Comsewogue Assistant Superintendent Joseph Coniglione and Superintendent Jessica Quinn delivered cap and gowns to high school seniors June 8. Photo from Quinn’s Facebook
With graduation plans interrupted due to the pandemic, local school districts are trying to find unique options to give seniors their send-off.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed an executive order June 7 that allowed districts to have in-person socially distanced graduations for up to 150 people after June 26. Comsewogue High School, with around 320 students graduating this year, has opted instead to hold several ceremonies online in the latter half of June.
“Our plan is socially distant and safe,” said Superintendent Jennifer Quinn.
While graduation is still scheduled for July 23, the district is planning a car parade send-off. Seniors will be asked to drive through the front bus loop at the high school on Thursday, June 25, between 12 and 1 p.m. The district expects to play music and have lawn signs with the name and picture for each graduate. Staff is expected to come to the building and cheer passing seniors.
The district is also planning several virtual and distanced events after classes officially end June 16. The district will host a Varsity Awards Night Friday, June 19, at 6 p.m., a Senior Scholarship Night, June 22 at 6:30 p.m. and a Virtual Senior Prom June 23 at 8 p.m., all via Zoom. The district will then host a senior slideshow drive-in movie June 24 at 7:30 and 9 p.m. at the high school south parking lot.
Port Jefferson School District, with a graduating class of just 85, is instead pushing its graduation tentatively to Aug 1 (rain date Aug.2), hopeful that New York continues its trend of declining infections and deaths.
Port Jeff Superintendent Jessica Schmettan said that date was decided before the June 7 executive order, but in a poll senior students overwhelmingly asked for a later event that can be held in person. Village of Port Jefferson officials have notified the district theywill allow the district to use the Village Center for both this activity and its senior prom, which is also tentatively scheduled for a day or two after graduation.
“We’re waiting to see if gathering limits are lifted a little bit more and have more guests and families there like we usually have,” Schmettan said.
The village is also giving a unique opportunity for seniors, using its drive-in movies and showing the John Hughes classic “The Breakfast Club” June 20 exclusively for graduating seniors at its location uptown in the parking lot north of the train station. The village is paying for the drive-in expenses.
Three Village Central School District residents voted 6,096 to 3,135 in favor of the 2020-21 budget.
The $218.84 million budget falls within the 1.96 percent cap on the tax levy increase and represents a 1.75 percent increase on the 2019-20 budget.
Incumbents Inger Germano (4,727), Irene Gische (4506) and Jeffrey Kerman (4479) retained their seats on the board. Challengers Shaorui Li, David McKinnon and Vinny Menten received 3,722, 3,799 and 2810 votes, respectively.
School districts in Huntington canvassed ballots June 16 for hours before reporting results.
Elwood Union Free School District
The district passed its 2020-21 budget, 2,921 to 1,064. Its budget is set at $64,443,174, a 2.73 percent increase from last year’s figure. The district will see a tax levy increase of 2.89 percent, which is below its allowable tax levy cap of 7.22 percent.
The proposed increase of 2.89 percent is less than what is needed to fully cover the increase to capital debt, so as a result the district has planned targeted reductions. Those will include elimination of one full-time administrative position, reduction in staffing due to attrition, reduction to athletics for materials and supplies, reduction to certain co-curricular activities with minimal student enrollment and reduction in security hours to eliminate redundancy in buildings.
Voters elected two candidates to the board of education. Newcomer Sara Siddiqui secured the most votes of 2,489 and will be elected to fill the balance of an unexpired term from June 9, 2020, through June 30, 2020, to be followed by a full three-year term. Challenger Thomas Scarola, who received the second highest number of votes with 2,281, will serve a full three-year term beginning in July. Incumbent Becky Marcus failed to secure reelection with 1,775, as did George Neofitos with 755 votes.
Northport-East Northport Union Free School District
Voters passed the 2020-21 budget 5,241 to 1,545. Its budget is set at $172,752,759, a $1.6 million increase from last year’s total. The budget package supportsK-12 instructional programs, funds the purchase of 1,500 Chromebooks to complete the final phase of the 1:1 computing initiative so that all students K-12 have their own device, preserves the district’s art, music and athletic programs, maintains class sizes within district guidelines, preserves staffing and programming to support the social-emotional needs of students and supports the district’s professional development initiatives for staff.
In the event of future foundation aid reductions, the district will look to defer a number of expenditures. The total would come out to over $1.8 million. In a worst-case scenario, the district could eliminate late bus runs, eliminate/reduce school trips, reduce athletic opportunities (games, teams), and reduce full-time equivalent employee hours, among other things.
Board president David Badanes secured reelection with 5,119 votes. Incumbent Donna McNaughton was reelected with 4,463 votes. Challenger Victoria Bento fell short in her bid with 2,762 votes.
Harborfields Central School District
The 2020-21 budget passed by an overwhelming 3,609 to 1,472. Its total budget figure will be $88,843,177. The district will see a tax levy increase of 2.80 percent. The tax levy amount is $68,465,006 compared to last year’s amount of $66,600,280. State aid is down from $16,466,214 to $14,526,584, which is an over $1.9 million decrease.
Incumbents Christopher Kelly and David Steinberg were reelected to the board. Kelly received 3,477 votes, while Steinberg garnered 2,855 votes. Challenger Freda Manuel came up short with 2,174 votes.
Cold Spring Harbor Central School District
Voters passed the 2020-21 budget 944 to 373. Its budget is set at $71,092,749, which is an $817,932 increase from its 2019-20 figure. The district’s tax levy amount will be $66,819,125. The overall budget is about $1 million under the tax levy limit.
District officials are expecting further aid reductions from the state. However, the current budget maintains all programs. The district will continue its Chromebook initiative for all students at the middle and high school, extensive professional development for teachers, continue the partnership with the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and DNA Learning Center, fund arts programming, including a partnership with the Huntington Arts Council and Lincoln Center Education.
In addition, the budget will facilitate the approval for new three-year transportation contracts, appropriates $900,000 in capital construction funds for the following projects: Field House locker room reconstruction, grounds storage building construction at the middle and high school, performing arts center house lighting replacement.
Proposition 2 was passed by voters, 911 to 451. It would transfer an amount not to exceed $750,000 from the district’s unassigned fund balance to replace existing faucets and the upper synthetic turf field at Cold Spring Harbor Jr./Sr. High School.
Proposition 3 was also passed by voters, 916 to 448. It will authorize the creation of a capital reserve with a limit of $15,000,000 in deposits plus applicable interest over a 15-year term to complete future capital construction projects.
Four candidates ran for three seats with three-year terms, beginning July 1, 2020. Incumbents Janice Elkin and Mark Freidberg secured reelection while challenger Tara Belfi was elected to her first term.
Huntington Union Free School District
Voters passed the 2020-21 budget, 3,696 to 1249. Its budget is set at $135,938,167 with a 1.77 percent increase. Its tax levy amount comes out to $112,350,000.
Its second proposition also passed 3,976 to 924. It will approve the release of monies for state-approved projects that will total over $3.6 million. Southdown Primary School: $340,000 would be used for rooftop solar panels; Huntington High School: Partial roof replacement costing $1 million; Finley Middle School: Science/prep rooms reconstruction and boiler replacements would cost $2 million; and Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School: New auditorium seating and flooring would cost $300,000. Costs of repairs of Finley Middle School lockers will also be included in the total.
Residents elected two individuals to the BOE to a three-year term commencing July 1, 2020, and expiring June 30, 2023. Longtime trustee member Xavier Palacios secured reelection with 2,494 votes, challenger Kelly Donovan was elected to her first term with 3,061 votes. Board president Jennifer Hebert decided to not run for reelection this year.
Commack School District
Commack School District’s 2020-21 budget of $199,759,525 was approved by residents, 5,332 to 2,128.
Trustee Susan Hermer retained her seat with 3,401 votes. Her challenger Mike Weisberg garnered 3,021. Incumbent William Hender ran unopposed and received 5,157 votes.
The 2020-2021 school budget has a tax cap levy increase of 1.99 percent with a budget-to-budget increase of 1.37 percent.
The majority of residents across the Town of Smithtown voted “yes” to their districts’ proposed budgets and approved their board of education incumbents.
Smithtown Central School District
Smithtown residents passed the $255,203,276 budget for 2020-21, 7,345 to 3,726.
Incumbents Matthew Gribbin (8,295), Frank James (5,479) and Jerry Martusciello (8,362) retained their seats on the board. Kevin Craine, who challenged James’ seat, received 4,104 votes.
The 2020-21 budget is a 1.50 percent increase from last year’s budget, and the tax levy increase of 1.82 percent is under the cap.
Commack School District
Commack School District’s 2020-21 budget of $199,759,525 was approved by residents, 5,332 to 2,128.
Trustee Susan Hermer retained her seat with 3,401 votes. Her challenger Mike Weisberg garnered 3,021. Incumbent William Hender ran unopposed and received 5,157 votes.
The 2020-2021 school budget has a tax cap levy increase of 1.99 percent with a budget-to-budget increase of 1.37 percent.
Kings Park Central School District
Kings Park residents voted in favor of the $96,510,404 budget, 3,223 to 1,859.
Joe Bianco ran unopposed and was elected to a three-year term with 4,146 votes.
The budget represents a 2.80 percent increase over last year’s total of $93,880,803, with a 3.27 percent tax levy increase.
“During these challenging times, I am most thankful for the ongoing support from the Kings Park Community,” said Superintendent Timothy Eagen in an email. “Over the past 14 weeks, the Kings Park family has shown great resiliency, grit and persistence.We have come together as a family.With our budget successfully passed, we can begin to plan for a safe reentry in September.”
Hauppauge Union Free School District
Hauppauge’s 2020-2021 budget of $115,735,467 budget passed 3,907 to 1,314. The budget shows a 0.28 percent decrease, and an increase to the tax levy of 2.3 percent, due to higher property taxes, meets the tax cap.
Board of education trustee incumbents Dr. Lawrence Crafa and James Kiley both ran for another three-year term unopposed and received 3,867 and 3,320 votes, respectively.
Voting booths at Rocky Point High School. File photo by Kyle Barr
All school districts passed their budgets this year, though all are anticipating potential changes in state aid later in the year. In addition, all district voters decided to reelect incumbents in contested races.
Shoreham-Wading River Central School District
SWR passed its 2020-21 budget, 2,146 to 801. Its budget is set at $77,164,774, a 1.6 percent increase from last year’s $75,952,416. The year’s tax levy is $55,391,167, a $1,013,510 increase from 2019-20.
The district will maintain all current programming despite potential state aid cuts. Its state aid package would be $12,789,308, a $112,843 increase from last year. In the event of potential state aid cuts midyear, the district has placed certain items in the budget that would not be purchased before Dec. 31, including multiple infrastructure projects at Miller Avenue elementary and the middle school, as well as work on the districtwide grounds and asphalt repairs.
In the board of education elections all three candidates were incumbents and ran unopposed. Board president Michael Lewis secured another term on the board with 2,292 votes, Katie Anderson, who finished her first term this year, was reelected with 2,324 votes. Henry Perez was reelected to another term as well and garnered 2,300 votes.
Rocky Point Union Free School District
The 2020-21 budget passed 1,961 to 952. Its budget is set at $84,586,600, with state aid reduction resulting in a $2.1 million decrease in the overall figure. Expenditure decreases are across the board to reach the reduced budget. The budget sets the tax levy at $52,483,059,
setting itself directly at the tax cap, a very slight increase from last year’s figure.
A capital reserve proposition was approved 1,998 to 893. The district is planning to use the capital reserves to repave the front driveway area in front of the high school with a cost not to exceed $350,000. Rocky Point’s current reserve balance is set at $1,590,368. Due to the result of the vote, the district will gain access to the funds. The capital reserve does not increase the tax levy.
Incumbents Sean Callahan and Jessica Ward secured reelection to a three-year term. They garnered 1,955 and 2,094 votes, respectively. Challenger Kellyann Imeidopf fell short with 960 votes.
Miller Place School District
The Miller Place School District passed its 2020-21 budget convincingly with a vote of 2,156 to 860. The budget is set at $75,713,895, a 2.37 percent increase from last year. The district’s 2020-21 tax levy is set at $47,616,059 and an increase of $687,471 from last year’s amount.
Miller Place’s state aid was set at $23,144,911, but the district also has leftover building aid of $792,666 and will be receiving an additional $208,010 for 2020-21. Officials said they plan on using leftover aid and funds from repairing the high school gym floor to help offset any further reductions in state aid.
Proposition 2, which comprised the library budget, passed overwhelming as well:2,464 to 548.
Board Vice President Richard Panico was reelected to the board with 2,407 votes. Trustee member Lisa Reitan was also reelected to another term with 2,420 votes.
Mount Sinai School District
Voters passed the 2020-21 budget, 2,108 to 857. Its budget is set at $61,769,870, a $760,100 and 1.25 percent increase from last year. The tax levy is set at $41,396,602, an increase of 1 percent and well below the 2.43 percent cap set by New York State.
A second proposition asked voters to approve $1.2 million for capital projects from the reserves. It passed 2,365 to 595. Projects will include continuing the high school roof replacement for $865,000, replacing the middle school water heater for $100,000, among others for a total of $1,200,000.
Three board seats were up for grabs this year. Incumbents Edward Law, Robert Sweeney and Peter Van Middelem all secured reelection with 1,635, 1,915 and 1,675 votes, respectively. Newcomer Karen Pitka came up shy in her bid to get on the board securing 1,597 votes.
Comsewogue and Port Jefferson high schools. File photos
All school districts passed their budgets this year, though all are anticipating potential changes in state aid later in the year.
Comsewogue School District:
Residents passed the 2020-21 budget, 2,486 to 863. This year’s budget is set at $96,635,581, an increase of 2.8 percent or $2,660,826.
District officials are allocating an additional fund balance from operational savings from the closure of the buildings to this year’s budget, resulting in the no tax increase. Last year’s $57,279,755 tax levy, will be this year’s amount as well.
Proposition 2, which passed 2,673 to 680, will call for the district to take $1,500,000 from the capital fund. It will be used for high school improvements including two synthetic turf fields for baseball and softball, high school boiler room HVAC repairs and other classroom renovations.
Trustees Alexandra Gordon and James Sanchez have been reelected to the board of education each for three-year terms, beginning July 1.
Port Jefferson School District:
Residents passed the 2020-21 budget, 1003 to 384. This year’s budget is set at $44,739,855, a 1.83 percent increase from last year. This year’s tax levy is $37,356,454, a $457,630 or 1.24 percent increase from the 2019-20 figure.
The district is expecting to receive $3,863,212 in state aid, an increase of 2.54 percent from last year, but the final amount is still unknown.
Proposition 2, which passed 1,170 to 210, called for utilizing part of the district’s capital reserve account. The funds will be used to continue replacement of district roofs at approximately $2 million and partially fund replacement of the heating system at the middle school, at approximately $1 million. General fund appropriations are earmarked for the second phase of the security vestibule project at $186,000, replacement of the retaining wall at the Tech Ed building at $300,000 and completing the funding of the replacement of the heating system at the middle school at $500,000.
In the board of education election, trustee David Keegan was reelected with 1,132 votes. Newcomer Ravi Singh was elected to the board with 1,123 votes. Trustee Ryan Biedenkapp decided not to run this year to retain his seat.
Chris Friedl, of Backwoods Landscaping and a Comsewogue High School graduate, plants sunflowers for Comsewogue’s graduating seniors. Photo by Andrew Harris
Comsewogue school district is trying to leave its seniors with a little bit more than a diploma for all those who saw their last high school year cut short.
Assistant Superintendent Joe Coniglione and Superintendent Jennifer Quinn look at the sprouts of sunflowers in Jackie’s Garden. Photo by Andrew Harris
The district has planted hundreds of sunflowers in the high school courtyard, known as Jackie’s Garden after the late wife of former Superintendent Dr. Joe Rella, who in February also passed away.
The seeds number over 320, and should bloom into massive golden yellow flowers by the fall.
The plantings came together thanks to Chris Friedl, 26, from Backwoods Landscaping. A 2012 Comsewogue graduate, he said he was very empathetic to the 2020 graduating class who were missing out on so much as a normal senior year.
“It sucks, there’s no other way to put it,” Friedl said. “Going through all they’re going through with all this adversity, it’s incredible.”
Andrew Harris, a special education teacher in the district, said he floated the idea to district officials earlier this year. Friedl jumped at the chance to help. He was also the person who donated material for Jackie’s Garden several years ago. He has come back now and again to provide small upkeep to the flower boxes.
After clearing and cleaning the empty planting boxes, the district hosted a ceremony May 16 where students’ names were read as the landscaper planted the seeds.
Friedl asked if he could plant a seed for Joe and Jackie Rella. Though the garden was meant for students, Harris told him he could.
“He always remembered my name out of thousands of students,” Friedl said of Rella. “Nobody had a bad word to say about him or Jackie, which just says miles about the kind of people they were.”
A day and a half after they were planted, Harris said he came back to the garden. There, growing in the earth, he thought he saw weeds. Normally sunflowers take five to 10 days before one sees them start to sprout, but the two seeds planted for the Rellas were indeed springing from the earth.
“The hair on the back of my neck started to stand up,” Harris said. “I remembered how when I told Dr. Rella about this particular butterfly that kept coming back to our garden, even though we never had any butterflies before. He told me in his gruff Brooklyn-accented voice, ‘Andy, I believe with every fiber in my body that that is a sign from Jackie.’ I looked at the new sunflower sprout and had no doubt about what it meant.”
Official info on Comsewogue graduations is still to be determined, though students were delivered their caps and gowns this week.
Friedl offered some advice to seniors.
“Stay strong, the entire community is behind you, and keep your path,” he said. “The community really wants you to succeed.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced a new executive order June 8 that New York State would be extending the deadline for mailed in absentee ballots for school budget and board of education votes to Tuesday, June 16.
Many districts are still collecting ballots via drop off to district offices on June 9 by the end of the business day at 5 p.m. Absentee ballots can still be mailed to districts and will be accepted until June 16 at 5 p.m.
This also comes with the announcement the state would allow school districts to conduct graduations ceremonies, though they must be outside, adhere to social distance guidelines and must contain 150 people or less. Some school districts said those figures may be too restrictive.
“The recent approval for small gatherings for graduation, while welcome news, requires seniors to be separated into multiple different ceremonies,” said Shoreham-Wading River Superintendent Gerard Poole in a public letter. He asked residents to encourage local and state leaders to revisit the matter.
Suffolk County legislature's online meeting May 19.
“Hello?” “Can you hear me?” “Would that person please mute their mic?” “We can hear your dog barking/child yelling/lawn mower going …” and on and on.
These are comments well known to anybody who’s been paying attention to government meetings, of municipalities large and small, in this time of pandemic. When Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed an executive order which temporarily nixed the requirements for local governments to hold in-person meetings, many organizations quickly had to come up with some sort of workaround to still hold their legally required meetings, though staying as socially distanced as possible while still remaining open for public view.
The Town of Brookhaven during its most recent online meeting.
Zoom meetings, YouTube Live video, these are the new tools for conducting government business, but not all are equal in just how “open” these meetings are.
New York Coalition for Open Government, a small nonprofit organization, known until recently as Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government, came out with a report May 12 grading different levels of government on their transparency, with all meetings being held online. The New York State Committee on Open Government, which is run from Albany under the Department of State, has opined that governments would still have to host visible livestreamed meetings to conform to both the governor’s executive order and the current Open Meetings Law. Some governing bodies have interpreted the governor’s order to mean a body could meet without allowing public access. The coalition organization instead points to opinions by the committee and people from the governor’s office that says agencies and all local governments should allow access to livestreamed meetings.
Kristin O’Neill, assistant director for the state Committee on Open Government, said in a phone interview that local governing bodies “must afford remote access to the meeting while the meeting is going on.” This does not have to be a video livestream, but it must allow the public the ability to listen to that meeting. She said it is not enough to post a transcript or video after for the public to listen to or read.
The nonprofit’s report found only four of 21 governments surveyed from all of New York state had met all their criteria, including having all meetings livestreamed, having videos/audio posted online after the meeting and having all meeting documents posted online prior to the meeting.
The coalition included another metric though it’s not required by the Open Meetings Law, specifically asking whether a government was soliciting public comments that are heard and/or seen during the meeting.
The open government coalition president, Paul Wolf, an attorney in upstate New York, said he feels it’s important for local governments to be judged on their willingness to listen to the public, despite it not being required by law.
“All right, there’s a pandemic going on, but you” can still hear from the public and hear their concerns,” he said. “[We had] some pushback and controversy on grades, but you have to somehow rank people and and have some calculation who’s doing good.”
Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven were given “B” rankings by the committee, noting both were not addressing public comments in their meetings. As of their last meetings in May and early June, both town and the county board meetings still were not enabling public comment.
“It’s good to push for this stuff, and that seems to be one of few ways to get elected officials’ attention that seems to prompt some change,” Wolf said.
That’s not to say it hasn’t been difficult for local government to make the adjustment to online meetings. Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer Rob Calarco (D-Patchogue) said the governing body had to figure things out on the fly. The last time all legislators were together for in-person meetings was March 17. He added it took time to get proper guidance from the state regarding hosting meetings. So far during the pandemic, the legislature has only allowed comment during public hearings.
Town of Smithtown’s online meeting May 21.
Calarco said some legislators have made comments that current meetings have not been sufficiently open.
“I get that, and it is important for us to be transparent, but we have been trying to do it as effectively as we can,” he said. “For local government [having public comment] is an integral part of how our meetings operate — for residents to have ability to speak to us in public fashion.”
The next general meeting, June 9, will be the first time in two months the legislature will have a timeslot for public comment. People can visit the legislature’s website at scnylegislature.us and scroll down to the link for submitting public comment.
Brookhaven, on the other hand, is looking more toward a time when they can host in person meetings again, according to town spokesperson Kevin Molloy. He said Brookhaven has had to work through technical difficulties, but is complying with the law and the parameters of the governor’s executive order, adding there were no current plans to createa a public portion during online meetings.
The town allows for comment on public hearings, which can be submitted either in writing or with the person joining the town’s online meeting in video form. Molloy said the town has tried to push back non-time sensitive public hearings until later dates.
“We’re certainly trying to improve it, that means improvements in technology and the board is always trying to improve access to public,” Molloy said.
Despite this, different levels of government, including school districts, have found varying levels of success keeping their meetings open and responsive to the public.
TBR News Media has run through all school districts, villages and towns in our coverage area to check if its meeting four simple criteria. The point is not to degrade some and promote others, but to offer a means of comparison and give examples for how they can improve their openness to the public. Because of this, we have eschewed a letter grading system for our local governing bodies.
Port Jefferson Village is allowing for public comment via chat on YouTube but, as it has done in the past, has only hosted public portions every other week. Though this may have worked until now, the circumstances of the pandemic mean it may be time to change that policy.
School districts were perhaps the most consistent among municipalities for providing documentation and at least some communication of meetings and inquiries from residents. The Comsewogue school district has hosted a bevy of online options for students and district residents, including a website dedicated to offering stress relief for students, multiple Zoom meetings directly with students and a video of the budget hearing. However, the district has not posted any of its online board meetings after the fact to its website.
Grading Criteria (according to New York Coalition for Open Government)
Are meetings being live streamed?
Are meeting videos/audio posted online after the meeting?
Are all meeting documents being posted online prior to the meeting?
While not required by the Open Meetings Law, are local governments soliciting public comments that are heard/seen during the meeting?
Suffolk County 3/4 (As of June 9, this changed to allow a public comment period)
Meetings are being livestreamed through county website
Meetings video/audio/documents available after meeting
Meeting documents available before meeting
Public are allowed public comment only during public hearings
Town of Brookhaven 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed and can be accessed by cable Channel 18
Meetings video/audio/documents available after meeting
Meeting documents available before meeting
Public are allowed public comment only during public hearings
Town of Smithtown 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed
Meeting video/audio/documents available after meeting
Meeting agenda available before meeting
People are allowed public comment only during public hearings
Town of Huntington 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed
Video and documents are available after meeting
Meeting agenda available before meeting
Public are allowed public comment only during public hearings
Village of Shoreham 2/4
Meetings are held by Zoom with notifications sent to residents
Video/audio of meetings not available after meeting
Some documents are available before meetings, but agendas are not
Public can make comments during meetings
Village of Belle Terre 3/4
Meetings are held via Zoom with notifications sent to residents
Meetings video/audio is not readily available post meeting
Meeting documents are posted before meetings are held
Public is available to make comments during regular meetings
Village of Port Jefferson 4/4
Meetings are being livestreamed
Meetings videos/audio/agendas posted online
Meeting documents posted before meeting
Comments being posted through YouTube then addressed by board, but only every other meeting
Village of Old Field 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed with links sent to residents via Zoom
Meetings audio/video not posted online though minutes are
Meeting documents not posted before meetings
Trustee meetings regularly allow two public comment periods
Village of Poquott 3/4
Meetings can be accessed via dial-in code
Meeting video/audio of latest meetings not available
Documents are posted prior to meetings
Public is able to make comments during meetings
Village of Head of the Harbor 3/4
Residents can access meetings via links through notices
Meeting video/audio not available online
Documents are posted prior to meetings
Public is allowed comment during meeting
Village of Lake Grove 2/4
Meetings are being livestreamed via Zoom
Meetings audio/video not posted online
Documents are posted prior to meetings
Could not determine if public can comment during meetings
Village of Nissequogue 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed
Meeting video is available after meeting
Documents are not posted before meeting
People are allowed public comment during meeting
Village of the Branch 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed via Zoom
Meetings video/audio is not posted to the website after the meeting
Documents are posted to the website prior to meetings
People are allowed to comment during public portions of the meeting
Village of Asharoken 4/4
Meetings are being livestreamed via Zoom
Meeting minutes/agendas available after meeting
Meeting agendas are available after meeting but not video
Agenda available before meeting
Residents can ask questions prior to or during meeting
Village of Lloyd Harbor 4/4
Residents can listen in to meetings
Notices are present prior to meeting
Meeting agendas are available after meeting
Residents have been told they can comment during meeting
Village of Northport 4/4
Meetings are being held over teleconference call
Meeting audio not posted online after meeting
Agendas posted to website prior to meeting
Website says residents can ask questions of board via the web page
Shoreham-Wading River School District 4/4
Meetings are held publicly online via Zoom
Video of meeting posted after date held
Agendas are posted before meeting
Residents can comment during meetings
Rocky Point School District 2/4
Up until budget hearing, has not been having public board meetings online
Audio of meetings available on website
Board agendas posted prior to meeting
Public not able to comment on meetings up until budget hearing
Miller Place School District 3/4
Meetings held via Zoom
Video/audio of meetings not posted after meeting
Agendas posted prior to meetings
People may comment during meetings via chat
Mount Sinai School District 4/4
Meetings livestreamed via Zoom and on Facebook
Video of meeting posted afterward
Agendas posted prior to meetings
Questions from audience addressed during meeting
Port Jefferson School District 3/4
Meetings are being livestreamed
Meetings audio/visual/documentation available post meeting
Meeting agenda available before meeting
Public is not able to make comments during meetings
Comsewogue School District 2/4
Public has access to meetings via livestream
Meeting audio/video not available post meeting
Documents are available prior to meeting via BoardDocs
Questions are not being addressed at meetings
Middle Country School District 3/4
Meetings livestreamed from Google Meet
Meeting video is available post meeting
Documents are available prior to meeting via BoardDocs
The district has dispensed with public input
Three Village School District 3/4
Meetings are not being livestreamed
Meeting video available after meeting
Documents are available prior to meeting
Questions are not being addressed at meeting
Smithtown School District 4/4
All meetings are streamed live via Facebook
Videos available after meeting
Documents available before meeting via BoardDocs
Public can submit comments prior to meetings
Hauppauge School District 4/4
Videos streamed via Facebook Live
Videos available after meetings
Documents available on website
Residents can ask questions via Google Docs attached linked to the agenda
Commack School District 4/4
Meetings are publicly streamed through the district website
Meeting videos are available after meeting
Meetings documents are available prior to meeting via BoardDocs
Members of the district can ask questions via email,
Kings Park School District 4/4
Meetings are publicly available via Zoom
Meeting videos are available after meeting
Documents are available via BoardDocs
District allows for comments on call during prearranged comment period
Elwood School District 4/4
Meeting videos streamed live to YouTube
Meeting agendas available via BoardDocs
Videos are available after meetings
Questions are answered during latter section of meeting
Huntington School District 4/4
Meeting videos streamed live via Zoom call
Meeting video is available on the district website
Meeting agendas are available via BoardDocs
Residents can ask questions during Zoom meetings
Harborfields School District 4/4
The district livestreamed meetings via Vimeo
Agenda is available prior to meeting on district website
Video is available after the meeting dates
Residents can ask questions via email, and questions are answered at a determined time in the meeting
Northport-East Northport School District 4/4
Meetings are being livestreamed via IPCamLive
Videos are available after meetings
Agendas are available beforehand via BoardDocs
Questions can be sent via email and addressed during meeting
Cold Spring Harbor School District 4/4
Meetings are being livestreamed via Zoom
Videos of the boards hearings are available at the district’s YouTube page
Board agendas and documents are available at its meeting portal page
The board advises sending questions via email, which are addressed during the meeting
This article has been amended June 16 to update information about the Suffolk County legislature.
Right, Laura Burns of Nesconset just recently graduated from St. Joseph’s College, though she finds her job prospects diminished due to the pandemic; left, Matthew Hoth of Miller Place said he was unable to do his internship at a mental health care facility due to COVID-19. right photo by Claudia Reed; left photo from Hoth
Recent college graduates on Long Island are faced with uncertainty as they begin to pursue their respective careers. Their 2020 graduating class will encounter a number of challenges as they enter one of the most daunting job markets, not seen since the Great Recession of 2008.
Not only did the COVID-19 crisis truncate their last semesters of college, it stripped them of graduation ceremonies. It put jobs, internships and other opportunities on standby. Some local graduates are being forced to adapt and stay sharp while they wait for the job market to rebound.
Nesconset resident Laura Burns, who recently graduated from St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue with a political science degree, said when the pandemic hit it felt like “everything was spiraling out of control.”
“A lot of my classmates, myself included, lost a lot of local opportunities because of COVID-19.”
— Matthew Hoth
“I remember taking my last midterm and then they canceled all classes before spring break. We didn’t even get a last goodbye,” she said. “It felt like we were forgotten.”
Burns was disappointed that she could have a proper graduation ceremony, saying it would have been a special moment for her and her family, as her mother also graduated from the college.
The St. Joseph’s grad had to rethink her initial future plans.
“Before COVID hit I was thinking about maybe pursuing a graduate school or law school — that’s what I felt was the practical thing to do,” she said. “Even if I wanted to try to get a job in political science it would be pretty difficult right now.”
Burns said some of her friends have gotten part-time jobs working at grocery stores for the time being.
Potential short-term options such as working at a restaurant or other retailers are unavailable, as Suffolk County is only in Phase One of the reopening process. Most retailers will be able to reopen more during Phase Two. Restaurants will have to wait even longer.
Burns said she will most likely plan on taking classes at Suffolk Community College and could continue to pursue acting, something she has done since she was younger.
This past February, the job market looked promising with employers adding 273,000 new positions, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor.
Just last week, more than 2 million U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits, according to a U.S. Department of Labor weekly report. It brought the total number of jobs lost to over 40 million.
Matthew Hoth of Miller Place, who graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a master’s degree in data analytics, is trying to stay optimistic and positive about his future job prospects.
“A lot of my classmates, myself included, lost a lot of local opportunities because of COVID-19,” he said.
Hoth had an internship lined up with a local health and mental health care facility, but that all changed when the coronavirus hit.
“I had talks with them for a while, I was really looking forward to interning there,” the recent graduate said.
In addition, his last semester was going to be used to network and make connections in his field. He and his peers missed out on attending workshops that could have brought him face to face with potential employers.
“I had some leads on some jobs locally, but then everything kind of stopped dead in its tracks,” Hoth said. “Right now, I’m trying to get more program certifications to add to my resume and updating my LinkedIn [account].”
To fill the void of the internship and in an effort to add some work experience to his resume, Hoth is considering freelancing, special projects and working remotely.
“With companies cutting and laying off people it is discouraging to see,” he said. “But I’m optimistic that the economy and job market will eventually bounce back,” he said.
Victoria Arcuri
Victoria Arcuri of Holbrook, a recent graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology, was looking forward to starting a full-time position at a creative agency in New York City she had interned at during her last semester of school. Due to the effects of the pandemic, the agency had to put her postgraduation hiring on hold but extended her internship.
“My boss was like, ‘right now we are not in the position to hire you, but there is still a possibility for a full-time position,’” she said. “Without COVID, I’d have a full-time job right now.”
“I remember taking my last midterm and then they canceled all classes before spring break. We didn’t even get a last goodbye.”
— Laura Burns
Due to social distancing restrictions, Arcuri, who studied graphic design, and her fellow classmates also missed out on other potential professional opportunities. Their senior exhibition, an event where students get the chance to present their portfolio in front of professors and professionals in the industry, was instead held online this year.
“At first I was disappointed, but I realized there were worse things going on than not having the show,” Arcuri said.
After commuting to school for the majority of her college career, the FIT grad had hopes of moving to Brooklyn once she started her full-time job. Those plans have now been stalled as well.
The Holbrook resident said if she can’t secure a full-time position with the agency, she’ll look for other options in the short term.Freelancing and contract work could be a possibility, given a potential business climate where there is more work done remotely.
At her internship, presentations and meetings with clients are done through Zoom and they can send most of the things they’re working on via email.
“In graphic design we do most of our work on a computer or on our laptops, so it wouldn’t be too bad if I worked from home,” Arcuri said. “Though if I had a choice I’d prefer to be in a studio.”
She reiterated that many college grads are a bit scared about their own futures.
“Some companies and businesses might not come back the same, a lot of them have taken a big hit and that will affect us,” Arcuri said.
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