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Friday, March 31, 2017
Vol. 66, No. 13
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E.W. may need to cut $39M School spending outpaces tax cap BY N O A H M A N S K A R The East Williston school district may have to cut $39.2 million in spending over ďŹ ve years to comply with the state’s tax cap law, according to projections by a district committee. Expected increases in salaries and beneďŹ ts for district employees will drive spending up to $70.1 million by the 2022-23 school year if all programs remain in place, according to numbers presented to the East Williston school board last week. But the state law may only allow spending to rise to $59.9 million that year, requiring savings in educational programs, administrative operations and building-related expenses, Stephan Leccese, chairman of the district’s Financial Advisory Committee, said. “In each of the next ďŹ ve years, in really any of the scenarios that we’ve laid out, there are going to be cuts required to the budget,â€? Leccese said in an interview. Continued on Page 65
PHOTO BY GREGORY GIACONELLI
Charging Mustang Mineola High School sophomore midfielder Allison Mendes (No. 5) and Herricks High School junior defensive midfielder Jordan Dodge (No. 23) face off in the schools’ March 22 lacrosse matchup. See story on page 76.
Strauss endorses 3rd track plan Mineola mayor joins 7 other officials in support of expansion Two village mayors — including Scott Strauss of MineEight elected oďŹƒcials from ola — joined state, Nassau along the Long Island Rail County and local town oďŹƒcials Road’s Main Line backed the in endorsing the $2 billion plan, railroad’s proposed third track which has met mostly with hot project on Friday, but several of opposition locally. The oďŹƒcials endorsing the their colleagues remain critical. project represent Mineola, Westbury and Hicksville, the eastern half of the 9.8mile project corridor that stretches west to Floral Park.
BY N O A H M A N S K A R
“The third track has a controversial history in Mineola — but with the governor’s latest eort, we were invited to the table to help shape the plan in a way that beneďŹ ts the village,â€? Strauss said in a statement. But another slate of oďŹƒcials restated their opposition to the plan Friday, maintaining their claims that the LIRR’s environmental study is awed and should be revisited. The mayors of New Hyde
Park, Floral Park and Garden City, villages in the western end of the corridor, along with state, county and town lawmakers, said their constituents deserve answers to questions they say the railroad has yet to answer. “What’s really important here is transparency, openness, fairness and accuracy of what is going to be done,� Robert Lofaro, the New Hyde Park mayor, said. Continued on Page 64
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