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Friday, June 28, 2024
Vol. 99, No. 26
HOME & DESIGN
KEISERMAN DEFEATS BLANK SLATE HONORS SCHWARTZ TOP BUSINESS LEADERS
PAGES 23-30
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Sassouni to bow out as ed board prez Says time for transition after serving 3 years in post, will continue as trustee BY C A M E RY N O A K ES Great Neck Board of Education President Rebecca Sassouni said she will no longer serve as the board’s president for the upcoming school year. “I’m eager for the transition to the next as we rotate,” Sassouni said. “I think it’s a healthy transition for a board. It’s not to meant to be that someone remains president for too long.” Sassouni said that she feels good about stepping down from her post, especially with the reassurance of Superintendent Kenneth Bossert’s ability to lead the district. “The community that I lead with love now has a hand rocking the cradle of democracy and the nursery of democracy,” Sassouni said, referencing Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s comment that public schools are the nursery of democracy. Sassouni made the announcement at the board’s final meeting of the year Thursday night. The board will be holding its annual re-organizational meeting July 9 where the board determines who will fill the president and vice president roles. Sassouni said at last week’s meeting that she would not seek to renew her presidential role.
Sassouni said she is satisfied with her action, saying it comes with “a great deal of relief and joy.” She described her tenure as satisfying with many advancements made for the district. She has served as the board’s president for the past three years. She was first elected as a trustee in 2017. Bookending her time as president were two votes reflecting a wide disparity in public opinion. The first that directly preceded her appointment was in 2021 when a budget vote was scheduled on a prominent holiday and drew strong opposition and a low pass rate. That was in comparison to the most recent budget vote this May which received an 82% pass rate. Sassouni cited a changing of times in the school district while she has served on the board, specifically attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and broader global events. Accomplishments Sassouni shared during her tenure as president included securing collective bargaining agreements, hiring Bossert, hiring Assistant Superintendent for Business John O’Keefe, hiring a new district counsel and establishing live-streamed meetings. Continued on Page 42
PHOTO BY KAREN RUBIN
Juha Lee Yoon, of Great Neck, is congratulated by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on graduating cum laude from USMMA. See story on page 6.
County Republicans OK trans athlete ban BY C A M E RY N O A K ES The Nassau County Legislature approved along party lines a law that codifies County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s executive order barring transgender women and girls from playing on female athletic teams at county facilities. The law was passed on a 12-6 vote. All Republicans voted in favor and all Democrats, excluding Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D– Glen Cove), who was absent, voted
against the law. The public hearing Monday was contentious throughout the hourslong session, with audience members calling out to the legislators. At times audience members were threatened with being removed if they continued to speak out of turn. Democrats compared the law to historical instances of fear-mongering used to target other communities and individuals. “You’re creating a false narrative and promulgated based on fear
of a perceived advantage,” Legislator Arnold Drucker (D–Plainview) said. Drucker called the law a “fatally flawed bill based on fear and speculation.” “This legislation is a clear contravention of the state of the law and it’s beyond me why this county executive wants to continue squandering taxpayer, hard-earned dollars on legal fees defending this proposed law,” Drucker said. Continued on Page 43