_________________ FREEPORT _________________
HERALD Also serving Roosevelt
locals react to pope’s death
Bills proposed for libraries
Meet unsung heroines
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Vol. 90 No. 17
APRIl 24 - 30, 2025
$1.00
Jane Rosen to speak on her novel at library invitation. Maryellen Cantanno, the library’s head of community Long Island native and best- services and adult programselling author Jane L. Rosen is ming, said the f acility is returning to her roots with a thrilled to host Rosen. “‘On Fire Island’ … is a great visit to the Freeport Memorial Library on Friday, where she fictional read,” Cantanno said, will talk about her novel “On adding, “She comes highly recFire Island” and meet readers ommended by a lot of other number one bestas part of the 2025 selling authors, like Long Island Reads Helen Hildebrand. program. She loves her The event will books, so it will be begin at 1 p.m., and a fun event, and a is one of a series of very casual event, appearances Rosen too.” is making across Cantanno noted Long Island, celethat local support is brating the selechelping to enhance tion of “On Fire the event. She Island” by Long arranged for Island Reads, a colJANe RoseN refreshments, laborative project including cookies, among Nassau and Author muffins and other Suffolk public libraries that each year select a treats, with donations from single title to promote regional Gala Foods, on Merrick Road, and Pantano’s Doz Bagels, on reading and discussion. Rosen said that since the Atlantic Avenue. Rosen, who grew up in Baldbook was chosen, libraries throughout the region have win and began her writing hosted discussions focusing on career as a high school reporter for the Baldwin Citizen, is no it. While she can only take part stranger to the South Shore. in some of the talks on Zoom, She recently moved to the Hudshe said she was happy to son Valley after 37 years in New accept the Freeport’s library’s Continued on page 11
By MoHAMMAD RAFIQ
mrafiq@liherald.com
Courtesy Randy Milteer/Village of Freeport
Village’s first four term mayor talks of the future Mayor Robert Kennedy, who was recently elected to an historic fourth consecutive four-year term as mayor of the Village of Freeport, is sworn in by New York State First Deputy Administrative Judge Norman St. George, left, as his wife, Mary Kennedy looked on. Q&A on Page 3.
District’s proposed $250.9M budget to hold line on taxes By MoHAMMAD RAFIQ mrafiq@liherald.com
The Freeport school district has adopted a $250.9 million budget for the 2025-26 school year, preserving all existing prog rams, adding instructional staff and investing in capital improvements — without increasing the tax levy. The tax levy is the total amount the school district needs to collect from local taxpayers after accounting for all other sources of revenue. Voters in the district will head to the polls on May 20, when they will decide whether to approve or reject the total $250,942,714 spending plan. For the 10th time in 11 years, the district will see a zero percent increase in the tax levy, which
would stand at $87.1 million, or $3.5 million below the state’s allowable limit. “This year’s ballots will have the proposed budget for the 2025-2026 spending plan at a quarter of a billion dollars,” Ben Roberts, assistant superintendent for personnel and human resources, said during the district’s April 9 budget meeting, held at Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School. Shuron Jackson, vice president of the school board, wholeheartedly endorsed the spending plan. “Everything that we do and propose for next year is really to support all of our wonderful students and the programs and the educational opportunities that we provide here at Freeport,” Continued on page 4
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love talking to readers. I adore hearing what the books did for them, and the journey.