A New Elementary School Map Approved

Last Monday, the Half Hollow Hills Board of Education approved a map that determined the fate of several Half Hollow Hills families. The map has been created as a result of the impending budget cuts that have caused two elementary schools (Forest Park and Chestnut Hill) to close. According to the district officials, the new configuration will balance enrollment between the five elementary schools. The remaining schools are Sunquam, Paumanok, Otsego, Signal Hill, and Vanderbilt.

There has been some opposition to this decision to close these schools. Several parents have expressed their opinions at various public meetings. A petition was filed by fifty-eight residents who hoped to stop the closing of Forest Park on the grounds that the issue was not publicly deliberated.

When looking at the map, it is evident that Vanderbilt has absorbed most of Forest Park’s terrain while Signal Hill has taken on most of Chestnut Hill’s area.

We sympathize with the families that have been affected by the re-zoning of the district and hope that this economic distress comes to an end.