South Huntington board reviews 2024–25 budget, approves new courses, award and school holiday

Board of Education President Nicholas Cipeta summarized the South Huntington Union Free School District’s Feb. 12 meeting, saying trustees reviewed the 2024–25 budget and projections for 2025–26, approved three new courses at Simpson Middle School, created the Diana Cinquecuemane Fritzse Impact Award and revised the 2024–25 calendar to recognize an Eid holiday.

The budget review focused on maintaining fiscal responsibility while sustaining instructional programs and services, Cipeta said. The presentation covered proposed instructional initiatives, technology and safety upgrades, and capital work stemming from a $4,000,000 voter-approved facilities program.

Instructional changes reviewed included a new literacy program aligned with the New York State Education Department literacy initiatives, a curriculum-writing project, expanded language-learning supports, partial departmentalization for fifth grade and transition work to prepare students for middle school. The board approved three new courses at Simpson Middle School: Introduction to Guitar, Introduction to Dance and Math 7 Honors (dual language), to support bilingual learners and offer expanded arts options. The district also plans to expand the dance program at Stimson so eighth graders can earn high-school credit.

Technology and infrastructure upgrades presented to the board included network and server upgrades to increase capacity and redundancy, strengthened cybersecurity measures such as upgraded firewalls and multi-factor authentication for staff, expanded Chromebook warranties and pilot or rollout plans for AI-driven learning platforms.

The district reported ongoing student mental-health and wellness work, including the Second Step social-emotional learning curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade with planned expansion to Walt Whitman High School, and continued partnership with Northwell Health to provide family resources and trauma-informed staff training. Safety and security updates included completion of district vestibules, a new guard booth at Walden High School, implementation of the Raptor visitor-management system and upgrades to PA systems and surveillance cameras.

The board discussed progress on roughly $4,000,000 in capital improvements that voters approved in May 2024. Trustees also approved a lease extension allowing the Montessori School to continue occupying the Memorial School Building.

Votes at a glance: • Creation of the Diana Cinquecuemane Fritzse Impact Award — motion to create the award approved (recorded as unanimously approved). Mover/second: not specified; vote tally: not specified. • Revision to the 2024–25 school calendar to recognize an Eid holiday (recorded in the meeting as "Eid Al Ara") — approved. Mover/second: not specified; vote tally: not specified. (Holiday name recorded in meeting transcript as "Eid Al Ara"; not further specified.) • Approval of three new Simpson Middle School courses (Introduction to Guitar; Introduction to Dance; Math 7 Honors dual language) — approved. Mover/second: not specified; vote tally: not specified. • Lease to continue Montessori School occupancy of Memorial School Building — signed/approved. Mover/second: not specified; vote tally: not specified.

Cipeta closed the summary by thanking staff and the community and noting the next Board of Education meeting on March 5. The remarks were presented as a meeting wrap-up; formal presentations and more detailed documents (budget spreadsheets, contract text, and course syllabi) were referenced in the meeting presentation but not read into the transcript excerpt.