Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Residents approved a district spending plan of $222 million Tuesday.
Next year's Half Hollow Hills school budget easily passed on Tuesday with a voter approval rate of 69 percent. Residents voted in favor of the $221,918,299 spending plan by a margin of 1573-710. The proposed budget represents a 2.75 percent increase over the current budget and a 2.33 tax levy tax hike, which stays within the state's limit. Despite the tax levy cap, schools in Half Hollow Hills will be spared the severe instructional and program cuts that have inflicted several other Long Island districts. All school buildings will remain open and the district will continue to provide the same level of instruction as it has, Superintendent Kelly Fallon said. However cuts do include 37 teaching positions, 14 of which are being excessed due …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Voters pass next year's $222 million spending plan Tuesday.
Half Hollow Hills residents approved next year's school budget on Tuesday by 69 percent. "We did it," exclaimed Superintendent Kelly Fallon as the results were announced in the High School East gymnasium around 10:30 p.m. Residents voted in favor of the $221,918,299 spending plan by a margin of 1573-710. "It was a wonderful collaboration effort of the Board of Education and administration," Fallon said. The proposed budget represents a 2.75 percent increase over the current budget and a 2.33 tax levy tax hike, which stays within the state's limit. Frank Grimaldi and James Ptucha ran unopposed to the Half Hollow Hills school board, and were re-elected to their open trustee seats. Each will serve a term of three years. Grimaldi received 1,…
Residents cast their ballots to give their say on next year's proposed spending plan.
A steady stream of voters are braving the rain and filing in to Half Hollow Hills High School East to cast their ballots on next year's proposed school budget. Poll workers have been at the high school since 5 a.m., setting up and guiding residents to the voting stations within the gymnasium. Residents are voting on proposed school buget of $221,918,299, which stays within the state tax cap and represents a 2.75 percent increase over the current year's spending plan. More details about budget cuts can be found in our Voter's Budget Guide. About 3,000 residents voted in last year's school budget and poll workers estimated that turn out this year would be about the same. Want immediate results of the school budget vote? Get Breaking News …
Residents will cast their ballots on a $222 million spending plan for next year.
Today is the day to make one's voice heard on the Half Hollow Hills School District's proposed budget for the 2012-13 school year. Voters will file into High School East from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. to cast their ballots on the proposed school buget of $221,918,299, which represents a 2.75 percent increase over the current year's spending plan. The school district made a decision early in the budget planning process to stay within the state's new tax levy cap and avoid having to conduct a super-majority vote. The proposed budget's 2.33 tax levy increase is the maximum allowable for Half Hollow Hills. To meet the state's tax limitation, Half Hollow Hills will cut 37 teaching positions, 14 of which are being excessed due to lower elementary …
Monday, May 14, 2012
The Colts are leading in League IV, 15-2.
The Hills West softball team is enjoying a spectacular season as the girls lead League IV, 15-2. The team added its latest win on Saturday against North Babylon. The opposition beat Hills West earlier in the season so the Colts came back strong to redeem their winning reputation. Krissy Spinelli's RBI single drove in Danielle Cardito during the bottom of the fifth inning, which gave Hills West the 2-0 lead. Two days earlier, Allana Campo went 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs for Hills West to defeat Deer Park, 9-2. Pitcher Francesca Casalino has been keeping the opposition at bay this season. On May 5, she pitched a complete game two-hitter against Newfield with 12 strikeouts and zero walks. Hills West won the game 8-0. The team has …
Residents will cast their ballots on a proposed $222 million spending plan for next year.
Voters will decide on Tuesday to pass or defeat a proposed school buget of $221,918,299 for next year, which represents a 2.75 percent increase over the current year's spending plan. The Half Hollow Hills School District made a decision early in the budget planning process to stay within the state's new tax levy cap and avoid having to conduct a super-majority vote, in which 60 percent of voters would have to approve overriding the tax limitation. The proposed budget's 2.33 tax levy increase is the maximum allowable for Half Hollow Hills. To meet the state's tax limitation, Half Hollow Hills will cut 37 teaching positions, 14 of which are being excessed due to lower elementary enrollment, as well as 30 other district jobs including 10 …
Proposed $222 million budget goes before voters Tuesday; two incumbents are running unopposed for BOE.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday at High School East as residents cast their votes on a proposed Half Hollow Hills school budget of $221,918,299 for next year. The proposed budget represents a 2.75 percent increase over the current budget and stays within the state’s tax levy cap. The local tax levy would rise 2.33 percent. While the baseline number of 2 percent has been used in describing the new tax levy law, this number relates to an allowable growth factor, which is one of eight different numbers used to define each school district’s cap. The 2.33 tax levy increase is the maximum allowable tax levy cap for Half Hollow Hills. Despite the tax levy, the proposed budget is spared the severe instructional and program cuts that …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
More than 200 students will receive college diplomas during the graduation.
Five Towns College will hold its 38th annual commencement on Saturday, May 19 at the Half Hollow Hills High School East auditorium in Dix Hills at 10 a.m. The Class of 2012 consists of 211 graduates, with 2 doctorates, 14 masters, 182 bachelors, and 13 associate degrees being conferred. Daniel Pfeifer has been named the college's Valedictorian. A film/video major, Pfeifer, of Port Jefferson, is a member of the Phi Sigma Eta Honor Society and will be awarded a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree. Pfeifer plans to pursue a career in film production with a company that he and his fellow filmmakers have created called, “Thursday Shoots.” In addition to his academic and film success, he also volunteers with Maryhaven, a center dedicated to …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Two seniors argue that the exams are a costly punishment to good students. Tell us your thoughts.
Week one of Advanced Placement (AP) exams in Half Hollow Hills is almost over, which puts Hills East seniors Jacob Henner and Joshua Shinbrot between a rock and a hard place. At $87 per exam, the tests will cost Henner, who will be attending the University of Pennsylvania, a total of $609, but he will not be able to receive any college credit for half of them. Shinbrot, who will be a freshman at Georgetown University this fall, is in a similar position. Since their chosen universities are particularly selective, they do not accept AP test credits for several of the AP courses the seniors have taken, even with perfect scores. The pair would prefer to put the money they would be spending on the exams toward their college funds. However, a …
Two Hills East seniors claim HHH practice of transcript designation is a punishment.
The Half Hollow Hills School District’s requirement that students in an Advanced Placement course must take an optional College Board exam in order have “AP” designation on their high school transcripts, punishes high-achieving teens with an expensive and sometimes, pointless, test claim two seniors. Jacob Henner and Josh Shinbrot who attend High School East have both taken several College Board accredited AP courses, which have the highest difficulty level of any class offered by a high school. At the end of the course, the College Board gives students the option to take an AP exam. The exam can grant college credit, depending on how well a student does. The price tag of one exam is $87, which does save students thousands later on, if …
Karen
12:50 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
This is a really sad commentary on the common sense of Long Islanders. I suppose they will never wake up and realize that they are only feeding greed. The unions, teachers and administrators are milking Long Island for everything we have. No one can see that the kids are being held hostage. I guess the message is: if you can't afford the astronomical taxes, get off LI. No jobs, only part time … more ›