BOE Decides Against Closing Schools

No schools will be closing in Half Hollow Hills for the 2013-14 school year.

According to Newsday, Hills Board of Education President James Ptucha announced this week that “no schools with children in them” will be closed next year.

Early last month, school district officials spoke of the possibility of having to close at least one of three schools to help eliminate a $9.5 million budget gap. On the radar for possible closure were Chestnut Hill Elementary School, Candlewood Middle School and Hills West High School.

Anne Marie Marrone Caliendo, the district’s superintendent for finances and facilities, said at a January BOE meeting that the board would need to cut about $9.5 million from the 2013-14 school budget or put forth a spending plan that would include an 8.5 percent tax increase in order to maintain existing programs.

“We know those two numbers are not palatable, so we have more to do,” she said at the January meeting.

Ptucha also said the board of education has chosen to keep a number of student programs including full-day kindergarten, the elementary music program, the high school’s academic research program and the current nine-period schedule at the high schools. On the chopping block is elementary health and both middle schools will shift to an eight-period day from the current nine-period day.

The board president said that as the budget formation process continues the BOE still needs to reduce the 2013-14 spending plan by more than $9 million before sending it to voters in May.