What will the East Rockaway school board do?

The fate of the East Rockaway school district’s two elementary schools is now in the hands of the Board of Education, which will decide on March 20 whether to reconfigure the schools so that students are grouped by grade rather than by where they live.

More than 100 residents, parents, school employees and officials gathered in the East Rockaway High School auditorium for a community meeting on Monday night — the last of four meetings on the possible implementation of the Princeton Plan, which is also referred to as “grade clustering.” Most of those who spoke beseeched trustees not to change the current configuration of the schools, saying they were concerned that their children would be walking longer distances to school, that siblings would be separated or that transportation or traffic would become a nightmare.

“If it won’t be for economic gain, and it won’t benefit our children’s education, then why do a total upheaval of two schools?” asked parent John Gianatti.

During the first meeting on the subject, on Jan. 19, Dr. Michael J. Dutkowsky, a consultant for AdvisorySolutions, unveiled the findings of a feasibility study that was commissioned by the board to determine whether the Center Avenue and Rhame Avenue schools could be reorganized. The study concluded that the district would be best served by the Centre Avenue School housing kindergarten through second grade and Rhame Avenue being used for grades three through six.

The Princeton Plan has been implemented in other small districts in Nassau County, including East Williston, Oyster Bay, Carle Place and, more recently, Malverne and Levittown.

The Centre Avenue school is north of Main Street, and Rhame Avenue is south of Main. Residents of Bay Park attend Rhame Avenue. Each building now houses students from kindergarten through sixth grade.

The proposed plan would concentrate the district’s resources more efficiently and provide consistency in instruction and curriculum, Dutkowsky said.