School Board: Building Improvements on Track, Some Classes Canceled

The Smithtown Board of Education last week said that summer facility improvements are on track in the district. The bad news: several  high school elective courses have been canceled, due to low enrollment.

Board President Bob Rossi and board members Joseph Saggese, Theresa Knox, Neil Carlin and Scott Martella explained the board's general policy has been to cancel classes with less than 20 students registered. The district recently moved to an online scheduling system that allows high school students to register and view their schedules in the Spring, which facilitates instant enrollment analysis.

The Superintendent's office cautioned that this policy has to be flexible to account for courses with limited equipment and that enrollment in other classes could spike due to the cancellations.

The Superintendent office's recommended to drop Computer Science I, Computer II, Advanced Music Theory and AP Music Theory II in High School East. They also recommended to drop one section of Interior Decor Sewing in High School West. In both high schools they reduced Fundamentals of Acting from a one-year course to a half-year course and combined Advanced Acting I and Advanced Acting II into one half-year course.

Another topic of the July 27 meeting: Summertime maintenance projects within the district. The Facilities Departments presented the following information on the work being done.

• High School West: Fuel tank replacement has been completed. Chiller and kitchen hood replacement is underway and will be completed before the school year begins.
• High School East:  Flooring replacement will be completed before the school year begins. Window replacement project will extend into the fall and winter.  Construction on the new athletic field is underway and Oct. 1 is the expected date of completion.
• Great Hollow Middle School: New cafeteria floor is finished and kitchen floor will be finished before the school year begins.
• Accompsett, Tackan, Branch Brook Elementary Schools: Library expansion projects are currently underway and will be completed by start of the school year.
• Tackan Elementary: New roadway and playground project have not yet been started (the project is undergoing rebidding).
• Mills Pond Elementary: Window and floor replacement are set to be completed before the school year begins.

The next meeting will be at the end of August and the specific day, time and location will be posted on the district website.