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Sentencing for South hoops star
South grads win in photo contest
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Vol. 32 No. 6
State aid crunch hits CHSD faced with $1.1M loss in state funding amid pandemic 2016 would make up the loss in state aid elsewhere, Loper said, “that’s still $1.1 million less than The cuts were coming. we had expected to receive.” Facing a $15 billion budget Full budget details are not yet deficit, New York state has allo- available, but Loper said the cated $27.1 million in spending plan would state aid to the Valinclude some addiley Stream Central tions to student High School District counseling services under Gov. Andrew and improvements C u o m o ’s 2 0 2 1 - 2 2 to remote learning. executive budget Otherwise, he said, proposal. Excluding parents and students building aid, the diswould see no materitrict is set to receive al change to pro$1.1 million, or neargrams and services. ly 4 percent, less in “We knew we had state funding over a tight budget comthe current year. ing because we’ve The executive budbeen living in this get was released coronavirus world Jan. 19. for quite a long time A shortfall was now,” Loper said. anticipated, accord“We’re very cognitoDD ing to Acting zant of the impact Schools Superinten- KAmiNSKY the pandemic has d e n t D r. Way n e State senator had on the resiLoper, with the ecodents.” nomic fallout of the At $129 million, coronavirus continuing to rav- high school district spending is age state finances. The district set to increase around $3 million will propose a status-quo spend- over the current-year plan of ing plan of $129 million to the $126 million. public in the coming weeks. District 30 was the only other While building aid for con- Valley Stream school district to struction related to a $41 million bond that the district issued in Continued on page 4
By PEtER BElFioRE pbelfiore@liherald.com
R
Peter Belfiore/Herald
Someone’s in for a cold surprise Wielding a sizable snow boulder, Giada 11, prepared her attack on Tuesday at the Edward Cahill Memorial Park after the worst of a powerful nor’easter moved out of the area. With her was friend Landon, 12. Story, more photos, Page 11.
Helping Black mothers
North teen earns grant for premature-birth research By NiColE AlCiNDoR nalcindor@liherald.com
“I was a preter m baby because I was born one month earlier than expected, and now, 17 years later, I’m trying to find out through my research project if preterm birth is linked to certain stress factors in AfricanAmerican women,” Valley Stream North High senior Ahmya McMillan said. Taking that experience, three
years ago, McMillan, who is Black, decided to look into the phenomenon of preterm births among African-American mothers in the United States, and in January, her study, “The Association Between Father Presence and Support, Neighborhood Environment and Preterm Birth in African American Women,” was awarded a New York Institute of Technology mini-research grant of $300 to help continue the project.
McMillan said she was shocked and overjoyed at how well her research was received, particularly because of her personal investment in the subject matter. “It hits close to home,” she said. McMillan began planning her project during her sophomore year for her Authentic Science Research Program class. The elective is a three-year course Continued on page 15
ight now our budget situation is in really poor shape. We’re hoping Washington does the right thing.