First day of school for kids at new Kakiat E.S.

For Hillcrest Elementary School students and teachers it was not only the first day of classes yesterday, but also the first day at a new school. The former Ramapo Freshman Center in Spring Valley had been transformed into Kakiat Elementary School to accommodate the students from Hillcrest in New City, which closed due to budget cuts. All fourth, fifth and sixth-graders will now have science labs at Kakiat, as well as a computer lab and an auditorium. The East Ramapo School Board sold the Hillcrest school building to a Hasidic organization for $3.1 million. According to published reports, the board approved the sale even after two appraisers recommended keeping it on the market. The sale of Hillcrest Elementary School has been put on hold by the state Department of Education pending a review.