BY LAYLI WHYTE
Staff Writer

LITTLE SILVER — The opening of school was delayed last year due to construction, but the borough’s public school system is ready to start a new year — on time.

Superintendent Marjorie Heller said in an interview this week that when school starts on Sept. 7, it should be a different experience for both teachers and students.

“Last year,” she said, “because we had construction up until the end of summer, and actually opened two days late, teachers didn’t have a chance to really get into the school and set up their classrooms.

“This year we had the luxury of having people in and out of the school all summer. It was a much more leisurely feeling, which is much different from last year, which was a very hectic time.”

Heller said the only work that has been done over the summer on the borough’s two public schools has been minor maintenance to top off the $6 million renovation project.

“Everything has been polished and painted,” she said.

Both Point Road Elementary School and Markham Place Middle School were part of the project, and as a result of added classroom space, class sizes have decreased.

“That was really the target of the construction for grades one through five,” said Heller. “Now we have 18 to 20 students in a classroom, instead of 25 students per class.”

Heller also said that previously, small group instruction classes were forced to share larger spaces with other groups. Now each has its own designated room.

“We now have rooms just for OT [ occupational therapy] and PT [physical therapy],” she said. “It’s very nice to have specific spaces that are attractive.”

District Business Administrator Susan Irons said that of the $6.25 million cost of the project, state aid accounted for more than $1.8 million.

The additions to Point Road school include two new prekindergarten rooms, renovations to the library and faculty office, six new classrooms, a new gymnasium and a new front entrance.

The new entrance includes a new security system, which is already up and running, according to Irons.

Irons said that the parking lot was repaved and new curbing was added.

Both schools have new gymnasium facilities, which are also used as auditoriums.

There are also some additions to the faculty, according to Heller.

George Yantz retired from his position as principal of Point Road, and Pamela Albert, former supervisor of curriculum, succeeded him on May 1.