December 2001 / January 2002 Edition

Space Constraints   The Fair Lawn Board of Education is considering various options to deal with overcrowding of the schools.   Some of the trends and problems, the schools are facing: - 91% of the time, every classroom in the high school is being used. According to Dr. Charles Khoury (Assistant Superintendent for Education), most high schools are at 70%-75%.  Dr. Khoury told a group of parents recently that it is 'like putting a large foot into a small shoe'.   - Three years ago, Fair Lawn High School had 1,350 students. Enrollment is now at 1,500 students and is expected to go up to 1,600 students in three years.   - Elementary schools are going to get more crowded in the next few years and then begin to see declining enrollments after 2004-2005.   Some of the options the Board is considering:  - Using Edison School to house all kindergarten classes. (See related story)   - Adding space to elementary schools and high school   - Move all 8th graders to the high school and move 5th graders to the Middle School   - Re-opening up Edison School as another elementary school.    - Redistricting   Next Steps:  The state will pay up to 40% of the renovation and expansion costs, if Fair Lawn voters pass a referendum. The Board is considering referendums for September 2002 and/or September 2003.  Superintendent Bruce Watson is hoping to maximize the amount of money the district can get from the state.   The Board has retained an architectural firm to perform an analysis of the district's space. One of their goals is to find underutilized space and identify ways to use it more efficiently.     What Do You Think?: Send an e- mail to editor@fairlawnnews.com or post a message on the Fair Lawn News Discussion Forum.