Valley Stream high school board supports consolidation study

Following District 24’s option to not participate in a consolidation study, the Central High School District Board of Education voted to explore a plan to consolidate with Districts 13 and 30, which have already approved the idea.

Board members voted 7-1 in favor of looking into a consolidation study about merging the Valley Stream districts at a board meeting on Feb. 8. Board Vice President Jeanne Greco Jacobs initiated the resolution, which she said she believed needed to be discussed.

“I just note the importance of the issue at this time with respect to the education of the students, the potential of [the study] and the financial savings of properly educating secondary students in a K-12 district as opposed to each component district,” Greco Jacobs said.

The possibility of consolidation has been an idea that was talked about by Valley Stream district officials over the last couple of years. Board members in the high school district had discussed the idea at the end of last year. Greco Jacobs said that board members could go back to their elementary boards about the idea to reach a consensus between all four districts.

However, Board President Ken Cummings said that consolidation can be done with just the three districts — 13, 30, and the high school. Several board members said that the three districts could merge as long as the outlying district could have its own high school within its territory. Elise Antonelli, who also serves as president of the District 30 Board of Education in addition to being a high school board member, said her elementary district consulted with their attorney about the legalities if the three districts consolidate, but that the high school district would have to consult its attorney as well.

The study’s cost was another big issue, which concerned Tony Iadevaio, who represents District 24. He wondered whether the district’s residents should be taxed for the cost of study. “It the elementary districts are hit with the same piece [of money] as the high school district, could you be paying twice?” he asked.

Iadevaio, who the only high school trustee voting against the study, said that when the study was brought up previously, the cost estimate was $110,000. Greg Guercio, the board’s attorney, said the resolution was just to decide whether to join the study and to expend funds, calling it an “expenditure resolution.” He added that the district has its own “expenditure authority” to conduct studies and spend taxpayer funds for those studies.

The board was not voting on cost, but on their interest in consolidation going forward, Greco Jacobs said. She said that there are no legal impediments to entering into a discussion about a study.

Cummings offered these words: “At this point, the issue is a preliminary one to find out if there is an interest. We got a lot of people from the public asking about looking into consolidation and thinking about it….we are asking questions like what would be involved in a study, the costs and if there is money available for aid to do it. We will then say in public whether we think its worthwhile or not, but we need more information. The possibility of consolidation is far away.”