Bethpage-Tribune_1972-09-14

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Island Trees Serving Bethpage - Plainview - Island Trees - Plainedge - Seaford
Vol. 6 No. 45
Old Bethpage
Thursday, September 14,1972 10c per copy tag
Bethpage School
By Mary McCutcheon and Lorraine Carley Board Report
The regular monthly meeting
of the Bethpage Board of
Education was held on Tuesday,
August 29, at 8 p.m., in the Beth­page
High School Auditorium
rather than the Board Room,
since a large attendance was
anticipated: All Board members
were present with the exception
of Mr. Gorman and ap­proximately
60 people were in the
audience.
„.v Two -motions- -we**** JiT-ought
before the Board by Mr. LoFaso:
the first, to revert Pine and
Kramer Schools back to the
organizational structure of last
year; the second, to make one
principal in each school. Both
motions were defeated since
there were not four votes to
carry.
Prior to the voting, Mr. Slavin
opened the meeting to 45 minutes
representing the Bethpage
Educational League, addressed
the Board stating that ... her
group was committed to protect
the educational instruction of
children. She commended the
Board of Education for giving
Central Boulevard School a
competent principal, however,
objected to making Pine and
Kramer Schools one school
complex, having one principal
and felt this was unsound for 1136
students. She contended it would
be difficult to protect the children
from an incompetent teacher,
with one principal, since the
responsibility would increase
from 25 teachers to 67... The
principal that is assigned is
competent, but unfortunately
1136 students are short changed,
the argued.
Another parent expressed the
opinion that the psychology of the
\ Board is to treat the school
district as a plant or large
organization and not a place for
human element. She also quoted
statistics on special dispersion
and quoted laws from the Rand
Corporation.
Mr. LoFaso stated that he
never supported the two schools
being made one complex and was
not present to record his feelings.
He referred to the achievement
scores from Bloomingdale
School which were less than other
elementary schools and felt they
should devote more ad­ministration
to education. Also he
stated that parents will go
directly to the principal rather
than through "channels."
A parent asked about the
Central Boulevard School during,
the 1970-71 school year, when the
principal was on sabbatical. Dr.
Larsen informed him that Dr.
Richmond was appointed acting
principal. At the time, there
were approximately 1020
students' miite school and Miss
Claney from Pine and
Kramer Schools, served as a part
time assistant principal. As a
comparison. Pine > and Kramer
Schools each had 550 students.
Another taxpayer made
severam>mments: his neighbors
are moving because of high
taxes; why can't everyone do
their share of work in the school
system; there is nothing wrong if
you can save without sacrificing
education, why is another
principal going to make a dif­ference;
the principal assigns the
work and the chain of command
does their share of the work, this
Board of Education is hot getting
support because most people are
working two jobs.
A parent asked the Board to
specify the purpose of the
reduction of one principal. Mr.
Slavin stated that he would like to
approach the subject forthrightly
and honestly and asked the
audience to put themslves in the
position of the school board with
the responsibility to administer
to all the students in the district.
., For four or five years in a
school, a person did not meet the
standards of Bethpage, he ex­plained.
On the basis of in­formation
from parents, teachers
and students, the Board was
convinced that the ad­ministration
of Central Blvd.
School, the largest elementary
school in the district, was not run
properly. Students in the school
have never had the benefit of a
first rate administration; the
removal of .the principal was long
overdue, said Slavin.
The Board selected a principal
who is highly regarded in the
district-arid will do a job that
should have been done years ago,
along with an assistant principal
who is familiar with the school,
Mr. Slavin continued. Then the
board considered its respon­sibility
to the Pine and Kramer
complex and recognized that they
had one principal with Vz a school
and one principal with Vz a school
and, he added. "It is not
privileged information and you
should know that our principals
in the district earn from $20,000 to
$30,000 a year" he said, the
highest paid principal being in
charge of a K - 3 school. The
Board considered this
uneconomical in regard to
money, ability and experience,
Mr. Slavin continued.
Dr. Rpckhill the new principal
is competent, responsible and
capable to administer grades K -
6 in two buildings with an
assistant principal who is
thoroughly familiar with the
complex added the '.' Board'
President. "We are not
disregarding the humanity of
children ,,: the 283 students from
Bloomingdale School are
assigned to two schools that we
consider, on the information
given to us by Dr. Larsen, to be
two-well run buildings"., he
claimed. Putting the students in
the charge of Dr. Rockhi»
and Miss Clancy, also gives
them a smooth transition from
third to fourth grade. For all
tl. >se reasons, the Board of
Eojcation feels their decision
represents an intelligent and
responsible utilization of staff ...
A parent stated that Central
Blvd. School should have a good
principal, but why lower the
standards of Pine and Kramer ...
there are others in the district
who could have done just as well
without removing our principal
from Kramer. Mr. Slavin replied
that Dr. Rockhill is indefinately
assigned to Pine and Kramer-
Schools and Mr. Blau is in­definately
-•- assigned~hr Central
Blvd. School.
A parent asked Mr. Cotton and
Mr. Iannello to state their views
on the complex. They answered
respectively that they agreed
with Mr. LoFaso that the schools
should remain two separate
schools, with two separate prin­cipals.
Mr. Miklas commented
that the issue of Pine and Kramer
Schools was not new, and he
claimed the old school board
made studies and even discussed
tunnels and passages through the
two schools so that it would be
made one school. They did not
act, but the issue never died.
Mrs. Regan stated that .. "we
had one thing in mind when we
came on to this Board of
Education -- accountibility... we
demanded it from the beginning
and now we are-finally getting it.
"Mrs. Regan referred to
documents she held in her hand
stating that they were personal
records of children at Central
Blvd. School that were found in
garbage pails behind the school
by children in the neighborhood.
The records were official school
records concerning children's
d i s a b i l i t i e s , d e f e c t s,
psychological referrals. She thus
attempted to point out the need
for accountibility at the ad­ministrative
level.
OTHER ACTIONS
As an information item, Dr..
Larsen reported that the traffic
signs in the high school parking
area will be changed by Sep­tember
25.
Three additional people were
appointed to the Bloomingdale
Advisory Committee, I. Busch,
E. Amnion and M. Tuechler.
Future meetings dates of the
Bloomingdale Advisory Com­mittee,
will be placed in the
educational bulletin. The Board
also approved the cafeteria
committee for the 1972-73 school
' year. The minutes of July 25 and
August 8 and 14, 1972, were ap­proved
as corrected. There was a
discrepancy in the minutes of
July 25 and August 8th on the
figure for resurfacing; July 25
showing $18,291 and Aug. 8
showing $24,480.
There will be a statewide
conference on Physical
Education for Handicapped
Children at. Ithaca College, Oc­tober
1 - 3, 1972. •
Mr. Slavin referred to a letter
from the Bethpage Association of
Midget Football, concerning the
use of the high school field. They
stated that they had made a
(Continued on Page t>)
Tea-Taster Is Kiwanis Guest
TEA TASTER TO TALK - Details of a little - known occupation which
shows no signs of yielding to automation will be outlined to members
of the Bethpage Kiwanis Club on Sept. 19 at Francesco's Restaurant
when they hear Guest Speaker Kenneth Rapieff, tea taster from the
Tea Council of the U.S.A.
Tea Tasting is a highly specialized job. In fact, there are probably
no more than 60 qualified tea tasters in the United States, tasting teas
that come into this country and blending, from over 2,000 varieties,
those that produce the special flavor the public prefers.
Well - versed in his subject, Rapieff's talk for the Kiwanis Club will
include historical and legendary data on tea and stress the im­portance
that tea has played in the economic: structure of the world.
In his demonstration, the tea taster wiUshow the difference between
black, green and oolong teas and ti?ace the progress of tea from the
seed stage through the cultivation and processing of the leaves. A
question and answer period will follow the presentation.
In addition to his' tea tasting activities, Mr. Rapieff has lectured
widely and has, in the past, served as special events reporter for the
Yankee Network in Boston and announcer at NBC in New York.
WINNERS TAKE ALL. Achievement Awards were
presented to these students at commencement exer­cises
of The School of Practical Nursing of The Com­munity
Hospital at Glen Cove, L.I. Seated left to right
are Mrs. Elaine. Lorabardo, Glen Cove; Ann Duffy,
Bethpage; Mrs. Regina Kreitzman, Seaford. Standing
left to right are Mrs. Lizzi Campbell, Great Neck; Mr.
Joseph Cavalleri, Williston Park and Donna Gabrus,
Glen Cove.