Hewlett-Woodmere Parents and Students Irked by Cuts to Discovery Program (Updated)

Update: The original article contained some inaccuracies. It was updated with more information on Wednesday.

Had it not been for the Discovery Program, Aviv Lipman may not have been able to become this year’s Hewlett High School valedictorian, the senior suggested at the district’s forum on the 2011-12 proposed budget.

“It wasn’t until I was in the Discovery Program that I felt challenged,” he said at last Wednesday’s forum. “I would neither be the learner nor the person I am today without the Discovery Program.”

The district has proposed a $103,388,325 budget for the next school, a 2.52 percent increase over last year’s budget and about $5 million less than double the $54,469,800 budget of the 2000-01 school year. And although some residents at the forum raised issues such as high administrator pay, excessive mailings and a reduced library budget, most of the students and parents who spoke were very concerned with a $100,000 — about 0.1 percent of the total budget — cut to the Discovery Program, which focuses on “gifted children who generally score at or above the 95th percentile on most standardized tests.”

“Even though they’re a minority, their needs are profound,” said Lisa Zaretsky Gershon, a North Woodmere parent of a Discovery student. “We need to look at this as a whole. We cannot think offering less will equal out. I think it’s a mistake and I think you need to rethink it.”

Under the proposal, there would only be two teachers, down from three, serving the same number of Discovery students in elementary and middle schools, according to the district. Modificications will have to be made to classes to accomodate the proposed change.

This led many at the forum to fear that class sizes will incease.

"The discovery program benefitted me so much. Before I joined the program, I found I was bored with my classes," said high school freshman Shana Farkas. "Working with a small group of students, we became a tight-knit family. If we make our classes bigger, we’d lost that family."

At the middle school, the proposed cut will only affect eighth graders in the program, according to middle school principal Richard Berkowitz. Presently, Discovery students in eighth grade can choose to give up some of their lunch periods to attend Discovery lab. Under the cuts, that option would be removed. There are eight eighth grade students who attend the lunchtime Discovery lab this year, Berkowitz said.

This does not sit well with Donna Rodolitz of Hewlett, a member of SEPTA that focuses on talented and gifted students. “It’s a little biased to say eighth graders don’t want to give up their lunch,” she said. “These teachers are their social workers. It’s about the overall message we send to our kids.”

But Berkowitz and district administrators argued that the students would be able to have the same opportunities. “When a student doesn’t go to a Discovery lab, it doesn’t mean they’re not being challenged,” he said. “There’s only so much time in the day. A hallmark of middle school education is heterogeneously grouped classes.”

Superintendent Dr. Joyce Bisso said that gifted middle school students have the chance to take three high school credits. “I don’t want us to think of this program as one-dimensional,” she said. “No one is going to be left out on either end of the spectrum.”

A new Discovery-like after-school program that is open to all students would also be added at the middle school.

The proposed budget calls for $817,472 for Library Media Services, a 21.45 percent drop from last year. Much of the reductions are cuts in the library budget at the elementary level.

There will also be a $200,000 reduction in the tablet program, according to Assistant Superintendent of Business Dr. Peter Weber. The change will allow the program to extend to ninth graders and let students use their own devices, he said. Weber added that the high cost of SMART Boards “is behind us.”

Board of Education members remained quiet throughout the forum as to listen to the concerns of the community, President Stephanie Gould said.

The district will also be paying 9.41 percent more for employee benefits under its proposed budget, due in part to rising pension costs and a shifting of expenses from the state. Weber explained that salaries and benefits account for a whopping 72 percent of the budget.

Still, for a district that has been comfortable with paying a high and rising price for education, even a small reduction in its gifted program — which many residents said they moved to the community for — is unacceptable.  And the repercussions may even be felt with a future tax base.

“If we lose that draw, our kids won’t be around these bright kids,” said Scott McInnes, of Hewlett. “Our spending has increased 89 percent over the last 10 years. If people don’t see us the way we do, they’re not going to come here and pay our taxes.”