Residents urged to oppose closure of Northeast School in Amityville

The fight to save an Amityville elementary school continued Sunday night, with civic leaders urging concerned residents to speak up against its potential closure.

Advocates urged dozens in the pews of Prayer Tabernacle Church of God in Christ to turn out at a school board meeting this week to show support for keeping Northeast School open as the district contemplates cost-saving measures.

“This landmark should never be considered being closed because it means so much to this community in many ways,” Bishop Walter Willie Jr. said to the audience, pointing out that it is the only Amityville school building in "the heart of the African American community."

The future of Northeast School has remained uncertain since at least September, when Amityville schools Superintendent Gina Talbert said the school board had yet to decide whether the location should shutter to save money in the face of a budget shortfall, Newsday has reported.

The district contemplated closing the school, used for prekindergarten and three classes for children with special needs, this past spring due to a multi-million-dollar budget deficit. The building remained open thanks to a one-time infusion of $2 million in state aid, Newsday reported.

Proponents for the school point out the historic value of the site, which was the former location of Colored School No. 6.

That school was built in 1871 for children of color in North Amityville and closed in 1895 with the integration of the first Amityville high school, Park North.

Northeast School was built in 1952, said civic leader Madeline Quintyne-McConney, who graduated from the Amityville school district.

The district opened its prekindergarten program in 1986 to educate 4-year-old children and extended the half-day program to full day after the district was awarded a grant in 2020, she said.  

To audience members, she pointed out the school is also among the largest polling sites in Suffolk County.

“We cannot afford to let Northeast School go to the wayside after so many of our community leaders fought hard to keep it there,” Quintyne-McConney said. “We are so proud of this community and if we’re not proud of it, and we don’t take action, then shame on us. We cannot afford to let it go … We need that school there.”

Patricia Hobson, 61, of North Amityville, also urged the crowd to speak up for the school at school board meetings.

"If they close the school, while they think it will solve one problem, it's going to create more," she said, such as overcrowding in other schools.

Across Long Island, more districts have started to offer or expand pre-K education programs, Newsday has reported. Wait lists for those programs in some districts have continued to grow.

Prekindergarten programs can save money for working parents, who would otherwise need to shell out funds for child care, Newsday has reported.

Research shows children who attend prekindergarten are more likely to graduate high school and attend college, Newsday has reported. Participation in early education programs can also facilitate earlier intervention for children with special needs. 

Quintyne-McConney highlighted the value of early education, in addition to the important role the school plays for many families in the district community by providing resources, such as meals, to children without enough to eat.  

"It's important that we get them while they're young," she said. 

A school board member and the principal of Northeast both attended Sunday's community meeting but declined to comment. 

Hobson, whose children graduated from the Amityville district, faced the crowd and asked, "How many of you plan on showing up Wednesday?"

Nearly everyone raised their hands. 

Brenda Moore, 63, of Wyandanch, said after the meeting that she attended to show support for Northeast School and her community. While she doesn't have children of her own in the district, she has family and neighbors with kids who attend Amityville schools.

"It's important that we stand together," she said.

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.