The addition of a Maker Space would create opportunities for students to train in the technology of tomorrow. Students would work with drones, robotics, virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing and other tools integral in fields such as engineering, the technical trades, and digital design and production. A dedicated space for activities focused on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) would support a full curriculum for a subject that now must fit into a 6th-period Science Lab rotation.

Haworth Public School is pressed for space. Physical and occupational therapy is sometimes held in the hallways or on the stage. The Board of Education conference room was converted to two small classrooms. The addition of four classrooms would do more than just offer breathing room. The space would help Haworth achieve these specific goals:

• Serve students with special needs in their home district. Haworth currently lacks the dedicated space to accommodate some students who need specialized services. The district paid about $800,000 in the 2020-2021 school year for tuition and transportation for children to attend neighboring districts with more space and resources. We want all students who live in Haworth to benefit from its highly rated district and to go to school in their hometown. Creating the space to serve students with special needs also would give the district flexibility to offer tuition-based programs to surrounding districts.

• Maintain small class sizes. Parents value the individualized attention and interpersonal relationships that low class sizes offer.

Renovations on the lower level would create a long-anticipated pre-K classroom that would put Haworth on par with all other Northern Valley districts. The new grade would be a convenience, especially for parents with older children attending Haworth who could enroll pre-K students at the same school. Students with special needs are entitled by law to attend pre-K but do not currently have the option of going to their home district. Haworth also could generate revenue from pre-K tuition.

The Child Study Team currently works in a modular classroom (trailer) next to the school building. Moving the offices into a modern, renovated area on the lower level would provide the Child Study Team with a more suitable space to meet with students and families.

The entrance to the new offices would provide more privacy and easier access than the current set-up. Once the modular classroom is removed, the school would reclaim the space for playground and physical education uses.