South Huntington officials unveil proposals to realign schools, look to expand pre-K   

South Huntington school officials have shared details of their proposals to reconfigure the district’s elementary schools — a move that would expand the prekindergarten program but which was met with concerns and questions by parents.

Schools Superintendent Vito D'Elia, at a school board meeting Tuesday, presented four options being considered. In addition to expanding pre-K, he said, the district is seeking to move away from portable classrooms and increase its school bus fleet.

"We’re still at that stage of gathering more information for everybody ... regarding what potential decision might be made down the road," he told Newsday.

However, some parents were concerned that some academic opportunities, and rezoning with diversity in mind, might be overlooked. 

The schools impacted by the proposal include the Countrywood and Oakwood primary centers, which serve kindergarten-to-second-grade students; the Birchwood and Maplewood intermediate schools, which house grades 3-5; and Silas Wood, which is a sixth-grade center.

The district also is planning to reincorporate the former Memorial Junior High School building, which is currently being leased by a private school.

Exploring four options 

Officials are considering these options:

• Option A would convert the Silas Wood center into a universal pre-K center. Countrywood, Oakwood, Maplewood and Birchwood would become K-4, while the Memorial building would house fifth- and sixth-graders.
• In Option B, Memorial would house pre-K and sixth-grade students. The other schools would become K-5 buildings.
• Option C requires the least number of changes but proposes that Memorial house grade 6 and Silas Wood become the pre-K center.
• Option D would provide the most changes: Countrywood and Oakwood would become K-1 buildings, while Maplewood and Birchwood would house second- and third-graders. All four of those schools also would provide universal pre-K classes. Memorial would be the new home for fourth- and fifth-graders, while Silas Wood would remain a sixth-grade center. 

The cost of most of the options over the next five years would range from nearly $9 million to more than $14 million, according to the district. That includes construction costs, staffing and bus purchases. For Option C, however, the district estimates costs of construction to replace four portable buildings at potentially $20 million.

The changes also would impact bus times and routes. 

District officials said they're aiming to incorporate the changes for the 2026-27 school year, but it's unclear when the board will approve a plan. This week's meeting was the first of several to be held on the topic this month. 

The district currently seats 150 prekindergarten students and has a waitlist of about 60 students. The proposals, according to D’Elia, create an opportunity to more than double that number of seats. He noted that the district lost more than $900,000 in state aid allocated for pre-K classes because of the lack of space.

While many of the parents said they supported the push for pre-K seats, they also expressed concerns about how the reconfiguration would affect other parts of the schools.

Parents' concerns: Busing, costs, more 

Cortney Enderle, a parent with two children in the district, said the presentation left her with unanswered questions about cost and how the changes would impact her children’s extracurricular activities and academics.

"If we’re introducing more kids into the program, I just don’t see how everyone is going to get a fair chance in that," she said regarding a theater program in which her children are enrolled. " ... They need to make sure our current students are supported."

Enderle, 35, of Huntington Station, also echoed a concern voiced throughout Tuesday’s meeting regarding an option that would place younger students on school buses with older kids.

Patricia Swanson, 38, of Huntington Station, asked school officials to address how the change would impact "the diversity of students, not only based on race, but also socioeconomic status."

"Who is being the voice for those parents and those students who have more hurdles in their education?" said Swanson, who has two children in the district.

Dana Padilla-Vinces, 30, of Huntington, echoed that worry, adding that she is concerned that the changes could create a "segregated environment."

School officials highlighted the diversity of the district during the presentation. It was noted that 53% of students are Hispanic, 31% are white, 7% are Black or African American, and 5% are Asian, while the remaining 4% were two or more races.

D’Elia said current boundaries within the district were developed about 30 years ago and have been equitable. "In any plan we have moving forward, we would want to keep that diversity," he said.