Friday, July 14, 2017
Vol. 93, No.43
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Space teacher PAGE 14 n Latin prevails PAGE 3
Superintendent says goodbye to district, honored by Hannon BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
did not appear on the July 6 meeting agenda. An agenda item, approved that night, provided a board resolution and a certificate of appreciation for Hastings’ service. However minutes before the July 6 meeting began, a district employee told the News Hastings informed the board she wouldn’t be able to attend that night to accept her certificate of appreciation.
Minutes into the Garden City Board of Education’s July 6 meeting, board members and district administration turned their heads to see State Senator (and Garden City resident) Kemp Hannon walk into the high school library and circle the room. The man who’s served the community and Nassau County for nearly 28 years in the State Senate came out to praise another fixture of Garden City, weeks before he leaves the village for a position in higher education. Hannon stood in front of the district leaders as well as 30 parents and students assembled for the meeting last Thursday night. He was proud to honor outgoing Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen, who has served in his top position in Garden City Schools since 2005. “This is for our departing superintendent Dr. Feirsen – it is a legislative resolution that was passed in the state senate, commending him on the success and his retirement after 12 years in Garden City, and having survived 12 years of me! Given the difficulty the state legislature has in being able to do the right thing, we’d always reach out for somebody who has a great sense of what is appropriate and what is good policy, what’s not good policy, what things should change. I have had the privilege of being able to call on Dr. Feirsen and getting some great answers. He is not responsible for me but he is responsible for having given me great advice – thank you very much and best wishes,” Senator Hannon said. Dr. Feirsen will spend the last week of July helping with the transition and process of integrating the new Interim Superintendent Dr. Alan Groveman, selected Dr. Feirsen’s last day is technically Monday, July 31 and Dr. Groveman will have five days of work in Garden City Schools prior to his official one-year contract term beginning August 1. School Board President Angela Heineman updated the community on the comprehensive plan to search for a new superintendent of schools. She spoke about the board action at its June meeting to issue an RFP (request for proposals) from search consulting firms “to assist us in the search for a permanent superintendent.” “That RFP has been distributed and the time period for responses has finished. The board received five responses and on July 19 the board will have a meeting in executive session, as is appropriate, to review those proposals and decide which consultant firms we would like to interview. We will have an update on
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Division I Champions, the Garden City “A” Swim Team defeated Veterans in their first dual meet of the 2017 season last Saturday. Above, the girls are all smiles as they get ready to swim. See page 54.
School Board member Laura Hastings resigns BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
With Garden City governed by four property owners’ associations in the village, the tradition of five school board trustees with one from each POA as well as an at-large trustee has been fractured, if just for the summer months, by a sudden resignation. Last Thursday night Garden City District Clerk and Assistant Superintendent for Business and
Finance Dana DiCapua told the board and a few dozen residents that since the board last met on Tuesday, June 13, she received a letter of resignation from School Board Trustee Laura Hastings, effective from June 15. No reason behind her resignation was commented on at the board’s July meeting, and Hastings was not present. Her nameplate at the board table was gone and her name
Garden City High School awards ceremony PAGES 38-40 Community Park multi-use field set to open PAGE 20