board in December of last year after then vice president Scott Martella resigned, said after the meeting that choosing Nesconset Elementary to close was not a clear-cut decision. Alcure also said the board engaged in conference calls over the winter break to request and analyze more information, ultimately leading to his decision.

“I really wavered back and forth," he said. "I was really leaning towards the middle and it really wasn’t until yesterday when we had another work session that I was convinced Nesconset [Elementary] was the right choice."

In the Citizens Advisory Committee final report, closing Nesconset Elementary received 21 of 27 votes and was one of five of the committee's recommendations to save the district money.

The report stated closing the school would save the district an estimated $960,000.

 

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Feb. 28, 9:03 p.m. – Smithtown's Board of Education unanimously voted Tuesday to close Nesconset Elementary after the current school year, a move fueled by lower enrollment and a projected cost savings to the district of nearly $1 million.

At the meeting, board member Joseph Saggese asked for a roll-call vote and not adopt the line item on the regular meeting agenda. All seven members voted in favor of closing the school.

The vote ends a recent saga started when the district's Citizen's Advisory Committee recommend Nesconset's closing in January. Proir to that, the committe spent weeks debating whether Nesconset or Mills Pond Elementary in St. James should be closed.

Check back for frequent updates.


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