Three Village superintendent says district's finances are improving even as it braces for large teacher retirements
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. Scalens told the community the district is in a stronger financial position heading into budget season after cuts and attrition, but warned 370 of 530 teachers are expected to retire in the next decade; he also highlighted achievements and partnerships including AP course offerings and a Suffolk Community College agreement.
Dr. Scalens, superintendent of the Three Village Central School District, told the community the district is entering budget season from a stronger financial position because of program changes, cuts and attrition, but that it faces a significant staffing challenge: he said the district expects 370 of its 530 teachers to retire in the next 10 years.
"This district will have 370 of its 530 teachers retiring in the next 10 years," Dr. Scalens said, calling the wave of retirements a "major cost savings" but also a "major brain drain" that will require hiring high-quality teachers to maintain academic standards.
He highlighted student outcomes and programs: the district's graduation rates "always hover between 97 and 98 percent," he said, and the district "only sends out 0.8 percent of our special needs population," which he presented as evidence of high passing rates for students with special needs compared with nearby Nassau and Suffolk County districts. He also said the district ranked in the top 100 in the United States on Niche.
On programming, Dr. Scalens noted the Career Jump Start program and an Industry Advisory Board career fair that he said drew more than 80 businesses and hundreds of students and parents; he credited Eileen Littman for running career programs. He said the district has the largest number of AP courses in the region and is expanding career and technical education. He also said the district renewed a partnership with Suffolk Community College identifying "over 65 courses" for students to earn college credit.
Dr. Scalens encouraged the public to review online budget presentations and emphasized the need to hire strong teachers to replace the expected retirements. He did not announce specific hiring plans or budget line items.
