________ Franklin square/elmont _______
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May 4, 2023
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VOL. 25 nO. 19
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Job fair attracts thousands
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MAY 4 - 10, 2023
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Elmont schools adopt $111M spending plan
ROOTED IN STRENGTH
By AnA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com
Keith Rossein/Herald
Well-knit history Officers of the Franklin Square Historical Society show off a custom afghan illustrating the community, which is currently available for purchase. Story, more photos, Page 5.
The Elmont School District officially adopted its 2023-24 budget of $111.1 million — which is $12.6 million more than the current spending plan. According to its budget report, Elmont ranked as the fifth-lowest spending district out of 56 school districts in Nassau County. Elmont has proposed a 0.04 percent decrease in the tax levy, placing it 29 percent below the average county tax levy, on a perpupil basis. “We are one of only two school districts on Long Island
— us and Freeport — we have lowered taxes for the community,” Kenneth Rosner, Elmont elementary superintendent, said at an Elmont chamber event on April 26. “It wasn’t easy, with all the mandated cost increases that we had, but we have a wonderful Board of Education, a very supportive business official who said this is where we want to be, now let’s work backwards from there.” Voters will head for the polls on Tuesday, May 16 to determine whether to approve the 2023-24 budget. The budget is typically split into three parts: administrative, Continued on page 10
Meet the Elmont elementary school board candidates By AnA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com
The Elmont Union Free School District is gearing up for its upcoming school budget vote and Board of Education elections, set for Tuesday, May 16. There are two seats up this year on the Elmont elementary Board of Education. The candidates include incumbents Tiffany Capers and Anthony Maffea and newcomers Angel Ramos and Patrick Dempsey. The candidates come from diverse personal and professional backgrounds, but share a commitment to serving as a representative of the Elmont community.
Here is what each of the four candidates want to bring to the table if elected this year.
Tiffany Capers
Capers is a current trustee on the Elmont elementary school board and an IT professional with over 20 years of experience in the private and public sectors. She is an active community member who has been recognized by elected officials for her volunteerism. She has been involved in a variety of organizations such as the Girl Scouts, the Parent Teacher Association, the local civic association and the Elmont Police Activity League. She said she hopes to continue
to serve on the board, introduce new ideas and programs, and improve on existing ones. If re-elected, she said her top priority is to rebuild the board’s relationship with the Elmont community, while supporting the district’s staff and students. With three administrators in the Sewanhaka and Elmont school districts stepping down, a number of people in the Elmont community recently have expressed distrust in their trustees. Capers said the only way to restore this trust is “by getting back to the basics,” which she defined as acknowledging the board’s mistakes, giving the com-
munity a chance to be heard and working together to make things right. “These past few months have been a drain on all sides — the community is frustrated because they aren’t being heard, the staff is frustrated because they just want to get back to educating the children,” Capers said. “We must build mutual respect and work
from there; our scholars deserve that.”
Anthony Maffea
Maffea has served on the Elmont elementary board of education for the past 15 years, making him one of the longest-standing trustees. In addition, he served as vice president of the Continued on page 3