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Locust Valley discusses new budget tax cap million, 2.3 percent larger than total property taxes in 2024-25. Horoszewski addressed comKaren Horoszewski, assis- mon misconceptions about the tant superintendent for busi- state’s 2 percent tax cap, ness in the Locust Valley Cen- emphasizing that it is not a flat limit. Instead, the tral School District, allowable increase presented the secfor a given district ond phase of the is determined by a district’s 2026-27 for mula that facbudget plan at the tors in inflation, Board of Education property value meeting Wednesgrowth and specific day night, focusing exclusions. on the district’s tax “The tax cap is cap calculation and actually a formula noninstructional that is based on spending. inflation and other “Everything we factors,” she do in this budget explained, “meanprocess is driven by ing it could be our district misl owe r o r h i g h e r sion, which is ‘to than 2 percent.” educate the whole Certain costs, student in a safe including capital and nurturing envi- KArEN debt service and ronment,’” HoroHoroSzEWSKI BOCES capital szewski said. “Our expenditures, are budget mission is Assistant excluded from the to support those superintendent for cap, while state aid educational goals business, LVCSD for building and while remaining transportation is fiscally responsible subtracted from the calculato you, the community.” The current budget for the tion. Based on preliminary fig2025-26 school year, totaling just under $98.3 million, is support- ures, the district’s maximum ed by a tax levy of about $90.16 Continued on page 13
By WIll SHEElINE
wsheeline@liherald.com
E
Roksana Amid/Herald
Fatima al Harbi, left, and Youssef elazhari were two of the speakers who shared their experiences promoting coexistence in a panel discussion at the Holocaust Memorial and tolerance Center in glen Cove.
Memory of genocide meets hope at Holocaust center By roKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com
The halls of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County filled with an unusual mix of voices last week: Jewish educators, Arab peace-builders and young leaders from across the Middle East. The occasion was a dialogue with Sharaka, a nonprofit organization that emerged in the wake of the Abraham Accords, which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations in 2020. The event, on Jan. 24, had a particular resonance at HMTC, which was built to preserve the testimony of Holocaust survivors and to educate future generations about hatred and moral courage. The Sharaka delegation, made up of leaders from Morocco, Bahrain, Israel and the United States, came
not only to share their stories but also to demonstrate the power of unlikely partnerships. Alyssa Annis, who manages Holocaust education in Sharaka, opened the evening by recalling how she found the organization amid despair following Hamas’s attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. “If you would have told me on Oct. 8 that an organization existed like Sharaka,” she said, “I wouldn’t have believed you.” Annis’s work — bridging Holocaust memory with contemporary Arab engagement — developed into a mission to fight Holocaust denial and antisemitism in communities where it persists. “We have voices from the region who are devoted to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself,” she said. Yo u s s e f E l a z h a r i , f r o m M o r o c c o, Continued on page 7
verything we do in this budget process is driven by our district mission ‘to provide a safe and nurturing environment.’