Board of Ed Forms Long-Term Building Committee

The Huntington Board of Education approved Monday the formation of a building committee to address long-term capacity issues in the district.

Following the May 19 approval of the proposed budget,  Board President Bill Dwyer said the first order of business when the board reconvened would be developing a long-term plan.

To that end, at the board's meeting Monday Roger Smith of BBS Architecture presented "ideas and recommendations" on committee formats that he has seen work in other districts.

Smith's suggestion was that it consists of building principals, board members, district parents and residents without children in district schools.

"This is not my own invention of thought," Smith said. "We've had projects where we need to put a group together there will be upwards of 40 people on the committee—an unwielding amount perhaps—but we've helped facilitate these. We can help you try to get through this process.  For the board's purpose this is a suggestion of committee. If you see something that is wrong or think something should be different that's what this is about."

He said the board needs to decide who is on the committee and what their mission is.

In a 4-3 split that has become commonplace on this board, trustees Rich McGrath, John Paci and Elizabeth Black voted against the formation of the committee while Dwyer, Vice President Emily Rogan and trustees Christine Bene and Kim  Brown votes for the proposal.

Despite voting against it, Paci volunteered to represent the board on the committee, as did Bene.

The board also voted to allow outgoing PTA presidents from each of the schools to make recommendations for the committee, upon Smith's recommendation.

"The reason I reached out through the PTAs is they're established. They're involved. The parents are involved parents. There is a succession of thought."

Trustee Brown said she didn't feel the committee needed to include all six building K-6 principals. Bene disagreed. "The principals know their schools the best. Each one knows their school better than anyone. And if you have a principal from one school and a teacher from another, they're not equal and I want it to be equal."

Smith also detailed the short-term plan to bring modulars to the district but he doesn't see them being ready to use until the spring semester of 2011.