________________ OYSTER BAY _______________
HERALD
AUTO • HOME • LIFE
Breaking ground in Bayville
Local experienced insurance agents
NOVEMBER 1 - 7, 2024
English & Spanish
$1.00
125 1262231
VOL. 126 NO. 45
2509
Page 3
L.V. opposes new plan for regionalization es superintendent. “We are part of the Nassau BOCES system,” Themis The Locust Valley Central explained. “This plan means School District Board of Educa- our regionalization will be govtion has expressed its strong erned not by our district, but by the BOCES superinopposition to the tendent.” State Department of The regionalizaEducation’s newly tion initiative, preimplemented sented by NYSED as regionalization a collaborative planplan, which aims to ning process, standardize educaincludes all school tional services in districts outside schools across New Albany, Buf f alo, York. Board PresiMount Vernon, New dent Lauren Themis York City, Rochester, detailed trustees’ Syracuse, Utica and concerns at the Oct. Yonkers. 29 board meeting, The departemphasizing the ment’s stated goal is potential impact on to expand educaLocust Valley’s local tional opportunig ove r n a n c e a n d KRISTEN TURNOW ties, especially for school resources. Superintendent, smaller and finan“This emergency Locust Valley Central cially strapped disregulation bypasses School District tricts, by pooling the usual approval resources across process and directly impacts us, without any local regions. Themis argued, however, that the plan is vague in input,” Themis said. She added that the emergen- detailing how resources will be cy nature of the regulation, shared and how districts like which took effect on Sept. 25, Locust Valley will benefit. Themis explained the proleaves school districts like Locust Valley subject to deci- cess behind the department’s emergency regulations, and sions by the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational ServicCONTINUED ON PAGE 2
By WILL SHEELINE
wsheeline@liherald.com
O
Joanne Yee/Herald
A ‘bully’ birthday party for Col. Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt re-enactor Joe Wiegand gave attendees at the Town of Oyster Bay’s birthday celebrations for the late president a taste of TR’s famed oratory. Story, more photos, Page 10.
Oyster Fest contributes to eco-friendly shell program By BRIAN NORMAN bnorman@liherald.com
This year’s Oyster Fest made history by featuring New York oysters, a first for the event. And, continuing a project first recommended by Friends of the Bay three years ago, the Town of Oyster Bay built on, the Shell Recycling Program, an initiative aimed at harbor sustainability, to collect and recycle oyster shells from the festival. The shells will be redistributed in the harbor to help restore local shellfish habitats, extending their environmental benefit well into the future. At the festival, Oct. 19 and 20, more than 80
volunteers for the town made their way among the crowds, encouraging attendees to recycle their shells, and there were strategically placed pails and bins as well. “This is something that we participate in with local restaurants throughout the town of Oyster Bay, and it’s been very successful for us,” Town Clerk Rich LaMarca said. “It’s a program that really started to foster the restoration process for the harbor. We seed millions of baby shellfish throughout the course of the year, and this is designed to help speed up that process.” This was the third year of the shell-recycling program, and by many accounts the most sucCONTINUED ON PAGE 4
nly our dedicated educators and administrators truly understand the unique needs of the children that they serve daily.