Serving Great Neck, G.N. Plaza, G.N. Estates, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock and Thomaston
$1.50
Friday, June 2, 2023
Vol. 98, No. 22 Guide to
FLORAL PARK Sunday, June 4, 2023 • 10
FAIR GUIDE
am – 5 pm
• Live Bands • DJs • Fabulous Dining • Outdoo r Seating • Local merchange shoppin g indoor & outdoor • See the Starting Gate for the Anuual Belmont Stakes on site
Celebrating Our Nautical
FACE PAINTING • BALLOON ART FOOD • FUN • GIVEAWAYS!
tal Awareness
Heritage and Environmen
HARBORFEST, FLORAL PARK STREET FAIR Friday, June 9, 5pm-10pm
Boat Regatta + Bay + Vendor Booths + Model Fair + Elixir Cruises on the Fun Stage + FREE ADMISSION + Craft + Children’s Fun Park and in the Park + Enviro Expo More! Live Entertainment + Art + Sports + Trolley + Much Food Court + Nautical Museum 7PM Elixir: June 3, 6PM & from Elixir aboard the Luxury Yacht Verbana Avenue to Plainfield Avenue PLUS: Saturday Sunset Cruises PortFirst
On Tulip Avenue!
FREE
als.com/Try For all Elixir tickets: LIBoatRent to the Town Dock. Station & Manorhaven Park 10 AM – 6 PM from the Railroad A Bl an k Trolley and Shuttle Buses
HarborFest is Presented
Admiral Sponsors:
by:
For information call 883-6566 Graphics by Minuteman
Sl at e Me d ia Specia
or email office@pwcoc.org
A FUN FAM ILY EVENT FOR ALL AGES!
l Sec ti on • Ju n e 2,
2023
WEINSTOCK FACES EVICTION
BLAKEMAN HOLDS RALLY IN NYC FOR PENNY
PAGE 3
PAGE 8
PAGES 21-60
Press of Port Washington
Tabari sought to block letter Opposed criticism before election BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z Niloufar Tabari, a candidate in the Great Neck School District’s recent Board of Education election, demanded that the Great Neck News remove a readers-write letter from its website and offer a retraction prior to the election. Tabari claimed an opinion piece submitted by a Great Neck resident in the May 5 edition of the Great Neck News that was also posted on the theisland360.com website included “false defamatory statements” about her. Blank Slate Media Publisher Steven Blank denied Tabari’s request, saying her claims about the letter were factually inaccurate. The paper has not published a story about the letter until receiving confirmation that Tabari wrote the email. The email was signed by Tabari showed that it had been sent by an “Adam Zadeh.” Tabari, who was defeated by incumbent Rebecca Sassouni in the May 16 trustee race, referenced an opinion piece written by Great Neck resident Wendy Wisner in an email to Blank Slate Media on May 13. Wisner’s letter supported Sassouni and newly elected Trustee Joanne Chan in the district’s Tuesday election. Continued on Page 66
THE PHOTO CREDIT IS: KAREN RUBIN/NEWS-PHOTOS-FEATURES.COM
Cadets from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point march in Great Neck’s Memorial Day Parade. See story on page 2.
State aid increases, disparities remain Great Neck School District will spend more than $40K per pupil next year BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z Spending per student in North Shore school districts will continue to show a wide disparity in the 2023-2024 school year despite a large increase in state aid, according to an analysis by Blank Slate Media. The range of spending per pupil in the 11 public school districts in the
North Shore ranges from more than $47,000 to less than $24,000, according to the analysis. The districts will receive more than $204 million in state aid for the 2023-24 school year thanks to a 7.1% increase in assistance to New York’s school districts. The overall state aid for those 11 will increase by an average of $4.2 million or 31.6%.
Herricks will receive $26.7 million in state aid in the coming school year, followed by Port Washington’s $19.2 million, Great Neck’s $14.9 million, Mineola’s $14.6 million, New Hyde Park-Garden City Park’s $12.1 million, Roslyn’s $12 million, Floral Park-Bellerose’s $10.3 million, North Shore’s $9.7 million and East Williston’s $7.4 million, according to the budget figures.
Long Island as a whole will see a $771 million increase in state aid as part of a budget that provides $31.3 billion in school assistance – a $2.1 billion increase from last year. While foundation aid attempts to close the gap between school districts’ spending per pupil, the disparity continues to grow on a hyperlocal level. Continued on Page 67
Visit thegreatnecknews.com or theisland360.com for the latest in breaking news.