Amityville Magazine

FREE OUTDOOR MOVIE TONIGHT - Tanner Park starts at sunset on the lawn. Free to all residents.

***TONIGHT***

Looking to entertain your children with the experience of an outdoor movie night? We’ve got you covered! Join us for a showing of The Parent Trap on the lawn at Tanner Park TODAY, August 20th. The movie will begin after sunset and is free to all residents! Don't forget to bring your snacks, chairs, & blankets!

Amityville Magazine is in receipt of the following memo regarding the current administrative climate within the Amityville Schools written by the AAA (Amityville Administrators Association).

We wish we could say we are shocked at its contents, but we are not.

Whistleblowers from the Wyandanch School District had previously reported to the Amityville Magazine that Dr. Talbert was unresponsive and uncommunicative as a leader. Clearly the same leadership style is in effect in Amityville.

We are three weeks away from the start of school and there are many issues that need discussion. There have been multiple leadership changes at individual building levels due to staff reductions, resignations, & new hires.

It’s critical that the Superintendent create an environment of support and transparency so administrators feel supported in their ability to educate our students.

We are so excited to share this opportunity with those that need it.
This Sunday 8/25 and Monday 10-7 we will have several hair stylists at our center to give children FREE haircuts for back to school!!!!
What an amazing thing for these women to provide for us and we are honestly so grateful.

THIS IS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. You MUST CALL us to make an appointment. We are open 10-8 all week.

631-448-7832

LIMITED appointments. Please call assp! We can’t wait to see you! 💜

Heavy rain and some flash flooding expected today. Stay safe and make necessary preparations.

Saturday, 4pm-8pm - Guide Dog and Shelter Animal Block Party at Belfast Gastropub

Only 1 day left until our Guide Dog & Animal Shelter Block Party! 🐾🎊 Get ready for an amazing event filled with community spirit and fun. See you tomorrow!

Amityville School Board Meeting Recap as reported by Debbie McQuillan (Amityville Resident and former member of Freeport Board of Education):

The school board convened for their regular meeting on August 14, 2024. During this lengthy session, the board members tackled a variety of pressing matters impacting the school district.
Ongoing decline in student enrollment across the district. The total number of students had dropped from 3,104 in the 2019-2020 school year to the current figure of 2,733 as of the August 14th meeting

The board also provided status updates on several topics. This included information about the availability of class schedules for the new academic year (will be ready for orientations), the ongoing legal battle surrounding the school mascot, a change order for the generator project at the middle school and plans to repair the cracked tennis courts. Additionally, the trustees received a briefing on the "energy performance contract" aimed at improving the district's energy efficiency. The associated costs are supposed to be offset by projected savings. Trustee Canestro and joined by Messmann and Fanning, expressed that this is not the right time. They felt bringing teachers back should be priority.

However, the most substantial portion of the meeting centered around the district's precarious financial situation. Dealing with a dangerously low undesignated fund balance, the board felt compelled to approve a $27 million tax anticipation note to bridge the gap between immediate expenses and expected revenue, which comes in throughout the year. This action drew concern from newer board members, who openly acknowledged the strain this placed on the overall budget and that it weighs heavily on their minds when voting on expenditures.

Closely related to the financial challenges, the board also discussed the creation of a new citizens budget advisory committee. The purpose of this committee would be to provide enhanced oversight and community input on budgetary matters. There was debate around the application process and criteria for serving on this committee. Continued discussions planned.

Rounding out the agenda, the board made several personnel decisions, including accepting resignations and appointing a new assistant principal to fill a key administrative role. An Interim District Clerk was appointed due to the resignation of Ms. Durnin.

In the end, this marathon school board meeting tackled a wide array of complex issues facing the district - from infrastructure needs to the overarching financial constraints.The dynamic of the new school board has certainly changed. There are more questions and input from board members, especially trustees Canestro, Fanning and Messmann. Although the meetings will run longer in time, the community will benefit from witnessing the deliberations and thinking of each board member. To actually hear a trustee verbalize the struggle in voting for what we need and the reality of our weak financial state, is reassuring in a way. We are reminded that they hold the power to steer us away from disaster and put us on tract to begin to recover. If you never change the input you should not expect change. The community choose to change the input and therefore we can hope for a better outcome!

An inside-source reports that Ms. Sonia Rodrigo, Assistant Principal of NorthWest and Park Avenue Elementary Schools has resigned. A well-respected administrator, this is difficult news so close to the start of the school year.

Are you an employee of the Amityville School District with news to report? We keep all of our sources and information confidential.

There is a School Board Meeting tonight, August 14th, at 7:30pm in the Park Avenue Memorial School Auditorium.

The start of the 24/25 School Year is less than a month away. Hopefully the Board and Administrators will address what classrooms will look like with less teachers/staff due to the current fiscal crisis. The start of school has been chaotic and schedules have been released late the past two years- will this year be different?

Of Note on Tonight's Agenda:
◦ Resignation- Ms Berrios, Middle School Assistant Principal
• Resignation- Three Teachers
• Resignation- School Psychologist
• Tax Anticipation Note- this allows the district to borrow against tax receipts and is equivalent to a credit-card advance at a high interest rate.

PBA School Supply Drive for the Amityville School District

Drop off at Village Hall

Monday, August 19th - 2-7pm

Check out the dogs that are available for adoption at the Babylon Animal
Shelter.

Hi all! The Amityville Junior League is happy to announce the return of the 2024 Holiday Homes Tour! We are looking for a few more homes to add to our list this year, so if you have any interest in volunteering your home or want to receive email updates about the event, please feel free to message me or send us an email at [email protected] .. our official list will be finalized by August 15th! We are thrilled to be back!! 🎄

This Saturday, August 3rd @ Noon - Amityville Beach

Be in your viewing spots tomorrow morning by 9:30 a.m. to make sure you don't miss the Town of Babylon Soldier Ride. After the event kicks off at Town Hall at 9 a.m., bike riders will make their way through the Village of Amityville. Best viewing locations are Broadway south of Oak St. to Merrick Road, and also along Merrick Road heading east. Look for your friends, neighbors and Village staff who are among the awesome riders participating!

Missing North Amityville teen

Police seek public’s help!
Suffolk County Police First Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to locate a missing North
Amityville teen.
Andy Pineda, 16, was reported missing by a guardian on June 21 after he was last seen at his home on
West Jefferson Street on June 18.
Pineda is Hispanic, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 170 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on Pineda’s location is asked to call 911.

School Board President Lisa Johnson refuses to give up her district-funded cell phone, even though over 70+ employees had to "give up" their jobs.

During last night's BoE meeting, School Board President Lisa Johnson stated it was "too much" to have school board and personal texts on her phone, and "liked to keep them separate" as the reasoning behind her keeping a cell phone paid for by the district. When pressed by Trustee Canestro to save funds in the face of the current deficit, Johnson doubled down stating that it wasn't "a lot of money." Trustee Nehring agreed with Johnson.

President Johnson doesn't want to be inconvenienced by having BoE communications on her phone, What about the inconvenience of the 70+ staff members & teachers that lost their jobs under her leadership? While the savings from a cell phone won't fix the current financial crisis, it does show empathy towards those whose jobs were lost and a willingness to do what is necessary even when uncomfortable.

President Johnson can't manage communication on her cell phone and she clearly can't manage the school budget, as evidenced by her track record.

The motion passed - Johnson, Kretz, Seehof and Nehring were yes votes.

School Board Update!

At last night's Reorganization Meeting the following officers were elected:
Lisa Johnson, President
Carol Seahoff, First Vice President
Megan Messman, Second Vice President

Trustee Canestro was reinstated to her full term ending June 30, 2025 via resolution by the entire Board.

During the organizational meeting, Trustee Canestro brought to the Board's attention the deficiencies in the Policy Manual. The Board is required at the reorganizational meeting to review and re-adopt policies.

Canestro explained that the Board was informed by Board President Johnson that Board Members were not expected to read the Policy Manual. Canestro further explained that as a Legislative Body, writing and adopting policies is a core function of what the Board is elected to do.

Due to Canestro's insistence, and with the help of Board Counsel, the Board didn't readopt all the policies, only the Code of Conduct and Purchasing Policies were reapproved.

During last night's lengthy meeting, attendees were often lost, as complete copies of action items and resolutions were not made available to the public (this appears to be an ongoing problem).

3 day forecast ☔️☀️

Starting Wednesday and every Wednesday in the summer, live music at the beach.

Brazico is hiring,

Join our team! Please email us your information, position, and availability. We can't wait for you to join our family!

Breaking News!
Internal sources confirmed that seven support staff were let go three days before school ended for the year. These seven employees were approved to work the Summer School program but their appointments were rescinded as they were let go. It is incredibly unfair to these seven employees to be let go last minute, limiting their ability to find replacement employment for the Summer.

Amityville is one of those Long Island villages that doesn’t get a lot of attention. Too bad. There’s so much history here. It has a very quaint downtown and there’s lots of fun places to eat and drink. Please support our “Main Street” businesses this summer no matter where you live or visit. It’s been a long struggle for all small business owners and they really appreciate the support, especially from their local residents. Cheers from Vittorio’s!

Last night was Amityville’s Street Fair. Best one yet!

4th of July parade tomorrow at 10am 🇺🇸

In yet another mistake, the District’s updated listing of Board of Education members is incorrect.

It’s pretty easy to see how one can overspend $9 million in 3 years with such a terrible lack of attention to detail.

Newly appointed Trustee Chris Nehring’s term ends 5/20/25 (not the date noted on the website).

Further evidence of lack of oversight, incompetence, or both.