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Image provided by: Suffolk Cooperative Library System
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER INSIDE Slffi Suffolk County Arson Aa*°rtives continue to itigazte two major in Babylon Town...Pg. 8 Periodicals Postage Paid- Babylon Post Office, Babylon NY 11702 (USPS 0 3 9 6 0 -8000) FO R SUFFOLK C O U N T Y •T O W N O F B,' a® u r t n c R A RYLQN •BABYLON S' LIN D E N H U R S T S(i BABYLON SCH< W Y A N D A N C I P u b lished e v e ry 65 Dee Founder Publishers, Carolyn and Alfred James eopE-eom a n 'N O 'u a v a 3AV 11ÜVO S PZ u) Auvdan noiaqvq ooo ^ i o i The Babylon Beacon is the hom e tow n new spaper o f Lois H a z e lton o f Babylon VOL. 4 4 NO. 38 THURSDAY, Septem b e r 3 0 ,2010 50 CENTS Babylon Schools by Janine Logan Nearly 1,800 students entered Babylon Village public schools when the doors opened Tues., Sept. 7, for the first day of classes. At the board o f educa tion meeting held a week earlier on Aug. 30, trust ees put their final stamp of approval on a variety of staffing adjustments and club advisor and coaching appointments, ensuring a solid start to the school year. Superintendent Ellen Best-Laimit Ed. D. reports that even though some teaching positions were eliminated due to attrition, the district was still able to offer students most courses including the ones that traditionally draw lower enrollments. Assessment results and preparation for these tests continue to be a priority item for the district and a focus on ways to maximize instructional time will intensify, especially in light of the New York State Education Department’s tougher standards says Best-Laimit. “We also have an initiative that will put more technology in our classrooms and in the hands of our students and teachers, as we move into the sec ond decade o f the 21st century,” said Best-Laimit. According to Deputy Superintendent, Peter Daly, Ed. D, the district heads into this school year in sound financial condition, despite the wavering economy and uncertainty in Albany and Washing ton. “We planned well,” said Daly. Part of the plan included the appropriation, by the board of education, of nearly $2 million this open for educational year B . B V C O N n . B U C U B R A . « yea, uom the district’s fund balance to hold the line on property taxes. Part of this ap propriation includes funds to cover the decrease in assessed valuation and STAR exemptions that the district had to absorb, once assessment figures were released by the Town of Babylon assessor’s office in Au gust. The board’s action enabled the district to hold to the 1.93 percent tax-rate increase reduction in state aid of almost a half million dol lars - $474,665 or 5.78 percent reduction over the prior year. “This is unprecedented in my time as a business official,” said Daly. At left, Superintendent o f Schools, Dr. Ellen Best- Laimit, is shown with students and staff on open ing day. Above, students appear ready fo r another school year. that the district projected in the budget plan ap proved by voters in May. When the State Legislature finally approved the state budget in August, Babylon fared better than it would have under Governor Paterson’s proposed plan, but in the end the district still experienced a Babylon community honors Rose Ann and Bob Norman IN TH E NEW S: Donation helps library 's online archive The Babylon Public Library Boaid ot Trustees leader. An electronic format permits, easy retrieval of thanks resident and local author, Theresa Santmann, information by keyword searching on a computer, for her generous donation of eight thousand dollais The newspapers are slated to be available online for Ms. Santmann has directed these funds be used patrons and researchers to view on library or home for the Library s Historic Newspaper Pioject This computers. When the project« complete, the Library endeavor will permit the transfer ot local newspa- expects to have converted the South Side Signal, Bab* pers from paper or microfilm to electronic foimat yl«n leader, Babylon Town Leader and the Babylon Microfilm, although aichivally supeiicn, requires Beacon, from 1869 to the present The Friends of the page-by-page scrolling thiougli a large magnifying I ibrary have been instrumental ui the original con- ^ 1 \ ^ ^ .... —| version from paper to mi- I ^ ^ J i l « j Pictured left to right tire Library Dneitor Ma rina Sullivan. Trustees la- net Knight and Corinne Robinson, Donor Jheresa Santmann, Trustees Gary Brunjes, Mary GaBagher, and President Prank fron- by Janine Logan The spotlight was on Rose Ann and Bob Norman at the 15th Annual All Villlage Celebration held Sunday, Aug. 30, at Lily Flanagan's Restaurant in Babylon Village. As recipients of this year’s Nathaniel Conklin Award for outstanding volunteerism, this couple embodies the spirit of community and service that this award recognizes. They were formally presented with the prestigious honor on July 2, but celebrated with family friends, neighbors, and fellow Babylonians at the All Village gathering, the main fundraiser for the restoration of the historic Conklin House. The Normans have devoted the past seven years to the Babylon Village Arts Council (BVAC), a not-for-profit organization that brings free cultural events to the village. It is through their shared vision and commitment that the council has flourished and offered such programs as Poetry in the Village, Art by the Falls, and recently Jazz Week. Successoftheprogramsisdueinparttothecollaborative partnerships forged with local businesses and political leaders. The Thursday Concerts sponsored by and held at Astoria Federal Savings Bank in the Village, as well as funding secured by State Senator Owen Johnson and Suffolk County Legislator Wayne Horsley, have helped sustain this small community organization. But it is the Normans’ unmatched dedication to the arts that has been the driving force behind BVAC, agree those who know the couple. “They are two (Continued on page 3)
