North Shore students headed back to the classroom

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As students in the North Shore Central School District went back to school on Sept. 5, they started a school year where there are some changes within the district.

Students at the Sea Cliff and Glen Head elementary schools will all be under the leadership of new principals — Jeanette Wojcik and Dr. Peter Rufa, respectively. Wojcik taught in the Cold Spring Harbor School District’s elementary school classrooms for 17 years, giving her a firm understanding of what it takes to provide children with the best education possible in today’s world. With his main background being music education, Rufa has ascended through the ranks in several school districts on Long Island, most recently serving as an assistant principal at Oyster Bay High School. His wealth of experience has set him up perfectly for the job.

The entire district could be in store for some big changes through a bond, currently worth roughly $39.9 million. During its meeting on Aug. 8, the Board of Education decided to have centralized air conditioning installed at the middle and high schools, and to move the 98 window units in those two schools to the elementary schools. Only a select few rooms in the elementary schools now have air conditioning units, based on the medical needs of specific students or faculty members.

If every building were to install central air, it could cost the district $5.5 million. Repurposing the window units could save about $1.7 million, reducing the cost to $3.8 million.

The bond would also fund improvements in the high school’s boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, which Superintendent Dr. Peter Giarizzo said would include much-needed storage space and privacy. Female student athletes who bring their own larger pieces of equipment, like lacrosse sticks and softball bats, often have to leave them outside the girls’ showers due to a lack of storage space. Redesigning the locker rooms would give students more places to put their belongings.

Additionally, private changing areas would be added to both locker rooms. These improvements would cost roughly $4.1 million.

The tentative voting date for the bond is set for Dec. 10.