Vol. 76, No. 31
What’s inside?
Thursday, July 30, 2026
Donations aim to meet student needs By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Community resources Older adults gather at health fair Page A3
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Back-to-school shopping is already well underway for some residents, and while the classic school supply checklist hasn’t changed much over the years, the price tag attached to it has. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that prices for educational books and school materials were up nearly 10 percent in May compared with a year earlier. Shoppers are pinching pennies where they can this year, with the National Retail Federation reporting that nearly half plan to purchase only the essentials needed for the start of the school year. In the Bronx, where many families are already stretched
thin, these rising costs have turned neighborhood school supply drives into something closer to a necessity. As of 2024, the Bronx’s poverty rate stood at 28.8 percent, well above the citywide rate of 18 percent, according to the New York University Furman Center, and median household income in the borough was about 43 percent less than the citywide median. At The Bronx Burger House, located at 5816 Mosholu Ave., head bartender and social media manager Andi el-Saieh is running the restaurant’s fifth annual “Burgers and Backpacks” drive to meet the community’s needs. The drive collects backpacks, notebooks, pencils, erasers and markers, plus occasional big-ticket items like calcu-
lators, before distributing them to children through community organizations. The restaurant’s commitment to education is personal. El-Saieh, like many employees there, worked at the Bronx Burger House while paying her way through college, and owner Andre Gounardes has long prioritized educational giving after leaving college himself to support his family. “We’ve been doing it for quite a while, mainly to give back to the neighborhood,” el-Saieh said. “It is hard to be present and learn in school when you’re going home, knowing that your family is struggling.” Three years ago, el-Saieh connected with Julissa Pereira, owner of La Escuelita de Sofia at 5720 Mosholu Ave. — a familyrun, dual-language school for children
ages 2 to 5 — after recognizing her as a regular customer. The two have run the drive together ever since. Before donations are collected, Pereira has her preschoolers decorate collection boxes and talk about why some children may need help getting school supplies. “It’s the lesson of life that we’re so fortunate and we have to give to others,” Pereira said. “We teach them when they’re little, so that when they grow up, they continue helping the community.” Once donations come in, Pereira’s students help pack them into backpacks before they’re handed off to local organizations. In past years, goods have gone to SCHOOL SUPPLIES ON PAGE A4
Residents fight Oxford Avenue development By Olivia Young oyoung@riverdalepress.com
Healthy habitats Volunteers wrangle wetland invasives Page A5
Courtesy United Federation of Teachers
The New York City Council unanimously approved the “Respect Check” for paraprofessionals.
NYC paraprofessionals eye $10k ‘Respect Check’ bill By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Flooding safety Tips for navigating NYC downpours Page A8
For years, paraprofessionals watched as colleagues left the profession, picked up second and third jobs to cover their bills and wondered whether they could afford to stay in the work they loved. Now, after a year-long legislative battle, they’re finally set to get a pay boost, but Mayor Zohran Mamdani has yet to sign it into law. Paraprofessionals, often called paras, work alongside teachers to provide critical individualized support for students with disabilities and other specialized needs. Their wide range of responsibilities span from academic support to assisting with communication, mobility and behavioral crises, ensuring a safe learning environment. On July 16, the New York City Council voted 49-0 to approve the “Respect Check,” legislation that will give roughly 26,000 department of education paraprofessionals a total of $10,000 in four quarterly payments of
$2,500 during the 2026-27 school year. Despite the unanimous vote, Mayor Mamdani has signaled he may not sign the bill, arguing it conflicts with the Taylor Law — a state statute that reserves public employee pay decisions for collective bargaining rather than legislative action. The one-time payment would cost the city about $244 million and is meant to stabilize a workforce where salaries start at roughly $32,000 a year, while the city and the United Federation of Teachers continue contract negotiations. The legislation aims to address decades of widening pay disparities within the DOE. While salaries increased across the school system, paraprofessionals saw smaller gains than many other employees. Between 2005 and 2025, starting paraprofessional salaries rose by about $12,000, while the city’s highestpaid principals saw their pay climb by $87,000 over the same span, according to DOE salary schedules. For Jenny Ramos, an educational parapro-
fessional of more than eight years at Bronx High School of Law and Finance, the vote landed as a relief after years of financial uncertainty. “I’ve contemplated leaving this line of work quite a few times, I mean it,” Ramos said. “I’ve been at work crying over how hard life is, because I can never cover all my bills.” A single mother of three making $44,000 a year, the 38-year-old said she recently drove her son to college, but couldn’t afford a laptop for him. Instead, he walks to the campus library to get his schoolwork done. For necessities, such as toiletries, she scrounged up what she could from home for him to use at school. “As a mom, you don’t have to give them luxury, but you have to give them what they need,” she said. “He needs that, and I cannot provide it.” The legislation grew out of a staffing crisis the city has faced for years. The department of education has publicly acknowledged around PARAPROFESSIONALS ON PAGE A4
Residents are pushing back against a proposed six-story building at 3232 Oxford Ave., the latest dispute amid increasing development in greater Riverdale. The former three-story brick house on the property was built in 1922, and is in the process of undergoing a full demolition, according to city records. Next door is William Kozy, a resident of 60 years. He and 25 others in a Google Group have been filing complaints about the current site to the city, while Gjergj Bujaj — who is listed on the deed for the property, and is leading construction — maintains that he has a right to build and the creation of more housing is essential. A partial stop work order was issued July 14 for housekeeping after a complaint alleged unsafe conditions at the site, the city’s department of buildings told The Press. This means demolition had to stop, but maintenance and cleanup could continue. The order was issued because department inspectors found demolition debris and combustible materials were being improperly stored on the site, and that a section of glass left standing insecurely on one side of the building created a debris fall hazard, the department said. The site failed reinspection July 22, city records show. The department’s construction safety enforcement unit also issued $3,750 in violations. Bujaj, a construction superintendent who lives on Greystone Avenue, bought the property in January for more than $1.6 million, according to city property records. He said it isn’t final how many units the proposed building will have, but they will all be onebedrooms or studios. As of July 27, the building plan filed in June had not been approved by the city’s department of buildings. Meanwhile, Kozy and another involved neighbor, Jared Skolnick, are concerned the proposed building will undermine the residential character of the neighborhood. Compared to smaller, private homes on the block, a six-story building would “stick out and just look very awkward,” Skolnick said. He also expressed concern about the possible future tenants as well, since onebedroom and studio apartments are intended for individual people, not families, he said. Skolnick and Kozy believe mobilizing OXFORD AVENUE ON PAGE A4
A baseball revival blooms across greater Riverdale By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Greater Riverdale is experiencing a wave of youth baseball successes, with wins piling up for local little leagues and high school teams this summer. Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy, or RKA, captured the Public Schools Athletic League Class A city baseball championship after an undefeated 19-0 season — the varsity baseball team’s first city title since 2010. South Riverdale Little League claimed its first District 23 juniors title, while North Riverdale Baseball and Softball celebrated championships across multiple baseball and softball divisions.
The victories, coaches said, reflect years of building neighborhood programs where the players grow up together and stay local. “You have the community kind of helping build that culture,” RKA’s varsity baseball co-coach Rob DiCanio said. To longtime RKA varsity baseball coach John Reingold, who retired after the championship season, the victories carr y extra significance because Riverdale has rarely been viewed as one of New York City’s baseball strongholds. “Winning a city championship is a big deal,” Reingold said. “Riverdale is BASEBALL ON PAGE A4
Courtesy John Reingold
Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy took home the Public Schools Athletic League Class A baseball championship trophy in June.