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Enrollment in Garrison Schools Climbs Nearly 5 Percent
Garrison School Building's 100-year anniversary celebration gets underway with committee formation
by Margaret Sternberg
Attendance numbers for 2007-8, announced at the September 7, 2007 meeting of the Garrison Board of Education, show a nearly 5 percent increase in enrollment for grades K-8 in the district. Attendance rose to 285 students from 272 at the same point in 2006. In the two years prior, attendance had been in the mid-290's. Most of the growth came in grades K-5, which saw an increase of 11 students
Attendance in the two receiving high schools dropped slightly, going from 85 students in 2006 to 81 in 2007. In 2006, 36 students attended Haldane and 49 attended O'Neill High School. In 2007, attendance is equal, with 40 students attending Haldane and 41 attending O'Neill.
Turning to the transportation of those students, Director of Maintenance Richard Timmons discussed the changing of some of the bus routes, which had resulted in some calls to the Administration from concern that the children were riding on the buses at different times this year versus last.
Timmons said that most changes had been to the yellow and red buses, with some changes to the blue. Some routes that resulted in buses passing one another were eliminated, allowing for slightly shorter trip times where routes had been eliminated and the trips consolidated.
Superintendent Gloria Colucci explained that the bus routes had been arranged so that the children all have a more equal share of the rides, with the children who have the shorter rides in the morning having a longer ride in the afternoon, with a few exceptions.
The possibility of adding another bus route at an approximately $60,000 cost was briefly explored, and the Board again noted that the bus routes are developed with the safety of the children and economy of the district foremost in mind.
Superintendent Colucci also noted there are far more children riding the buses this year than last, a possible result of the revised routes.
Board President Anita Prentice seemed to officially begin the school's move toward planning its 100-year anniversary of the old school building celebration with a handout of a copy of the November 3, 1866 resolution changing the "District School" into a Union Free School [District], conforming to provisions of NYS Laws.
Prentice said that a committee is forming, including one person from the Putnam County Historical Society, town historian Don MacDonald, Trustee Eric Jacoby and several others so far. Names were also suggested of people who might hold the school's historical memory, and there was general discussion as to exactly what things would comprise the celebration going forward, although nothing was decided due to the planning being in early stages.
There was no substantive St. Basil update that evening because there has been no word yet on any of the motions pending in Albany regarding the current litigation.
The Board approved a resolution moving the starting time of the regular school board meeting to 7:30pm after several trustees noted they will be having difficulty in the future making the current 7pm starting time due to schedule conflicts. The new starting time will go into effect immediately.
The next meeting of the Garrison Board of Education will be Wednesday, September 26, at 7:30pm.
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