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Image provided by: Suffolk Cooperative Library System
BABYLON PUBLIC LIBRARY SOUTH SHORE L.I'S LARGEST CIRCULATION WEEKLY NEWSPAPER S erving the community since 1966 P rinted on recycled paper W ebsite : www . babylonbeacon . com E-MAIL ADDRESS: ACJNEWS@RCN.COM O F F IC IA L N E W SPA P E R Periodicals Postage Paid- Babylon Post Office, Babylon NY 11702 (USPS 03960-8000) FOR SUFFOLK COUNTY •TOWN OF BABYLON • VILLAGE OF BABYLON •BABYLON SCHOOTA- JlTiniin™ •WES\ ‘ ........ •COPI AM NO »Adv« • n o r t h ' 3 av n a v o s v i | ^ H j ' v-w v-'i & u iiu v lS n£| cuwara L) Wolfe, Jane D. Wolfe Publishers, Carolyn and Alfred James Inside this week: • Around Town . . . Page 2 • O b ituaries. . . Page 9C P f | :See Inside for ; *§ School and Sports news 1 ublic Notices: Your Right to Know: Pages . . . 6 , 7 , 8C, 9C & IOC The Babylon Beacon is the hom etow n newspaper o f G.G. Baldw in o f W est Islip VOL. 4 4 NO. 15 THURSDAY, April 15,2010 50 CENTS Deer Park Schools plan for this year's budget and look to next two years By Lena Pennino The Deer Park Board o f Education is in the process o f paring down its proposed budget for the2010-11 school year, but their m inds are on the future. The proposed budget, which is still under review, calls for spending $626,000 more for the com ing school year, a less than one-percent increase (.66 percent). The tax levy estimate is currently set at 2.9 percent, which would translate into a $197 a year increase in school taxes on a hom e assessed at $4,000. But these numbers are fluid and could change before the budget is approved by the board April 13. Residents will vote on the budget May 18 from 7 aim. to 9 p.m. “This is a really good budget that is cut to the bone and does not affect programs or class sizes,” said School Board president Dennis Ryan. “Our increase is minimal.” “This is a really good budget, cut to the bone, without affecting programs or class sizes,” explained Board President Dennis Ryan. “Our increase is minimal.” The budget was pared down “line by line,” he said. “Through attrition, slightly lower enrollm ents and retirements, we were able to reduce expenditures. Not replacing vacated positions helped a lot,” said Eva Demyen, superintendent o f schools. “We also took a hard look at all our operations and streamlined expenses; we cut way back, including areas like transportation vendor contracts and building and grounds supplies and equipment.” .. According to Governor David Patterson’s proposal on school aid, the district would see a reduction in funding over last year o f more than $2.2 m illion. But it’s not only this year’s budget that has the board troubled. It’s the next two years that pose the more difficult problems, through 2013, explained Ryan. The board is concerned that if the State’s financial troubles continue, then the schools w ill be asked to support more State-mandated programs at the local level, and the district would have to look at cutting 20 to 22 staff positions. “These will be the years that hurt our district, our programs and our kids,” said Ryan. “These would be massive layoffs.” A 17-year-old youth struggled w ith a burglar, w ho brandished a gun, at a hom e in N orth Lindenhurst on Sunday. Police gave this account: At approxim ately 7:35 p .m ., the youth, who police did not identify, observed a subject exiting the front door o f a h om e at 823 N orth Jefferson Ave., N orth L indenhurst. The subject w as carrying a m etal lock box that belonged to a m em ber o f the youth’s fam ily. The youth confronted and struggled w ith the suspect, w h o fired a single shot into the ground, causing the teen to back away.. The suspect then fled on foot northbound on Jefferson Avenue toward Sunrise Highway. Even with those layoffs, however, the district would have to pass along a large tax levy increase, according to its m ost current figures. “For 2011-2012, the tax levy would be at approximately 4.95 percent w h ich we are unhappy w ith,” Ryan continued. In response to these circum stances, the board of education has formally asked the teacher’s union for a zero percent pay increase this year, to defray the drastic increases proj ected for the 2011-2012 school year budget. “That would save exactly $2 million,” Ryan said. “That T h e su s p e c t is d e s c r ib e d as a w h ite m a n , approxim ately 6 feet tall w ith a stocky build and wearing dark clothing. An u n d eterm ined am ount o f cash stolen from the box was recovered on Jefferson Avenue. The investigation is continuing. A n yone w ith inform a tion is asked to call the First Squad at 6 3 1 -8 5 4 -8 1 5 2 or ca ll a n o n y m o u sly to C rim e Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS, A ll calls w ill be kept confidential. This story was initially posted on our website on Monday. Sign up at www.babylonbeacon.com to receive regular news updates. (C o n tinued o n page 3) Youth struggles with armed burglar in North Lindenhurst Following their first-round victory, the academ ic team from Babylon High School is m oving on to Round 2 o f T he Challenge, an academ ic quiz show designed to test students’ knowledge in a Jeopardy-style format. The second round m atch-up between all-star student scholars from Babylon High School and North Babylon High School w ill air on Monday, April 19, at 6:30 PM on MSG Varsity (Cablevision’s iO TV - Channel 14). MSG Varsity, Cablevision’s recently launched 24/7 television network dedicated to everything high school, features n ew episodes o f The Challenge every Sunday through Friday at 6:30 PM. The Challenge also repeats on News 12 Long Island on Saturday and Sunday evenings at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m . Representing Babylon High School w ill be Salvatore Albanese (team captain), Ryan Berry, Lloyd Ippolito, Kathryn Pisciotta and Shannon Weber. The academ ic advisors are Linda Fama and Elizabeth Quinn. Representing North Babylon High School w ill be Peter Deblasi, Jared Ginsberg, Tausif N oor, Peter Ruess (team captain) and Kevin Schmid. The academ ic advi sors are Erin Casserly and Tim Pescatore. Fans o f the show can v isit a dedicated page on Facebook that provides a b ehind-the-scenes look at the actual studio tapings and offers visitors a chance to sound off, share their experiences and cheer on their high school team.