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HERALD ReCORD
Also serving Amityville, North Amityville, Amity Harbor, Copiague, and East Massapequa
VFW 7223 honors Vinnie Ricciuti Page 3 VOL. 75 NO. 50
Sen. Monica Martinez is honored Page 10
Inspiring message for Chanukah Page 15
DECEMBER 10-16, 2025
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Amityville SD faces $10.6M surplus after last year’s deficit By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
Courtesy/ Brian Governante
One of the many boats that lit up the Bay for the annual PBA Holiday Boat Parade November 15.
Amityville’s annual holiday boat parade draws large crowd By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
The Amityville PBA’s annual holiday boat parade drew its largest crowd yet, with more than 200 people braving cold temperatures and high winds Saturday, November 15 to line the docks at the Unqua Corinthian Yacht Club. Not even the weather could keep residents from the shimmering procession — or from the cause at its heart. This year’s parade raised more than $15,000 through the PBA’s Guardian Angel Foundation for Madeline’s Mission, created for 9-month-old Madeline Norton of Massapequa. Madeline was diagnosed at three months old with Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration, or PKAN — a rare, degenerative neurological disorder that
affects fewer than one in a million children. It slowly strips them of motor function, speech and, eventually, the ability to walk, eat and live independently. There is no cure. Because PKAN is so rare, research is scant and funding is limited. But families like the Nortons have found hope in the Loving Loic Foundation, which is leading efforts in research, advocacy and support. All proceeds from Madeline’s Mission go directly to the foundation to advance medical research and help accelerate the road toward clinical trials — and, families pray, a future cure. Madeline is the daughter of Kaitlin, a registered nurse at Stony Brook Hospital, and Gerard, a Rockville Centre police officer. Their community, and many beyond it like the Amityville PBA, have rallied around them. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Last year, the Amityville School District was wrestling with an $8.19 million budget deficit. This year, it is working to figure out how to handle a $10.6 million surplus, including a possible giveback to local taxpayers in the form of a reduced tax rate next year. “This surplus resulted from conservative budgeting during a period when the district was still recovering from past fiscal challenges,” Superintendent Dr. Gina Talbert told the Board of Education and public at a recent meeting. “Additionally, several one-time factors, including a temporary state aid grant and unexpected savings in a number of areas, contributed to the positive yearend result.” The surplus stems from the district’s 2024–25 school budget. While having more money than anticipated is generally preferable to facing a shortfall, school districts must navigate strict state regulations when surpluses exceed allowable limits. Interim Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Richard Schneider reminded the board that the New York State Comptroller’s Office does not look favorably on large surpluses and, in extreme cases, may intervene.
State regulations allow school districts to retain no more than 4% of their budget as unrestricted surplus. Nonetheless, state audits have repeatedly found districts exceeding that threshold — sometimes reaching 10%, 15% or even 20%. Amityville’s surplus amounts to roughly 9.01% of its voter-approved $117,701,413 budget, more than double the limit. According to the Comptroller, districts often create “phantom deficits” by overestimating costs for items such as special education, insurance and retirement expenses. When those costs come in lower than budgeted, districts end up with sizable year-end surpluses. Amityville officials, however, said their surplus reflects intentional cost-saving measures taken in response to the prior year’s deficit. The district reduced transportation spending by $251,795 and special education costs by $837,808. It also renegotiated rates with certain service providers and changed providers in one case, saving costs. In addition, a “high cost” student was shifted from contractual codes to a tuition code, producing additional savings, according to Schneider. BOCES special education exCONTINUED ON PAGE 2