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HERALD Meet North’s top two
A bishop’s holiday message
Celebrating Passover
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VOL. 37 NO. 14
APRIL 2 - 8, 2026
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V.S. District 13 details 2026-27 spending plan Radice, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said, “we put The Valley Stream Union students at the center of all of Free School District 13 Board those decisions.” The proposed budget totals of Education offered a detailed presentation of its proposed $71.96 million, an increase of 2026-27 budget at a meeting last $2.28 million, or 3.28 percent, over the cur rent week, outlining a year’s spending spending plan that plan. It includes a 2 maintains current percent tax levy pro g rams while increase, from $39.98 expanding student million to $40.78 milservices. lion, which remains The district, below the district’s which serves stu2.2 percent tax levy dents in pre-kindercap. garten through State aid is prosixth grade at jected at $27.16 milJa m e s A . D eve r, Howell R o a d , LORRAINE RAdICE lion, an increase of 5.78 percent over W h e e l e r Ave n u e Assistant the cur rent year. and Willow Road superintendent Officials indicated elementary schools, for curriculum and that state aid has an enrollment instruction, growth has slowed of just over 2,000 Valley Stream compared with students. UFSD 13 prior years, requir“Whether we are ing closer financial planning engaging experiences in our classrooms management. Additional revefor academic, social and emo- nue sources include roughly $350,000 in interest earnings tional support, our systems of support, our ways that we and $90,000 in other revenue, engage students and their fami- while reserves and fund ballies in building community and ance contributions remain at connectedness, and our learn- $2.7 million. The spending plan is driven ing environment, class environments and facilities,” Lorraine CONtINued ON paGe 11
By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO
azingariello@liherald.com
Courtesy Carol Battaglia
Volunteers helped run Northwell’s “Off the Rack on the Go” mobile pop-up thrift store at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital on March 24, assisting staff and their families as they selected gently used clothing.
‘Off the Rack on the Go’ comes to LIJ Valley Stream By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO azingariello@liherald.com
A mobile thrift store designed to support health care workers and their families made a stop at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital last week, bringing a mix of sustainability, employee support and community-building directly to staff on site. The one-day event, part of Northwell’s “Off the Rack,” transformed a section of the hospital’s parking lot into a pop-up shopping experience. Staff were invited to browse and take home gently used clothing at no cost during scheduled hours. The program is part of Northwell Kids and Family Services, a division within human resources that supports team members and their households. Originally launched as a small “closet”
concept, the program expanded into a standalone store in Lake Success that opens multiple times a year. High participation and growing demand led to the introduction of a mobile component, “Off the Rack on the Go,” allowing the program to reach employees who may not be able to travel to a central location. “We didn’t want the dignity to get lost here,” Carol Battaglia, assistant vice president, Northwell Kids and Family Services, said. “It was all around coming in, having a wonderful experience, which they did. And what was happening was people were going back and telling their team members, ‘Hey, did you hear about this?’ It became contagious, and now it’s expanding and exploding in a very good way.” The mobile unit, an RV outfitted as a CONtINued ON paGe 24
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e put students at the center of all of those decisions.