May 12, 2022
HERALD Celebrating Nurses
ROOTED IN STRENGTH
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Vol. 33 No. 20
Blakeman ends relief program
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Celebrating
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District 24 unveils budget at hearing
Gold StAr Mother Jean Reichert at the unveiling of the updated monument in May of 1998.
fers for building improvements, maintenance and renovations as well as employee benefits. Valley Stream Union Free The district will receive an School District 24 administra- additional $1.8 million in state tors presented their 2022-23 aid, for a total of $10.5 million, spending plan at a Board of Edu- the biggest revenue source after cation budget hearproperty taxes. ing last week before “We maintain all a small crowd cominstructional proposed almost entiregrams and initialy of school administives without any trators and board staff reductions in trustees. this budget,” Jack R. The proposed Mitchell, assistant budget totals approxsuperintendent for imately $34 million, business, said. “We and has a tax levy of also have a collaborroughly $22.3 milative, consultative lion, 1.5 percent largapproach within this er than the total budget. We demontaxes in the current strate the efficiency spending plan. The of resources and increase falls below JACK r. sharing of services the district’s statethrough the consolimandated 2 percent MItChell dation of programs. tax cap, as well as Assistant And last but not N a s s a u C o u n t y superintendent least, we’re fiscally s ch o o l d i s t r i c t s ’ responsible.” average tax levy At the hearing, increase of 1.76 percent. resident Janet Hamilton, standDistrict spending is slated to ing alone amid a group of expand by around $2.2 million, administrators, asked what or 6.89 percent, with the largest made the budget process “collabincrease — $1.2 million — in edu- orative,” and who the collaboracational instruction. The next- tors were. Mitchell listed the dislargest is labeled “undistributed,” and includes capital transContinued on page 12
By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
W
Courtesy Valerie Esposito
‘Nobody speaks their names,’ but V.S. war dead are honored By KArINA KoVAC and JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
As thousands of students across the country left home to enlist in World War II, Valley Stream teens joined the effort. Central High School students who signed up to fight overseas were given a rousing sendoff at the Long Island Rail Road station by the Fire Department band, according to Valerie Esposito,
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the Valley Stream Historical Society’s director of public relations. The volunteers were handed a box of cigarettes and a note promising a hand-knitted sweater, but that wasn’t the last of the community’s gestures honoring their valor — particularly those who didn’t come home. In 1946, Charles Brettell, president of the Valley Stream Dads Club, and fellow members decided to dedicate
a memorial plaque at Central High for the fallen alumni, and to inaugurate a tradition of rededicating the plaque every two years. That tradition was kept alive first by the now-defunct Valley Stream Central Alumni Association Scholarship Inc., and later by a handful of historically committed residents. Now, after a two-year interruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, the cereContinued on page 15
e maintain all instructional programs and initiatives without any staff reductions in this budget.