Friday, August 19, 2016
Vol. 92, No. 51
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Clock coincidence? PAGE 27 n Swim Across America PAGE 46
School Board rehires Smith to coach at Middle School
UNDEFEATED
By Rikki N. Massand
The Garden City Board of Education has hired Coach Rich Smith to be the assistant coach the middle school’s football team. Coach Smith had been the coach of the varsity baseball team at Garden City High School for 44 years when he was let go under mysterious circumstances in the spring. The coach has a pending age discrimination complaint filed with the federal EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). Smith’s assistant coaches Charles Menges and Mike Sweeney were also not rehired to coach high school baseball. However, at its meeting on Tuesday, August 16, Garden City’s Board of Education unanimously approved the Garden City Middle School coaching assignments for Smith and Menges for September 6 through October 29, 2016. Smith was hired as the assistant eighth grade football coach under Menges, who was hired as head coach. Menges was also approved as the middle school flag football coach. Smith is set to earn just over $5,000 for the 2016 middle school football season, Menges will receive just over $7,000 for the two coaching appointments. When the board turned to public comments at its Tuesday meeting, resident and former high school baseball player Chris Maloney asked the most pressing question, as Smith’s saga evolved and the district’s See page 24
On Sunday, August 14th at the Eisenhower Aquatic Center, the undefeated GC Swim Team B won 1st place in the Nassau Municipal Swim Conference Champs Division 3. See page 38 for more photos.
School District looks to year ahead, changes to curriculum
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND The Garden City Board of Education work session on Wednesday, September 7, will serve the purpose of setting district goals for the 2016’17 school year and beyond. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen will deliver his annual presentation to the board and the public, taking a look at progress and initiatives to date and his outlook
for the next 20 months. Although the August 16 board meeting did not feature tremendous discussion on the state of the Garden City curriculum, the only other summer board meeting (July 6) began on that note before a full-fledged turn towards attention on the GCHS baseball program. In July, at Dr. Feirsen’s request Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Edward Cannone updated the community and school board on the district’s existing curriculum reviews and some changes that can provide better course selections for Garden City students. Feirsen commented that curriculum reviews, presented each June during the board work session, evolve into an outline to “mini-strategic plans” for Garden City school See page 47
For ADA compliance, board meetings to stay at GC High BY RIKKI N. MASSAND At the very start of the August 16 meeting Board President Angela Heineman announced that the high school library was not the “normal venue” for board meetings during the summer, as the Administration Building has been in July, August, and for school board work sessions usually the week prior to the official business meeting. “If anyone was at our meeting last month (Wednesday, July 6) as we learned when we were in the Administration Building, unfortunately the chairlift that provides accessibility to the second floor is not operational. I just want residents and everyone to know that the board sincerely apologizes and regrets any inconvenience that anyone may have had last month in trying to attend our meeting. If that were the case, then that’s why we are here this evening. In the future we will make sure all our meetings are accessible to everyone in the public,” Heineman said. See page 41
State education officials visit Garden City PAGES 36-37 Garden City U11 team finishes third in state PAGE 49