;)
The Kings Park School District is accustomed to overcoming challenges. Every school budget cycle is a reminder of how small a district it is and how precious every tax dollar is. Capitol expenditures are carefully planned and budgeted for with an eye on what is absolutely necessary. The district’s new challenge was delivered by Hurricane Sandy early Monday evening when its winds took the roof off Park View School.
According to Kings Park School Superintendent Dr.Susan Agruso the wind didn’t blow the roof off, it peeled it off. The difference between blown away and peeled is insignificant because the roof has to be replaced and the K-3 students at Park View are to be displaced immediately.
The school district has two K-3, schools Robert J. Osgood ( RJO) and Park View. With damage at Park View the district faced several challenges, where to house the displaced students and how to get the message out to families with children attending the school when a hurricane took out the power, phone and email capability?
It turns out that in this particular district getting the message out was no problem. A meeting for Park View parents was to be held on Thursday afternoon at the High School, which due to Hurricane Sandy, had no power. The district set the meeting for 4pm when there would still be natural light and set up a generator to do the presentation. They counted on phone calls, signs posted in local businesses and at the fire department and word of mouth to get the message to the Park View School families that there would be a meeting. It worked and according to Dr. Agruso, almost seven hundred people showed up, most without power in their own homes, to hear what the School Board had to say.
According to Dr. Agruso , after being alerted to the Park View School roof situation, the engineering firm H2M was contacted and brought in a contractor who is already working with the district’s insurance provider. The cost of the roof is estimated to be over $1 million. The district, which has a five thousand dollar deductible on its insurance, expects insurance to cover most costs and FEMA to pick up the remaining expenses. Dr. Agruso is hopeful that the new roof will not end up costing the district anything.
The challenge of where to put the students will be dealt with by placing the third graders in RJO and the K-2 in the District’s Administrative Building on Lawrence Ave. The students will have the same teachers, bus stops and activities except for those in the Administrative Bldg. where there is no kitchen or lunch facility. In a “back to the future” moment, students will bring their own lunch or paper bag lunches will be provided.
Items that could be salvaged from Park View were being cleaned and brought over to the Admin. Building. Some items suffered water damage and need to be replaced. On Friday members of the custodial staff were busy cleaning and moving items and were being assisted by some members of the community who have volunteered to help.
The district is hoping to have the roof project completed sometime in December with students back in their school in December or January. According to Dr. Agruso, parents were satisfied with the proposed plan for the students. With the roof crisis under control, Dr. Agruso can now turn her attention to power beng returned to the district’s buildings and getting the kids back to school.