[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6034963,"mediaKeyId","5109843-48e3b88db3da3acd40dd146605aa7e4f","parentId",5109843,"title","Wantagh organizers announce Sept. 14 9/11 Memorial 5K, scholarships and student trips funded by race proceeds","audioSeconds",186,"startMs",502000,"endMs",688000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5109843-48e3b88db3da3acd40dd146605aa7e4f&start=502&end=688","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5109843-48e3b88db3da3acd40dd146605aa7e4f/thumbnail_502000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6034963/New-York/Wantagh-organizers-announce-Sept-14-911-Memorial-5K-scholarships-and-student-trips-funded-by-race-proceeds","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6034963-7cffb78112b50e5b796b017632ad46e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137068&Signature=fhOJY9Nydq4I8iBlJIEtm6ES3KnXLrtKFDKLukCiuAfANqFmHKmlKca0CvAoS8r1h8SH0JjFp52Hq1hQLXoBWgWJgCs0FkCpKvO0Z0jOawEkCIMngD~AxNj6AHORdfNY3zIs27eyXJYooYzeq54yqzvmLRXPjWk-2RIhZ~NUj4GpNcl9SMdvnLaNq6bjyxdcqp4nyb-OGzprwm8nu-W6OEZFQXuy70Huv-o6KM4JlOCp6tQ3vDCQFOXGN5HVnuBNf5VqhytoNh9cLjp2JJxTMtS8xk3NomFeY-v--w2SzGzo1ZV51e4k4yc6epmJ-SWqHAwLQrpQjBKyLfoEQfvmgw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wantagh UFSD","date","2025-05-09T00:00:00Z","article","District leaders reported that the Wantagh 9/11 Memorial 5K, first held last year, will return on Sunday, Sept. 14, and that proceeds from the inaugural race have funded scholarships, teaching materials and a student trip to the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

Dr. Widman opened the brief presentation and turned the update to Dr. Gazzone, who gave specific results from the inaugural event. \"The cost of that before the event was about a $100 a student. We were able to knock that down to $20 a student, and we were able to take 112 students and 18 staff members this past March to the 9/11 museum,\" Gazzone said.

Gazzone told the board the organizers will award $2,500 in scholarships this school year based on 9/11-related criteria and that they have reserved $30,000 toward a memorial to be placed on a high school campus as part of a five-year goal. He said the group also purchased developmentally appropriate copies of The Man in the Red Bandana for elementary classes and has distributed curriculum materials to support 9/11 education.

Organizers thanked sponsors. Gazzone singled out the Gary Sinise Foundation as a returning Gold Star sponsor and named \"Wantagh 6–12\" and Orlin and Cohen as Silver Star sponsors. He also announced that Commissioner Ryder will be the event keynote speaker on Sept. 14.

The presentation framed the race as community-building and as a fundraiser that reduced school trip costs while supporting scholarships and instructional materials; no board action was requested at the meeting.

Organizers asked for continued community support and for sponsors; the district asked interested parties to contact event organizers for sponsorship information.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Wantagh UFSD Board of Education Business Meeting - 5/8/25","oneSentenceSummary","District staff reported that the Wantagh 9/11 Memorial 5K will return Sept. 14, with proceeds having already helped send 112 students and 18 staff to the 9/11 Memorial Museum for a reduced per-student cost and funded scholarships and an earmarked memorial fund for the high school.","taxTitle","WANTAGH UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Districts, New York","taxId",56330,"location","New York","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6034968,"Neighbors press Wantagh district for answers on proposed athletic-field lights donation",309,2365000,2674000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5109843-48e3b88db3da3acd40dd146605aa7e4f&start=2365&end=2674","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5109843-48e3b88db3da3acd40dd146605aa7e4f/thumbnail_2365000.jpg","/articles/6034968/New-York/Neighbors-press-Wantagh-district-for-answers-on-proposed-athletic-field-lights-donation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6034968-43ccb606f57f62c2b0605d83a95d5698/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137068&Signature=g2hEme74wfrKB3gIpEW2IMKFzaV14dbWKYmLjoz0MjXjxc-adVYx7ujdtE2VPbZ-t4B2hSTxJYvTQvgMAm7Btfx5DFtQF437WLi6hGDlwYiOnFoLGG~~LJrQ66JX~s~chDptKXArim4QEmxS7l34eZoz~~YQaZH5z5WmSFaCCwQ6RxOVkIH~s~256XUFfJ47JMSACNSje6Jg9j7V~wZf3nWv-RmMhkRNFtBwgdL6OUKplZKdTJmjVwvSQW-~V85XhKTihUxjEFDxBwrEshLXhDpK39cEK-xaeQFx3pPG5y~o-BG1B41CFAcYo~KqoUAgARU~GW6q05~Klntm~gRzrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Neighbors raised concerns during public comment at the May 8 Montour Board of Education meeting about a previously accepted donation to install lights at a district athletic field, saying they have not been given details about timing, conditions or neighborhood impacts.

One resident asked the board to notify neighbors when the matter will be discussed and whether alternatives exist to installation, noting fundraisers and other local options might be considered as substitutes for an outside donor with attached conditions. \"Please let us know when this discussion is gonna be made and bringing up whether there could be an alternative,\" the resident said.

Maureen O'Donnell, who identified herself as a neighbor, said she and other neighbors want a seat at the table to review details with the donor because the lights, she said, \"are gonna affect us greatly.\" She said the community is concerned about neighborhood impacts and wants more communication from the district.

Superintendent John McNamara responded that the board had agreed several months earlier to accept the donation but that the district is still in discussions to determine whether an agreement will work for all parties. \"Until we can get to some point with this organization in terms of that agreement, it's just premature for me to speak about it,\" McNamara said, and he told residents that the district would share information when negotiations progress.

There was no board vote on the lights at the meeting and no final agreement was presented. The transcript records community requests for a meeting with district officials and the donor to review terms; McNamara said he expected to have more to share in the coming weeks but did not provide a timetable.

The public-comment segment on this issue preceded the close of the meeting and the board moved on after the superintendent’s reply.","Two residents pressed the board for more information about a previously accepted donation to install stadium lights, saying they have not been given details on timing, conditions or neighborhood impacts; Superintendent John McNamara said discussions with the donor are ongoing and no specifics were available yet.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6034973,"Montour district holds budget hearing; proposes $2.1 million capital reserve spending, stays under tax cap",884,715000,1599000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5109843-48e3b88db3da3acd40dd146605aa7e4f&start=715&end=1599","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5109843-48e3b88db3da3acd40dd146605aa7e4f/thumbnail_715000.jpg","/articles/6034973/New-York/Montour-district-holds-budget-hearing-proposes-21-million-capital-reserve-spending-stays-under-tax-cap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6034973-1630987c2b5f9fb83b259fd942e529aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137068&Signature=VIEZPthp~qnOpRGilaETNAwasi5auP7sJnaXJIcTzVpl-Nb2laG1lM6n2O3mhMrWhYY00VxS4D7v8bs0LMzg7GzXzhwfzdGexXpwKUsEdRpor4v07U2iHEkWIdKDqGILUOC6J1hgiFnwiXERnG6HlpxDyMr2FdHJi00p7lqDU63uQF88eKY75Pw6MqmL2OD437OHjZXWSm20y5K1CCEMFOrbsH4-eWz2ziHr5Vpixl~9CGggBJ~6lPBLuc4WS6BwX-wj2kpUSoNXYA2lnLsafKMT3M2soPJWTjiZnXQsFWESSQZaRDA5YYq8HuogCn~hs57zo-vMJ8jD7Z4~ASzFqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent John McNamara presented the Wantagh Union Free School District’s proposed 2025–26 budget at the board’s May 8 business meeting and said the plan would stay below the district’s tax levy limit.

McNamara said the proposed tax levy would rise from about $67,000,000 to $68,900,000 and the overall budget would increase from roughly $91,700,000 to $94,700,000, noting the levy change remains under the district’s 2.89% tax-cap limit. He also said the district plans to ask voters to authorize $2,100,000 in spending from the capital reserve to fund four projects, led by a large roof replacement at Wantagh Elementary School.

The budget hearing matters because it sets the district’s spending priorities and sends two propositions to voters, McNamara said: the annual budget itself and the authorization to expend funds from the capital reserve. \"This budget continues to maintain smaller elementary class sizes and funds program expansions while coming in below the tax levy limit of 2.89%,\" McNamara said.

McNamara walked the board and public through the budget drivers. He said people are the largest component of the budget, accounting for about 75% of expenses, and noted negotiated contract increases are the single biggest budget pressure, which he quantified as about $1.7 million. He also flagged special education costs, employer retirement contributions, technology and cybersecurity, insurance and transportation as significant upward drivers.

On revenue, McNamara said the district received final state aid numbers late the night before the meeting and expects a modest increase in foundation aid; he cited a roughly $315,000 increase anticipated for the 2025–26 school year. He said the state budget’s late adoption delayed final figures for districts statewide.

Capital projects described in the hearing include:
- a large roof replacement at Wantagh Elementary School (the largest of the four reserve-funded projects), which would require scaffolding across the building and will prevent the use of the school for summer recreation programs while work is done;
- ceiling replacements in some high school classrooms tied to HVAC work from the 2022 bond;
- an upgrade and replacement of district security cameras and associated network switch gear; and
- lighting work in the auditorium and other smaller facility improvements funded from transfer to capital.

McNamara also summarized recent capital work funded by the 2022 bond: bathroom renovations, a middle school gym project, roof work, hallway ceiling replacements, a new science research lab at the high school, a new public-address system across buildings and an upgraded phone system being rolled out this summer.

He described several programmatic additions the budget would support, including expansion of an early reading support program (WIN) into third grade, an expanded life-skills special education program at the middle and high school, a science research cohort that will serve more than 60 students, a new broadcasting elective, construction courses, a proposed three-year cybersecurity course sequence aiming at industry certification, and evening EMT instruction for a cohort of roughly a dozen students.

McNamara reminded voters that the district maintains several reserve funds and said the comptroller’s fiscal stress report gave the district “no designation,” a sign of improved fiscal health he credited to the business office. \"Good news financially: we continue to be in a solid place financially,\" he said.

McNamara said the board will place two propositions before district voters and reminded the public that budget vote day will be held on a Tuesday in May with polls open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; the transcript did not specify an exact calendar date for the vote. He encouraged the community to vote at its respective elementary school polling location.

The hearing was informational; the board did not adopt the budget at the meeting. Routine consent items — minutes, financial reports, personnel approvals, contracts and donations — were moved and approved earlier in the meeting as part of the consent agenda.

The budget details and the proposed use of the capital reserve will appear on the district ballot for voter approval and, if approved, the capital projects would proceed per the district’s planning and procurement process.","Superintendent John McNamara outlined a proposed 2025–26 budget for the Wantagh Union Free School District that keeps the levy below the tax cap, increases the overall budget to about $94.7 million and asks voters to authorize $2.1 million in capital reserve spending for four projects including a major roof replacement.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Wantagh organizers announce Sept. 14 9/11 Memorial 5K, scholarships and student trips funded by race proceeds

Neighbors press Wantagh district for answers on proposed athletic-field lights donation

Montour district holds budget hearing; proposes $2.1 million capital reserve spending, stays under tax cap