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Page 4 Vol. 35 No. 22
MAY 23 - 29, 2024
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Election 2024
New faces join school boards By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald
A big voice for a big party Singer Taylor Dayne, a hit-making product of Long Island, gave a show-stopping performance at The Lannin catering hall at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow last Friday, at Nassau County’s 125th anniversary celebration. Full story, more photos, on page 3.
Valley Stream students cry foul over rampant rodent problem By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
Valley Stream North High School senior Manmeet Singh dreads the thought of going to school for what could be scuttling near his feet. For months, he reports, teachers and classmates have been sharing hallways, classrooms, lockers, and even their snacks with some unwanted visitors: rodents. In the past few weeks alone, Singh recalled, students found cotton balls covered in rodent droppings in the side closet of his AP environmental science classroom where lab supplies are kept.
“The cotton has turned a brownish-blackish color,” Singh said, bewildered at how students could be asked to learn anywhere in the vicinity of vermin poop. “It’s absolutely disgusting.” More than a simple nuisance that casts an icky pall over the school, he said, rodents are actively getting in the way of student learning — including his own. “Because of the mice dropping ruining our lab supplies, my class hasn’t been able to do our two final labs, which we need to get credit for the class or else we won’t pass the AP college board curriculum,” Singh said. “Our parents are payContinued on page 10
The spending plans at Valley Stream school districts received wide approval this year. Among those passing were District 24’s $39.3 million budget with its 1.7 percent tax levy increase (390-116), as well as District 30’s $48.2 million budget with no tax levy increase (253101). Also passing was the Central High School District’s $161.54 million budget that carried a 1 percent tax levy increase, earning 1,367 votes for to 727 against. District 13’s $674.4 million spending plan with a tax levy increase of less than 1 percent, passed 793-455. Alisa Clark is a new education board trustee for District 24, defeating Erika Vasquez and Annette Matthews. She succeeds Donna LaRocco, who withdrew her candidacy for this run. Andrew Sgro defeated Jaianti Singh 597-324 in District 13 for the seat being vacated by board president Jennifer Oliveri. But de par ting unexpectedly is Anthony Bonelli, who lost his reelection bid to Sarah Sabatino, 725-467. District’s 30’s incumbent board president Kelly Ureña ran unopposed. Voters in District 24 also
passed propositions that would shift $1.2 million from existing accounts to pay for air-conditioning at Brooklyn Avenue and Robert W. Carbonaro schools, as well as district-wide fire alar m upgrades and door hold installations. Voters also approved a third proposition to spend money for repair and reconstruction of school facilities. District 13 voters easily passed a proposition to spend $700,000 on cybersecurity enhancements and security technology upgrades. While in District 30, voters there approved $6.5 million to build a gymnasium and buy playground equipment at Shaw Avenue School, while creating security vestibules at not only Shaw Avenue, but also Clear Stream and Forest Road schools. Central High School District voters approved $2.5 million to renovate the district’s maintenance garage and create a construction trades facility. They also approved a second proposition that would spend up to $1.2 million to replace gymnasium windows and operating systems at Memorial Junior High School, North High School and South High School. That measure passed with 1,461 votes in favor, with another 531 against.