Parents urge board to pause grade reconfiguration until later secondary start times are guaranteed

Hundreds of parents and community members told the Three Village Central School District Board of Education on March 5 that the planned grade reconfiguration — moving sixth graders to middle schools and ninth graders to Ward Melville High School — should be paused until later secondary school start times are guaranteed.

The public-comment period, which included in-person speakers and dozens of written submissions read into the record, repeatedly urged the board to delay the reconfiguration if the district cannot implement later high‑school and middle‑school start times at the same time. “If start times remain early, the student undergoing school transitions will be even more sleep deprived than they already are,” wrote Carmela Talercio, one of the correspondents read by staff.

Board and district officials told the workshop that the reconfiguration and start‑time proposals are linked in budgeting and scheduling but that the district faces a budget gap. Superintendent Dr. Timothy Scanlon and Business Official Mr. Jeff Carlson presented material showing the reconfiguration plan includes capital work estimated at roughly $2 million for high‑school renovations and that overall reconfiguration costs were previously discussed at about $3 million. Carlson said the district is building a budget to conform with a calculated tax levy limit of 2.78 percent and that a net increase in state aid proposed in the governor’s budget is roughly $238,000 but not final.

Why it matters: Parents and health advocates cited medical research on adolescent sleep and urged the board not to proceed with grade shifts that would expose sixth and ninth graders to earlier start times. Several correspondents said the administration had indicated start‑time changes would follow the restructuring; those parents said the district should not separate the two. Barbara Rosati, writing on behalf of a local parents’ group, said the district’s own survey shows most students get far less sleep than recommended and warned that restructuring without later start times would harm student well‑being.

Details and district responses: The superintendent said scheduling work and classroom assignments for next year are underway and that some renovation work to accommodate ninth graders at Ward Melville is planned for completion this summer. The administration pointed to an internal scheduling subcommittee that recommended adding four classrooms and two science labs at Ward Melville, and to an estimate that 105 class sections at the high school currently enroll fewer than 15 students, a factor the district says affects staffing and scheduling calculations.

Board members also acknowledged the financial squeeze that complicates timing. Mr. Carlson told the board the district faces a roughly $7.5 million gap between projected revenues and current staffing costs and highlighted major cost drivers: a projected $5.3 million increase in health insurance costs, transportation increases of about $1.1 million tied in part to start‑time changes, and other benefits and contractual salary increases. Several board members said they favor later start times but stressed the board must weigh the budget impact and consider using reserves or other one‑time measures as a bridge.

What parents asked for: Many written correspondences urged a pause. Common requests included: disclosure of full renovation and scheduling costs; assurance that later secondary start times will be in place before the grade move; continued phone‑free policies at the high school; and more community dialogue. Anthony Jetero, one of the in‑person speakers, said reconfiguration “costs us over $3,000,000” and argued for delaying the grade changes in favor of later start times.

Next steps: The board scheduled additional budget discussions on March 19 and April 9, with budget adoption tentatively set for the April 9 meeting and the district budget vote on May 20. Board members said they would continue negotiations with unions, review scheduling data and class sizes, and proceed with committee work on properties and transportation as part of longer planning.

Ending: Several board members and the superintendent said they recognize community concerns about student health and that they intend to continue working through budget trade‑offs, scheduling logistics and capital work before finalizing the reconfiguration timeline and implementation.