MEET THE BAUMANN SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS
SCHOOLS
120101 PRES building sorely in need of some repairs
BY DON HEPPNER
Bruce Dennis, Bedford Central schools superintendent, visited Pound Ridge Elementary School (PRES) on Monday, Jan. 8, to meet with parents of students and other concerned citizens to discuss changes that might be made or are needed at the school.. "There was little done at Pound Ridge and West Patent from the last budget," Dr. Dennis said.
One aspect of Dr. Dennis' presentation focused on needed space. In this category, PRES faired better than other schools, with only two class-rooms needed to accommodate the burgeoning school population, according to a demographic study, including 10-year projections, con-ducted for the school district by the Western Suffolk BOCES Office of Planning.
The need for two additional class-rooms could be negated by moving two special education classes from PRES to West Patent.
The amount of money needed to expand and or repair the building has not been determined as of yet. A Citizens Facilities Advisory Committee, including four Pound Ridge residents — Homer Schoen, Mary McConville, Marc Vandenhoeck and Denise Moore — was formed to look into the conditions of the schools within the system and is expected to report to the school board in February. Once the board decides on the amount to be voted on, residents will go to the polls in October to vote on a bond issue.
On Monday, Dr. Dennis spent some time pointing out inequities in state aid. "We did not qualify for any aid in 1997, but Scarsdale received 20 percent aid from the state," he said, adding that there are schools upstate with swimming pools, yet Bedford Central does not have enough classroom space.
Dr. Dennis stressed the need to educate all of the residents in the district to the needs of the schools. It will be important to convince those without children in the school system, about 70 percent of the population, that the schools are in need of repair and how important public school education is for society as a whole so that residents without children in the system will vote "yes" to the upcoming budget, he said.
PRES is in desperate need for repair and renovation, if not for enlargement, according to Dr. Dennis. In a room devoted to a first grade class, water runs under the cement slab floor and causes a dampness that results in mildew, visible in black blotches on the ceiling. The dampness and mildew create a stench as one walks from the hallway into that and other classrooms.
Two classrooms in the basement house kindergartners. Mildew marks the white ceiling tiles and creates a repulsive odor.
Asbestos tiles exist throughout the hallways and are warped. The gym floor, also coated with asbestos tiles, has an area where there are no tiles, exposing the tar paste meant to glue the tiles to the floor.
Another class sits on top of an uninsulated heating pipe that runs along the basement ceiling. The temperature in that classroom fluctuates to such a degree that it becomes unbearably hot, compelling the teacher to let in the winter air, dirt and noise from outside in an effort to cool the room enough to make it comfortable.
Windows throughout the building are deteriorating. Money designated for PRES window repair in the last budget was diverted to middle school expansion costs. The windows have continued to rot.
Pupils' book bags impede passage in the halls because cubbyholes are too small to house the bags, which fall onto the floor. A bench in one hallway is falling apart and can not be used for seating.
Drafts are commonplace. An exit door in the basement between two kindergarten classrooms does not touch the floor, allowing a current of cold air to wend its way through the classrooms.
The library is also in need of attention. Book shelving is not the proper size to allow the children easy access, and the carpet is in need of replacement. "Everything in here is a hodgepodge," the school's principal, Roseanne Needleman, said.
Much of the Jan. 8 meeting focused on the continuing needs of Fox Lane high and middle schools. One PRES parent expressed the hope that "our elementary school would not be for-gotten."