__________________ SEAFORD _________________
HERALD Vol. 73 No. 20
Honoring a historian
Grab a treat at Nordic Nook
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MAY 15 - 21, 2025
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Planning to honor a friend gone too soon which raised around $12,000 toward the memorial fields. For Desroches, the event was a g reat celebration to In an effort to build a pair of artificial-turf fields in memory honor his son and to talk about of William Desroches — the what kind of person he was. “I really felt grateful and Wantagh High School student who died in a watercraft acci- appreciative that everyone took time out of their dent in 2023 — day to honor Wilfriends, family and liam and help with supporters kicked the fundraising off their first fundcause,” Desroches raiser on May 8. said. Launched in JanAssisting with uary, the William the fundraiser was Desroches FoundaJohn Theissen, tion was created to founder and execuraise funds for new tive director of the turf fields for soccer John Theissen Chiland lacrosse next to dren’s Foundation, a Forest Lake ElemenDoNAlD nonprofit that aids tary School’s basesick and underpriviball field. According DESRoCHES leged children. to Donald DesOn Aug. 6, 2023, ro ch e s, Wi l l i a m ’s father, his son played on the William, 15, and another teenfield at Forest Lake, inspiring ager were riding personal him to approach the Wantagh watercraft on Crescent Lake in School District about con- Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. At structing and naming the new some point, New Hampshire police said, one of the riders fields in his memory. The foundation’s first fund- slowed down, and the other colraiser, held at Mulcahy’s Pub lided with him from behind. and Concert Hall in Wantagh, William was rushed to a hospifeatured live music by the band tal, where he died. The other Vinyl Revival, auctions and a teen was not hurt. William’s mother, Kathryn raffle to support the project. More than 150 people attended Continued on page 10 the fundraiser, Desroches said,
By CHARlES SHAW
cshaw@liherald.com
Holden Leeds/Herald
A blast from the past The Seaford Harbor PTA hosted a ’90s-themed auction fundraiser at Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall, in Wantagh, to help benefit Seaford Harbor Elementary School. Story, more photos, Page 3.
District proposes $85.1M spending plan
Budget vote set for Tuesday at Manor and Harbor schools By CHARlES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
Residents of the Seaford Union Free School District will head to the polls next week to vote on a budget that includes facility upgrades, classroom renovations and infrastructure improvements, all without exceeding the state’s tax levy cap. The $85.1 million spending plan, adopted last month, is 1.93 percent larger than the current budget and includes a tax levy increase of about 2.49 percent — well under the cap. According to Andrew Casale, the district’s assistant superintendent for business and operations, the levy is also lower than the average projected levy in
Nassau County, which is around 2.55 percent. “We always try to provide taxpayers with the most relief possible,” Casale said at an April 9 Board of Education meeting, “and this year we are not maxing out our levy.” State aid for the 2025-26 budget, according to Casale, is estimated to be around $19.4 million, an increase of roughly 0.7 percent over the current year. Capital projects will include upgrades to playgrounds at Seaford Manor Elementary School such as artificial turf replacement and the addition of inclusive playground equipment. Additional projects include renovations to the Career Development/Life Skills Program classroom and Continued on page 7