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Vol. 32 No. 2
Schools face bankruptcy suit
Clear Stream Avenue first-grader Kaylee Talwant recently used some of the de-stressing tools in her classroom’s “calming corner.” The spaces are intended to help students learn to cope in a healthy way with the rigors of everyday life. Story, Page 5.
Bus companies sue districts for money lost during pandemic both the means and an obligation to continue paying their contractors during the pandemic, despite A family of bus companies is the lack of need for busing while suing 47 school districts across schools were closed. Long Island, including all four in “Every employee of school disValley Stream, for contract fees tricts in the state of New York got that the companies paid; only private allege went unpaid contractors didn’t during, and in some get paid,” Hamburgcases before, the er said, adding, “The coronavirus pandemschool districts had ic. budgeted to pay for Baumann & Sons transportation, and Buses, which inhad raised the funds cludes the Baumann to pay for it. This is Bus Company and money that they Acme Bus Corporaeither didn’t spend tion, is seeking a by the end of the total of $1.6 million year or was reallocatfrom Valley Stream’s ed for something high school and else.” three elementary Additionally, the school districts in suit alleges that stimChapter 11 bankruptulus funds given to cy proceedings. Bau- riChArD the district as part of mann went out of the $2 trillion federal business in April hAmBurGer CARES Act passed in after a number of the Attorney April should have school districts that been used “to the it contracted with greatest extent pracstopped paying for services when ticable” to help pay for both disthe initial wave of the pandemic trict employees and contractors. closed schools across Long Island. Toni Pomerantz and Kimberly Melville-based attorney Rich- Wheeler, the respective school ard Hamburger filed the suit on board presidents for the Central Baumann’s behalf on Dec. 4. The suit alleges that the districts had Continued on page 11
By Peter BelFiore pbelfiore@liherald.com
e
Courtesy District 30
Amid pandemic business closures, new shops take their place nalcindor@liherald.com
When Karen Gocoul opened her business, Paradise Salon and Spa Suite, with her husband, Ruddy, in Valley Stream in 2016, she said she never imagined that four years later she would be struggling because of a pandemic. “I’ve struggled so much that I’ve had to take from my own money to keep my business from
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shutting down, and I didn’t get any government money to help with my business,” Gocoul said. “Even though I’ve made prices lower for rent, many people who are supposed to be paying me rent for salon building rooms can’t do that because of the pandemic.” Gocoul closed her Merrick Road business in March during the initial wave, and reopened it last summer, but things have not been the same ever since. She
has not given up, however. In November, she separated the hair salon portion of her business from the spa section, and began renting separate rooms within the salon. Despite the hardships, Gocoul still has hopes for the future. “I have struggles, expenses and a mortgage to pay, but I won’t give up because my belief in God and Jesus Christ has helped me to Continued on page 4
very employee of school districts in the state of New York got paid; only private contractors didn’t.