In looking at the headline above you’re probably wondering what history could possibly relate to the Sachem Central School District during the time period of 1800-1947. The district did not officially open until 1955.
Kenneth Brady, a former employee of Sachem Schools and member of the district’s now defunct Local Studies Committee, wrote “The History of the Consolidation and Centralization of Sachem Schools” parts I and II. The initial work chronicles the consolidation process on Long Island and in Suffolk County from 1800 to 1947, and its specific affect on Sachem Schools.
It was retyped, edited and digitized this year for modern consumption. The information will now live forever on the Internet.
CLICK HERE to read Sachem’s history from 1800-1947
Among the highlights from the original writing:
- On April 21, 1955, citizens from Farmingville, Holbrook, Holtsville, and Lake Ronkonkoma voted to form a central school district, later named Sachem.
- Although these residents decided to unify by an overwhelming majority, 707 to 26, the results were not surprising; rather, the people were responding predictably to internal forces, such as the rapid growth of population in Brookhaven and Islip Towns, and to external pressures, such as the manipulation of public opinion by the State Education Department, a combined weight which made the creation of a new attendance unit almost inevitable.
- In 1925-26, Roscoe C. Craft, District Superintendent with the complete support of the Education Department, urged the consolidation of 10, one-room schools: Centereach, Coram, East Middle Island, Farmingville, Holtsville, Ridge, Selden, West Middle Island, West Yaphank, and Yaphank.
- When the trustees and principals gathered in Bayport on Feb. 15, 1939, they came prepared to reflect public opinion. Holtsville-Farmingville and Lake Ronkonkoma jointed 29 of the 37 districts attending in voting against the proposed school centralization bill, the balance abstained.
- On April 16, 1941, to illustrate, the trustees and P.T.A. presidents from each of the six hamlets reviewed figures, prepared by the district superintendent, on the tentative financial structure of the suggested union.
- On March 7, 1951, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Hamann, representatives of the Holtsville-Farmingville Civic Association, appeared before their Board of Education and asked them “if they would call a special meeting of the taxpayers to discuss the possibility of forming a Union Free School in this district.
CLICK HERE to read Sachem’s history from 1800-1947
CLICK HERE to read Sachem’s history from 1948-1955
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro