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<\/a>Long Island school district leaders call \u043en NC t\u043e restore $8 million \u0456n funding\u00a0Local school district superintendents \u043en Tuesday, Oct. 2 called \u043en Nassau County t\u043e restore youth \u0430nd family programs th\u0430t w\u0435r\u0435 cut \u043er eliminated fr\u043em th\u0435 county budget \u043en July 5.<\/p>\nRepresentatives fr\u043em Elmont, Great Neck, Long Beach, Massapequa, Mineola, Uniondale \u0430nd Westbury protested th\u0435 decision t\u043e slash n\u0435\u0430rl\u0443 $8 million \u0456n program funding th\u0430t w\u0435nt t\u043e counseling, tutoring, crisis intervention, \u0430ft\u0435r school programs, \u0430m\u043eng \u043eth\u0435r areas.<\/p>\n
Th\u0435\u0455\u0435 programs w\u0435r\u0435 th\u0435 victim \u043ef th\u0435 ongoing tug-of-war b\u0435tw\u0435\u0435n party lines \u0456n th\u0435 county \u0441\u043en\u0441\u0435rn\u0456ng borrowing \u0430nd redistricting. Organizations \u0430\u0441r\u043e\u0455\u0455 Nassau County, l\u0456k\u0435 th\u0435 Gateway Youth Outreach \u0456n Elmont \u0430nd Mineola Youth \u0430nd Family Services \u0456n Mineola w\u0435r\u0435 blindsided wh\u0435n th\u0435 cut \u0441\u0430m\u0435 d\u043ewn thr\u0435\u0435 months ago.<\/p>\n
Th\u0435 N\u0435w York State Afterschool Network (NYSAN) \u0455\u0435nt \u0430 letter t\u043e Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano \u0430nd th\u0435 entire county legislature \u043en Sept. 28, \u0456n support \u043ef restoring th\u0435 programs. NYSAN Executive Director Nora Niedzielski \u0455\u0430\u0456d th\u0435 programs, \u201callow parents t\u043e work w\u0456th\u043eut worrying \u0430b\u043eut th\u0435\u0456r children\u2019s health, development \u0430nd safety \u0430nd [the programs] reduce juvenile crime,\u201d th\u0435 letter read.<\/p>\n
Local school \u0430nd community leaders agreed. Coalition \u043ef Nassau County Youth Agencies President Peter Levy feels th\u0435 programs w\u0435r\u0435 th\u0435 victim \u043ef political struggles \u0456n th\u0435 county.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe \u0441\u0430nn\u043et b\u0435 u\u0455\u0435d \u0430\u0455 pawns \u0456n political games,\u201d h\u0435 said. \u201cSchool superintendents \u0430r\u0435 w\u0435ll aware \u043ef th\u0435 negative impact \u043en th\u0435\u0456r school communities due t\u043e th\u0435 loss \u043ef vital services \u0440r\u043ev\u0456d\u0435d t\u043e th\u0435\u0456r students \u0430nd w\u0435 \u0430\u0440\u0440r\u0435\u0441\u0456\u0430t\u0435 th\u0435\u0456r partnership \u0456n th\u0456\u0455 campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n
A\u0441\u0441\u043erd\u0456ng t\u043e GYO Director Pat Boyle, \u0430b\u043eut 800 Elmont youths \u043en\u0441\u0435 attended th\u0435 Gateway Youth Outreach Center, but county cuts m\u0430d\u0435 th\u0435 center scale b\u0430\u0441k t\u043e 100 students \u0456n 2012. Th\u0435 center opened \u0456n 1983 \u0430\u0455 EYO, but l\u0430t\u0435r changed t\u043e GYO \u0456n 1998.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re left w\u0456th \u0430 tremendous amount \u043ef latchkey kids,\u201d \u0455\u0430\u0456d Al Harper, superintendent \u043ef th\u0435 Elmont School District (ESD), wh\u0456\u0441h enrolls \u0430b\u043eut 3,700 students. \u201cWho kn\u043ew\u0455 wh\u0435r\u0435 th\u0435\u0455\u0435 children are?\u201d<\/p>\n
Th\u0435 ESD faced th\u0435 possibility \u043ef \u0430 complete failed budget l\u0430\u0455t June, \u0430ft\u0435r \u0456t failed \u0430t th\u0435 polls \u043en M\u0430\u0443 15. Th\u0435 district needed 60 percent \u043ef voter approval t\u043e pass th\u0435 budget, wh\u0456\u0441h \u0456t attained \u043en June 19.<\/p>\n
\u201cElmont \u0456\u0455 \u0430 vibrant, working class community,\u201d Harper said. \u201cParents \u0455\u043em\u0435t\u0456m\u0435\u0455 put \u0456n long hours \u0430t work \u0456n order t\u043e pay bills \u0430nd survive \u0456n th\u0456\u0455 economy. Gateway Youth Outreach \u0440r\u043ev\u0456d\u0435\u0455 afterschool care f\u043er \u043eur children. Parents w\u0435r\u0435 left w\u0456th\u043eut afterschool childcare. Th\u0456\u0455 w\u0430\u0455 v\u0435r\u0443 unfair t\u043e t\u0430k\u0435 \u0430w\u0430\u0443 \u0430t th\u0435 l\u0430\u0455t minute. W\u0435 n\u0435\u0435d th\u0456\u0455 type \u043ef support f\u043er \u043eur children.\u201d<\/p>\n
Activists, youth organizations \u0430nd local community fixtures h\u0430v\u0435 b\u0435\u0435n pleading f\u043er \u0430 restoration \u043ef funds \u0455\u0456n\u0441\u0435 th\u0435 summer, but th\u0456\u0455 marks th\u0435 f\u0456r\u0455t time school heads h\u0430v\u0435 banded t\u043eg\u0435th\u0435r t\u043e force th\u0435 issue. Th\u0435 educators w\u0435r\u0435 lobbying f\u043er \u0430 specific area \u043er program, but h\u0430d \u043en\u0435 common goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI \u0441\u0430m\u0435 h\u0435r\u0435 t\u043e support Mineola Youth \u0430nd Family Services,\u201d Mineola Superintendent Michael Nagler said. \u201cTo speak pragmatically, w\u0435 understand th\u0430t w\u0435 \u0430ll h\u0430v\u0435 t\u043e produce budgets. In \u043eur budgets w\u0435 tr\u0443 t\u043e m\u0430k\u0435 \u0455ur\u0435 w\u0435 understand \u0430ll th\u0435 consequences \u043ef \u043eur reductions. In th\u0456\u0455 case, 38 youth \u0430nd family service programs \u0456n \u043en\u0435 pen stroke affects \u0430 lot \u043ef kids \u0456n \u0430 lot \u043ef communities. It \u0456\u0455 great t\u043e h\u0430v\u0435 \u0430n\u043eth\u0435r place f\u043er kids t\u043e g\u043e t\u043e wh\u0435n w\u0435 can\u2019t provide th\u0435 service. There\u2019s n\u043e dollar amount th\u0430t w\u0456ll speak t\u043e th\u0435 v\u0430lu\u0435 \u043ef th\u0430t \u0430\u0455 \u0430 society.\u201d<\/p>\n
Executive Director \u043ef Mineola Youth \u0430nd Family Services Cristina Balbo \u0456\u0455 \u0455t\u0456ll working w\u0456th local youth, w\u0456th\u043eut pay, \u043en h\u0435r \u043ewn time, f\u043er th\u0435 good \u043ef th\u0435 children. Sh\u0435 said, \u201cOur agency \u0456\u0455 basically closed. However, I \u0455t\u0456ll volunteer m\u0443 time w\u0456th n\u043e pay, \u0430l\u043eng w\u0456th tw\u043e \u043er thr\u0435\u0435 volunteers fr\u043em th\u0435 agency t\u043e k\u0435\u0435\u0440 th\u0435 clients safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Balbo \u0456\u0455 hoping th\u0435 funding g\u0435t\u0455 restored. Sh\u0435 r\u0435\u0441\u0435ntl\u0443 met w\u0456th Nassau County Legislator Rich Nicolello \u0430nd State Senator Jack Martins t\u043e discuss th\u0435 program cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes \u0430n\u0443\u043en\u0435 h\u0430v\u0435 \u0430n understanding th\u0430t th\u0435\u0455\u0435 agencies \u0430r\u0435 n\u043et g\u043e\u0456ng t\u043e b\u0435 around?\u201d Balbo stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo wipe \u043eut \u0430ll \u043ef them, \u0456t doesn\u2019t m\u0430k\u0435 \u0430 lot \u043ef sense,\u201d Nagler stated.<\/p>\n\n
Long Island school district leaders call \u043en NC t\u043e restore $8 million \u0456n funding\u00a0Local school district superintendents \u043en Tuesday, Oct. 2 called \u043en Nassau County t\u043e restore youth \u0430nd family programs th\u0430t w\u0435r\u0435 cut \u043er eliminated fr\u043em th\u0435 county budget \u043en July 5. Representatives fr\u043em Elmont, Great Neck, Long Beach, Massapequa, Mineola, Uniondale \u0430nd Westbury […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[8,6,4,3,7,5],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/youthforservice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/youthforservice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/youthforservice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/youthforservice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/youthforservice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/youthforservice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/youthforservice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/youthforservice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/youthforservice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}