_________________ WANTAGH ________________
HERALD
IS IT TIME FOR A HEARING CHECK-UP?
Vol. 73 No. 21
MAY 22 - 28, 2025
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Wantagh voters approve $94.7M school budget By CHARlES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
Brittany Krilov/Herald
A walk to support hospitals Members of the Northwell Health neurosurgery team took part in Northwell’s Walk to Raise Health fundraiser event at Jones Beach on Sunday. Story, more photos, Page 3.
Flames of history fuel winning essay
Wantagh residents approved a $94.7 million school budget for the 2025-26 academic year on Tuesday, with the measure passing, 1,570 votes to 641, according to results from the district. The budget increases spending by about $3 million compared to the current plan and carries a tax levy increase of 2.89 percent, which remains below the district’s state-mandated cap. Officials said the budget will support all existing programs, maintain class sizes, and fund new high school courses and building upgrades without making any cuts. “This budget allows us to expand opportunities while continuing to support everything we already offer,” Superintendent John McNamara said.
School budget results for Wantagh school district
Wantagh eighth-grader advances in patriotic writing contest By CHARlES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
A winning essay on the Wilmington Tea Party could propel Wantagh Middle School eighthgrader Giada Petrillo to the nation’s capital, after she advanced from a state competition to the regionals in the Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest. For this year’s annual contest, participants were tasked with writing from the point of view of a protester during the Revolution’s Tea Party demonstrations. The contest is part of the women’s service organization’s mission of promoting historic preservation and honoring the patriots of the Revolutionary War. Giada’s essay focused on the Revolution’s
Wilmington Tea Party, a North Carolina protest inspired by the Boston Tea Party of 1773. In her essay, titled “As Red as the American Flag,” she imagined a first-person account of joining the Wilmington protesters in 1774, who burned their tea instead of dumping it into a harbor. “I was really interested in getting to describe the flames, the fire, all of that,” Giada said. In her introduction, she described the smell of the burning tea as “disgustingly sweet,” painting a vivid picture of the scene. “I described the smoke,” she said. “I described the smell of it, what it looked like. It just went very into detail of what it would have felt like.” In her final sentence, she tied it all together, writing that the burning tea looked “as red as Continued on page 7
New initiatives include expanded special education and elementary programs, and high school courses in broadcasting, cybersecurity, construction, theater, and emergency medical training. A second proposition on the ballot also passed, allowing the district to use $2.1 million from its capital reserve fund for infrastructure improvements. Projects include a roof replacement at Wantagh Elementary, auditorium lighting upgrades at the high school, and districtwide security camera updates. In addition, $300,000 from the general budget will go toward facility enhancements. The vote also determined two Board of Education seats. Incumbents Laura Reich and Jennifer Perfetti were re-elected to three-year terms, beating out Brian Lapp.
√
YES
1,570 VotES
X
No
641 VotES
For more school election results information, go to liherald.com/wantagh