Family Community Life Center voted down
In a split vote, the school board once again voted against the proposed Family Community Life Center in a “sense of the board” motion last night.
The Rev. Charles Coverdale and Shirley Coverdale each gave an impassioned speech prior to the vote. “Bless this with your name and your vote and don’t be against it for some reasons unbeknownst to us,” the pastor pleaded.
He also took issue with the term “Coverdale Project” being used by some in the community to reference the community center, noting that the history of this project started more than 23 years ago.
Since then, the First Baptist Church has purchased land under the caveat that the land would be used on behalf of the community, not specifically the First Baptist Church.
Shirley Coverdale noted that there is precedent for a vote of this kind, citing the fact that the Board has historically worked with organizations who were proposing to build a YMCA in the Riverhead Area. “This is not only customary and usual, but there is precedent for it with your own board and your organization,” she said.
Frustrated by the previous vote by the board on July 7, Shirley Coverdale stated that “this reluctance to do something so simple, so obviously beneficial to the students and families and your own personnel is a pretext for your hesitation to deal with the inclusivity and the diversity and the growing diversity of our community.
“I think it is really insulting to suggest that our motives are anything other than for the benefit of the entire community,” she added. “I am really insulted by some of your board members’ attempts to marginalize the importance of this project by suggesting that it is the child of two people, rather than an initiative that is executed and supported by the First Baptist Church of Riverhead, and then carried out by an organization that they gave birth to – that is its own incorporated nonprofit entity, that has a board of directors to whom I answer. And to suggest otherwise is demeaning and disingenuous and sows seeds of disinformation to the public, regardless of any action you may take.”
When it came time to vote, board members Amy Lantz, Christopher Dorr and Ann Cotten-DeGrasse each spoke stating their position that, regardless of individual feelings about the project, the issue of the 125 housing units being built would add numerous students to the district.
“While I appreciate what Reverend and Mrs. Coverdale said, there is no mention of the 125 apartments that are proposed along with the Family Life Center,” said Cotten-DeGrasse. “I was part of the group that was negotiating with the YMCA. There was no housing attached to that. I am not opposed to the community life center, I am opposed to the apartments that are attached to it that will bring children into this district at the rate of approximately $16,000 per student.”
“No one has ever questioned or challenged your good intentions,” said Lantz. “I have to agree with what Mrs. DeGrasse said in regard to have a responsibility to the taxpayers.”
“I am bothered with how much of this was brought up with race,” said Dorr. “This is not a race issue at all. This is a financial issue.”
He added that he was “almost sure” that “the first thing that is going to be built is the housing. If the money runs out with the housing, then the other parts would never be built. Then we would end up with the housing and students that we would have to educate” without any remuneration.
Greg Meyer and Kim Ligon both voted in favor of the resolution. Susan Koukounas abstained, and Lori Hulse was not in attendance. The other three board members voted against it.
The board of education has no formal authority to approve or reject the proposed plan; that authority rests with town and county officials.
Former school board member James “Butch” Langhorn, who arrived after the vote, said he thought the board made a “major mistake.” He acknowledged that it is likely that there would be an increase in students over the next five years, but noted that “the matter is you need something to do for people in Riverhead.”
“I don’t know what’s in your folks’ minds when you think about something like this,” he said. “I’m sorry I missed the meeting because I would’ve liked to have heard some of the discussion. I am sorry to hear it. I’m sure some of you folks will be saying maybe we should’ve taken a better look at it.”
Adult men in class with 14 year-old girls?
Wayne Galante of Riverhead spoke before the board of his distress upon learning that his 14 year-old freshman daughter is sharing her science and gym classes with “a 20 year-old illegal alien male that nobody knows what his school records are, nobody knows what his health records are. I want to know how this is allowed to happen that a 20 year-old man can be in the classroom with 14 year-old girls.”
Clearly upset by the explanation from Koukounas that the district is bound to follow the New York State laws, he demanded, “Who’s responsible, God forbid, if something happens between a 20 year-old illegal alien man who’s in a class with 14 year-old girls, you’re telling me you can’t do anything about it?”
Superintendent Nancy Carney pointed out that, by law, the district has to educate students until they are 21 years of age and that the district does do a screening prior to placing students in class. However, she also noted that there is a requirement to get students placed in classes right away and that often times placements change once there has been time to see how a student performs.
“Something that we’re working very hard to do is to make sure kids are appropriately placed so that they learn the skills that they need to learn,” Carney stated.
“It’s not a child we’re talking about. It’s a 20 year-old illegal alien man,” Galante countered. “Whatever happened to GED equivalencies and everything else, and once you’re over 18 years-old you get your GED? You pay to go to school to get your GED, and you do what needs to get done for yourself? Why am I as a taxpayer – and not only the money aspect of it, at $16,000 per student – but why am I allowed to have my daughter in this predicament where anything can happen? Because you don’t know anything about these people.”
“So, you’ve got a 20 year-old man in gym class with 14 year-old girls, and you’re telling me that’s what the state law is? And you’re telling me what, that I shouldn’t get upset at that, that I shouldn’t be blowing my stack at that? You’ve got to be kidding me. You’ve got to be kidding me. And please, it’s insulting to refer to him as a child when he’s a 20 year-old man here illegally, and no, you don’t have all the paperwork on him. And you know you don’t,” Galante, clearly upset, continued.
Doreen Moore of Wading River asked about the status of the BOCES program and if there are any other programs currently in place for these situations.
Carney explained that there are programs for new students to the district and the country. Currently, 15 students are in a BOCES program with another program currently being set up at the High School. “It’s just going to take a few weeks to get established,” Carney said.
EPCAL Property for the district?
Meyer asked the board to consider giving Ms. Carney the okay to contact the town to restart talks about property that he says was promised to the district as part of EPCAL. According to Meyer, the district was in talks with the town at the beginning of the bond process. With the enrollment numbers continuing to rise, Meyer believes that there may come a time in the not-too-distant future when the district will need more space, and that it would be smart to get some of the land promised years ago with the thought that it may be needed in the next 10 or 15 years.
Koukounas responded that the board would talk about it further.
District news
Superintendent Nancy Carney reminded the community that over the summer the Basic Life Skills Class participated in a six week program at Goodale Farm and that this Saturday the farm is having a Farm-to-Fork dinner which will, in part, benefit the Life Skills program.
Also, Carney reminded parents to check the district calendar for important upcoming dates including back-to-school nights.
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