Freeport
HERALD Leader
Freeport to reopen parks
District holds Peace March
AT&T donates to Salvation Army
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VOL. 85 NO. 21
MAY 21 - 27, 2020
School board adopts 2020-21 spending plan Loses nearly $3M in state aid
coaching and two department coordinator positions — the positions have been cut from the budThe Freeport School District get. Board of Education approved a The district also cannot trans$188 million budget on May 12 for fer funds for capital, facilities, supthe 2020-21 school plies and equipment year, about $3 miluntil the end of the lion less than what year. had previously been Beth Rella, the planned before the district’s assistant Covid-19 pandemic. superintendent for Freeport officials business, said that also decided to despite the cuts, increase the disFreeport would be trict’s tax levy for able to maintain all the first time in five its current staff and years by a proposed educational pro2.92 percent. The grams. district had previShe war ned, ously planned to however, that the raise the tax levy by state could make 3.5 percent. The disthree additional trict had lowered KISHORE cuts to state aid to the levy each of the make up for any KUNCHAM past five years. shortfall in the Freeport Super- Superintendent state’s budg et intendent Kishore because of the coroKuncham said the n av i r u s c r i s i s, district had to work with major which could add up to a 20 percent cuts to its budget, including losing reduction in state aid for public out on more than $2.8 million in schools. state aid. “Even cutting 2 percent more While the district had hoped to could be devastating for our budcreate 16.5 new staffing positions get,” Kuncham said. “We’ve — which included two assistant worked hard to come up with a principal, nine teaching, one and a half teaching assistant, two CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
By RONNY REYES rreyes@liherald.com
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Bridget Downes/Herald
ALFONSO MARTINEZ, LEFT, Our Holy Redeemer Church’s human services director, and pantry volunteeers accepted gift cards from Jenny Jorge, right, Gala Foods’ vice president of operations.
Gala Foods donates $2,500 to Freeport food pantry By BRIDGET DOWNES bdownes@liherald.com
Freeport’s Gala Foods Supermarket donated $2,500 worth of gift cards to Our Holy Redeemer Church food pantry in Freeport on May 14 to support local residents in need during the coronavirus pandemic. Dozens of people — six feet apart to practice social distancing — lined up outside the food pantry, at 37 South Ocean Ave., and down the
block to collect boxes of food for themselves and their families. Some also took extra boxes of food for people who are in isolation, organizers said. Jenny Jorge, vice president of operations at Gala Foods, who was there to donate the gift cards, said she hoped to inspire others to contribute as well. “Maybe people who are in a good position — who aren’t dealing with some of these financial burdens — can see
the work that’s being done right here with so much need, to be able to say, ‘OK, let me see what I can do or what I can give to be able to help people,’” Jorge said. “The $2,500 is a small contribution to what is really needed, which is for the community to come together and help him collect the food to be able to give out to that line of people outside,” she added, referring to Alfonso Martinez, the human services CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
e’ve worked hard to come up with a responsible budget despite the challenges we’re facing right now.