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Schools

Special Education, Transportation Highlight Sayville School Board Meeting

Volunteers and athletic accomplishments also recognized at Thursday's meeting.

Bringing an elementary level, personalized special education program based on specific student needs as well as the new common core standards was presented at the Dec. 8 Sayville School District Board of Education meeting.

Dr. Gerry Sullivan Keck, deputy superintendent and Mary Bohleber, coordinator of special education, worked hand-in-hand with professionals and parents to bring this kind of special education program to the Sayville School District. Currently, numerous students with special needs go out of district for their education.

The 'Program to Access Learning for Students' (PALS) would be able to accommodate up to 12 students in two classrooms on a 6:1:1 ratio at .

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“This would bring Sayville students back to Sayville,” Bohleber said. “The program is adapted to the abilities and learning styles of individual students.”

Based on the eight students anticipated for enrollment next year, the cost of the program would be $886,000. The district would realize a cost savings of $326,000 from four students returning from out of district, leaving a net cost of $560,000.

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Also on the board’s agenda was a discussion about the recent transportation committee meeting. Dr. Walter Schartner, superintendent of schools, announced that the committee decided the best way to proceed is to unify the K-5 transportation. Right now, students in K-2 are bused if they live more than a half mile away from the school, but the distance jumps to a mile for third to fifth graders. Under the unified system, all elementary children who live a half mile or more from the school will receive busing.

According to John Belmonte, assistant superintendent of business, the district will be able to unify the transportation at no additional cost. By maximizing the number of students per bus, between 50-59 children, there will be increased ridership but the buses still won’t be at capacity, Schartner said.

Two hundred and thirty one more students will be eligible to ride the bus, according to the new unified process (55 from Cherry, 120 from Lincoln and 56 from Sunrise Drive). The unification must be done through voter referendum, so the public needs to be educated that there will be no additional cost, Schartner added.

A community forum will be held on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium to discuss the matter as well as the school budget and tax levy.

Students and athletes were also recognized by the Board of Education at the meeting. Tom Murray, middle school principal, presented citations to student volunteers who performed anywhere from 50 to 100 hours of community service. More than 60 students were honored.

Athletic director Dennis Maloney presented citations to the Girls Varsity Field Hockey Team and the Varsity Football Team. This fall, Sayville had six League Championship teams. All of the teams were scholar/athlete teams. Sixty-one athletes from Sayville were recognized with post-season honors. Three teams were Suffolk County finalists and five teams went undefeated for the season. Six athletes were honored as All-State players. Six coaches were named Coach of the Year.

“These are the most humble group of student athletes,” Maloney said. “They know they are only as good as the people around them.”

After an undefeated season, the won the Suffolk County Small School Championship as well as the Section 11 Sportsmanship Award. The Varsity Football Team also went undefeated, taking home the Suffolk County Championship and winning the as the Long Island Champions.

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