The Wantagh Board of Education made it official on Thursday night that it is opposed to New York State’s regionalization plan.
The board met at Wantagh High School Dec. 12 to approve the minutes from their previous planning meeting Nov. 27. That meeting is where the school district discussed opting out of the state’s regionalization initiative that many Long Island districts have pushed back on.
“The board came up strongly against the plan,” Wantagh Superintendent John McNamara said at Thursday’s meeting. “We’re concerned over some loss of resources potentially to our district.”
McNamara added that the school district wrote several letters to the State Education Department regarding the plan and that Wantagh School District joined other local districts in an Article 78 proceeding challenging the decision in state court.
The district released information about its decision on the plan on Nov. 25, the final day of a 60-day period where public comment was allowed on the topic by the State Education Department.
“While the intention may be to promote equity and efficiency, we believe that this plan could significantly undermine local governance and educational quality,” the letter said. “Our primary concern is that it may lead to the diversion of essential resources from our district, ultimately affecting the quality of education our students receive. We believe that decisions regarding our educational system should be made within our community, reflecting the unique needs and values of our students and families.” The district also added that its goal for joining the legal proceeding is to ensure that the community’s voice is heard and to make sure the state is aware that the educational needs of Wantagh’s students come first.
This statement echoes what other districts have said about wanting to stay in control of their funding. The Regionalization Initiative is intended to close regional gaps between districts through collaboration in teacher recruitment, advanced course offerings, and funding and aid. according to its website. The language of the plan was then changed on Monday, Dec. 10, by the state’s Board of Regents to state that regionalization would be voluntary and that districts would have the option of not participating in the planning process.
“The state did make some adjustments, and they have moved ahead with some of those adjustments, but not as many of you (would have) liked to have seen,” McNamara said as the Wantagh Board of Education officially approved their actions on Thursday.
