Although trustees on the West Islip school board were in agreement that offering the International Baccalaureate Programme would benefit some students, some wondered if the program, at a cost of $337,000 over five years, made sense from a fiscal standpoint.

"I just want to make sure that this program fits with our finances and will benefit the mainstream kids," said trustee Wayne Smith who added that he was not totally on board with the idea. "What if there's no advantage for them? I am in support of this but only as a research and development endeavor, because just like every other business you need to spend money to make it grow. This seems too 'private school' for me we need to keep that in mind."

The program is in addition to the district's Advanced Placement courses, and gives middle and high school students the opportunity of acquiring a global view of education by studying other cultures and international concerns. Students must maintain a higher grade-point average to take the advanced courses, and can either earn college credits or a diploma after two years.

"Every student may not be able to participate (in the program) but they'll all be better off for it," said board president George Smith before the board approved allocating the funds and staff for five years at its regular school board meeting Thurs., Sept. 11. "This would help prepare the children of West Islip to succeed not only in college but also in life."

Smith added that students who went through the program were more tolerant and had a better understanding of other cultures. According to the board, colleges focus on students who complete the program and accept college credits allowing them to enter college as sophomores.

Program researchers explained to the board that annual cost estimates would be: $47,200 for the 2008/2009 school year; $49,327 for 2009/2010; $82,300 for 2010/2011; $78,800 for 2011/2012 and $81,900 for 2012/2013, with possible additional costs in the future. These prices reflect specialized teacher training, which is underway this year. The 2008/2009 cost has already been budgeted.

Rockville Centre, Northport, Commack and Locust Valley school districts have adopted the International Baccalaureate Programme. Worldwide, there are 1,780 schools in 129 countries offering it.

The district has been looking into the program for a year, and some teachers have already undergone training. The district is in the midst of completing the application process, and hopes to be approved by spring 2009, said school officials. The district said it would like to begin offering the program in 2010, making it available to students currently in ninth grade.

The next school board meeting will be held at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14 at the West Islip High School.