Education

Oysterponds School stays with Greenport, for now

JULIE LANE PHOTO | Joan Frisicano Oysterponds acting superintendent/principal could become permanent part-time superintendent in July, but that decision won't be made until school board members have interviewed other candidates. A resolution to make her permanent part-time superintendent was pulled from the agenda Wednesday night.

Oysterponds junior and senior high school students will continue to attend classes in Greenport in the fall, but that could change next year.

After hearing from a parade of students and parents saying Wednesday night that they all “bleed purple” and want to continue the district’s relationship with Greenport, the Oysterponds school board withdrew a motion that would have named both Greenport and Mattituck-Cutchogue as “possible receiving districts” for the 2011-12 school year. The board then voted unanimously to continue to send the students to Greenport next school year.

But that’s far from a long-term commitment. The board intends on scheduling a May referendum asking residents if they want a choice of other high schools.

The wording of the proposition has yet to be drafted, but board members agreed that if only about 10 percent of voters want to explore the possibility of sending secondary students to another district, it probably wouldn’t be worth further exploring.

But if 40 percent or so say yes, the board may explore other possibilities.

Several years ago, the board established a community committee to consider high school alternatives. The group investigated the Mattituck-Cutchogue, Greenport and the Shelter Island school systems. Southold opted not to participate.

Although the group’s findings appeared to favor Mattituck-Cutchogue, the school board did not act on it.

In other action, the board also withdrew a motion to appoint Joan Frisicano permanent part-time superintendent as of July 1.

While assuring her that the decision didn’t reflect any dissatisfaction with her work since coming on in an interim capacity in December, board member Linda Goldsmith said she wants she wants time to review other resumes and to carefully vet the next permanent hire.