Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • July 29, 2009 MIDLAND PARK SIDEWALK SALE DAYS Thursday, Friday & Saturday, July 30, 31 & August 1  Sponsored by the Midland Park Chamber of Commerce District to start preschool class for special needs The Midland Park School District is starting an in-house pre-school special education class at Godwin School in September. According to Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Heebink, four students would be enrolled initially, but the program can accommodate from six to eight youngsters, some of whom can come from out of town. Resident Judy Collins questioned the superintendent and the board of education at its last meeting on the wisdom of having an in-house class. She said the district would be “shouldering a huge fiscal and quality responsibility” for which it may not be ready, given the late start for a program opening in September. She questioned whether the specific needs of each of the youngsters in the class would be addressed. Dr. Heebink said that a highly experienced special education teacher currently on staff would be assigned to the new class, and another teacher was being hired to replace her in her previous responsibilities. A veteran aide no longer needed in another position is being reassigned as an assistant; and other support services are also in place. He said that Sheralyn Gottlieb, the new director of special services, would supervise the program. The superintendent explained that while the funding for the new program will come from tax dollars, two or three of the children would need to attend programs outside of the district if the inhouse program were not created. “The cost of sending just two of the students to a placement out of the district would be $15,000 to $20,000 greater than the total local cost to create this new program for four students,” Dr. Heebink explained, adding: “We are establishing this program for two other equal or even more important reasons: we will have full control over the educational quality, something not possible when the student attends a program outside of the district; and the students need not ride a bus to a location in another community. This is not only an extra cost, but deprives the students of time that they would otherwise spend at home with family and friends,” he said. .Dr. Heebink said the class would be for children whose age is at the higher end of the pre-school spectrum. He said all four students are Midland Park residents, three of whom now attend school locally. The fourth student now goes out of district but would be able to come back. Heebink said the district may open the program up to one or two out-of-district students. “If we do, the cost to the school system will be even lower as we would charge tuition to the other districts,” he said. A larger class is not possible, he said, because of space constraints at the present time. According to Dr. Heebink, there is a tactical reason for starting the in-house class as well. “There is state pressure to bring more students back to in-district special education programs. Indeed, some districts which send a particularly high percentage of students out of district have been told that they will or might lose state aid if they do not educate more of the students in the district. Midland Park has not reached such a high percentage at this point but should exercise care that it does not while still making sure that it meets the individualized educational plans for any identified special education children,” he said. The superintendent told Collins that he would arrange for her to meet with Gottlieb, who could better answer her questions and allay her concerns about the new program. Gottlieb’s first day of work in the district is Aug. 3, but Dr. Heebink said she had been coming in regularly to acclimate herself to her new responsibilities. WIN THE RAFFLE! �������������������������������������� ��� ���������������������� ����������������� NAME THE SEEING EYE PUPPY! �� �� � � �� � ����� The Midland Park Panthers U16 travel baseball team recently concluded a highly successful season. The team completed their regular season with a 12-3-1 record to win the Conference 2 title and then proceeded to march through the play-offs with three successive victories over Paramus and Westwood to win the Valley Central Scholastic Baseball League Junior Division Championship. Front row: Coach Steve Bartosik, Michael Koller, Michael Formicola, Corey Duane, Thomas Felice, Casey Peckio and Dennis Kieselbach. Back row: Coach Marty Costello, Shawn Bartosik, Michael Costello, Connor Coughlin, Joseph Nuziale, Nicholas Genao, Paul Lowry, Spencer Javras, Manager Chris Costello and Coach Bill Kieselbach. Winning season Save Time! Save Gas! Save Money! Local businesses are the backbone of your community and the trend to shop the big guys on the highway hurts us all. Your local businesses have what you want... at the right price... and close to home. So, why hassle with the highways? ������������� ������������� �������� ����������������������������� �� ���������������� ������������������������������ ������������������������� ���������������������������� SHOP MIDLAND PARK. IT’S SMART. ...and besides, it’s so convenient!