The Great Neck Union Free School District has presented a preliminary working budget of $193.3 million for 2011-12 – up 2 percent from last year.

Total estimated revenue from real property taxes, which account for 94.3 percent of budget revenue, is expected to rise from $178.7 million last year to 182.2 million this year, also a 2 percent increase.

The driving force behind this year’s budget is pension and health insurance costs which are increasing at a rate of 30 percent per year, according to school administrators.

“Our health insurance and retirement amount went up $6 million,” said Great Neck Superintendent of Schools Thomas Dolan. “That would have been a 2 percent increase all by itself.”

Despite diminished aid and accelerating expenditures, school administrators were able to keep appropriations to a minimum while maintaining most programs and services.

Unexpected staff retirements of senior employees, $500,000 in savings at the building level and the elimination of most positive variances all played a role in keeping budget numbers down, Dolan said.

“We are pretty proud of it,” said Dolan. “It’s as lean as it can be.”

With $9.9 million in reserves, Great Neck schools will be able to withstand momentous state cuts in education proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo – but without eventual mandate relief from Albany, the district will be hard-pressed to support the governor’s long-term plan, Dolan said recently.

Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal, $1.5 billion in aid will be cut from the state’s $19.4 billion annual education budget this year. Great Neck will receive $178,826 less than last year, according to the proposed school budget released March 3.

According to the report, 3.4 percent of the projected budget will come from state aid, which both “hurts and helps,” Powell said.

“When the state has to cut back, we don’t feel it as much,” said Powell. “But we don’t have the benefit when it is flowing as well.”

Last year, Great Neck schools received $6.75 million in state aid, this year $6.57 is expected, according to the preliminary budget report.

Powell said some contingencies were addressed by eliminating more than $1 million in “emergency money,” normally set aside for unexpected hardships like damage from last year’s microburst.

“Hopefully, we won’t run into those problems during the year,” he said.

Slight reductions were also made to supplies, materials, academic intervention programs and non-instructional aids, according to Powell.

“Overall, the instruction program was untouched.”

An all-day, April 2 workshop is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the South High School library where the budget will be analyzed line by line before it is finalized, Powell said.

Powell said there could be some changes could be made to the overall budget, but he does not expect any increases to the projected total.

“At this point in time, we don’t anticipate that,” he said.

Enrollment is expected to rise at a rate of .16 percent from 6,352 to 6,362, according to the report.

A Great Neck High School 50th reunion directory entry apparently filled out by Oscar-winning screenwriter and David Seidler reveals a life of adventure and a glimpse back to the former handicap he turned into gold.

Before Seidler’s Academy Award-winning interpretation of “The Kings Speech,” the story of a British Monarch who overcomes a stammering problem, he wrote a telling description of his most vivid memories of high school.

“The fuzzy angora sweaters that the girls wore and getting over stuttering and then auditioning for the school play the next week and getting a role,” wrote Seidler, in a Great Neck High School directory entry provided to Blank Slate Media by classmate Charles Harris of Middletown, N.J.

“Live each day to the fullest, there are no refunds,” said Seidler, now 73, of his most important lessons from his life filled with travel and adventure.

Seidler was born in London, but grew up in Great Neck after moving here with his family in the 1940s.

After graduating Cornell, Seidler completed graduate school at the University of Washington then joined the U.S. Army.

After getting married for the first time, he said he worked on Madison Avenue and then became a forest fire lookout in the Williamette National Forest before becoming a playwright in residence at the San Francisco Actor’s Workshop.

After getting divorced, Seidler went back to Madison Avenue and wrote dubbing scripts for “Godzilla The Monster” movies, according to Seidler’s directory entry.

Seidler said he then went to Fiji, New Zealand and Australia and worked as an assistant director on a TV series before becoming “a semi-hermit” on an undisclosed tropical isle.

After getting married a second time, he lived in Woodstock and in an Oregon forest before becoming a political advisor to the prime minister of Fiji.

He also lived in New Zealand and worked in advertising before getting divorced a second time.

Seidler “returned to America, became a Hollywood screenwriter and got married for the third time,” wrote Seidler. “That about sums it up.”

Another 1955 classmate remembered Seidler’s adroitness.

“I do recall one situation that impressed me in a biology class in high school. David grew tomatoes using toxic ingredients in the soil versus another group grown in natural soil,” said C.J. Abraham, a Great Neck doctor and former classmate of Seidler. “The poisoned tomatoes were distorted and irregular. Although a simple experiment, I thought it was very clever at that time and a very good demonstration.”

Abraham said he also sat next to 1956 Great Neck High School graduate Francis Ford Coppola in English, but “nothing rubbed off.”

Seidler listed two children, Marc and Maya, and his wife Jacqueline on the directory entry which was filled out in 2005.

He said the one thing he would still like to do “is to see a liberal in the White House,” indicating that the entry could have been written before the last presidential election in 2008.

And it might surprise you to know, said Seidler, “I have some pleasant memories of high school. That, of course, may be a side benefit of early onset of senility.”

Seidler became the oldest writer to win an Oscar for best original screenplay when he received the Academy Award during the 83rd Academy Awards Ceremony in Hollywood Feb. 28.

Sometimes a dream is just a fantasy born out of wishful thinking, (like how I would spend my Mega Millions winnings), and sometimes a dream is reality. Sometimes reality happens so swiftly it almost seems like a dream.

“I didn’t think I would be here,” Herricks senior wrestler Ryan Singh confided to Head Coach Cliff Forziat during state team practice several days after the Nassau County Championships.

Singh had won the Division I (large schools) 112-pound weight class championship and along with it the acclaim of the 14 other weight-class champions who chose him to be the Nassau County Champion of Champions.

“Ryan became a fan of wrestling back in middle school, and he developed into a real student of the game,” Forziat noted. “He knows about all the excellent wrestlers around the state and knows many of them personally, but for some reason I don’t think he saw himself among them.”

He was 12-0 with nine pins to his credit on the Second-Man squad as a freshman winning the Herricks Invitational and the Bethpage tournaments on that level in early December of that year. Then Forziat threw him out on the A Division mats where Singh went 22-8 with six pins and 5 major decisions. He placed in four varsity tournaments, winning two of them, and won All-Conference honors as a freshman at 112.

“Won Jun Jyung, a senior team captain, and Ryan’s brother Vinod, a sophomore, both excellent wrestlers pretty much pounded the daylights out of Ryan on a daily basis,” Forziat added. “Ryan rose to the challenge and improved dramatically.”

As a sophomore Singh led the team in varsity victories winning 32 bouts with 14 pins and 3 major decisions. He placed in seven tournaments winning three of them and once again earned All-Conference honors in the Conference Championship (Qualifying) Tournament this time at 119. Brother Vinod had five championships that year and made it a point to push Ryan everyday at practice (and I’m sure home was no respite). Ryan tossed a heavy duty month long intensive camp in Minnesota into the mix together with pre and post season clinics and competitions to prepare for his next season. He helped to reorganize the in-house Cobra Wrestling Club and designed a custom singlet for the club members to wear in outside competitions.

“Ryan did a great job. That singlet is pretty slick and distinctive, the more so because our kids have performed well while wearing it. The club has won respect.”

As a junior Singh placed in eight tournaments, reached the finals in five and won three. He notched 31 victories that year with 16 pins and 5 major decisions once again earning all-conference honors at 119.

Singh began this year competing at 125 in December. He trimmed down to 119 by the Dec. 29 for the Patchogue-Medford Red Raider Tournament, and he got down to the 112-pound class, his New York State certified minimum by Jan. 5. Every high school wrestler in New York is examined by specially trained personnel at the beginning of each season to determine the lowest safe weight that the wrestler may compete at while having at least 7 percent body fat (14 percent for females).

Making weight is never easy, not in our society where we are encouraged to indulge ourselves wherever we go (except perhaps the Obama dinner table).

The strenuous fast-paced daily work outs begin the process, and independent work outs (the extra mile) help, but when you get to the bottom line, serious self-discipline, a light-weight yet nutritious and highly energy packed diet, and perhaps a little assistance is absolutely necessary. Ryan got the job done (no easy task, mom bakes some of the best brownies anywhere … and then there are the Wheat Thins).

He reached the finals in eight tournaments this year winning six of them. He won the conference championship at 112. This four-time all-conference wrestler upset (only in the minds of others, the coaches knew that he could do it) the top seed in the Nassau County finals to earn All-County honors. Along the way he amassed 38 victories, 22 pins, and 6 major decisions.

He has made his way quietly yet steadily upward through the ranks of Herricks’ varsity wrestling career leaders. He is second in career victories with 123. He is second in career team points with 651. He is fifth in career pins with 58, and he has established a new Herricks wrestling career major decision mark at 19.

During practice he would be mentoring his younger teammates and sparring partners. Even now that his high school season has concluded, he and many of the Highlanders are at the Middle School assisting the Soaring Eagles coaches and team in practice and at their matches.

“It got to a point this year where he was driving me crazy,” Forziat noted. (A relatively trip some have suggested politely.) “He’d be so busy helping others that I was afraid he would not get himself ready. I don’t think that he was really aware of what a good competitor he has become.”

“Over the decades our program has produced a good many very fine competitors, all of whom have been highly regarded and respected outside of Herricks both on and off the mat.,” Forziat continued. “We’ve had many fine wrestlers from all-Americans down to raw recruits and no prima donnas. They understand that at the end of the game the king and the pawn go into the same box. Ryan has carried himself with class throughout his career. He is a credit to his family, the Herricks wrestling program, and this community.”

Ryan Singh has taken a dream, and through hard work, dedication, and persistence he has fashioned it into reality. He has become one among those who he has so admired. He has become one of the best, and if that has taken him a bit by surprise, it should not have, and perhaps he has come away with the greatest accomplishment of all.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano is actively promoting a county initiative aimed at saving municipalities and school districts costs in the material services they purchase.

Mangano endorsed the efforts of a county purchasing consortium – in which Nassau County partners with Nassau BOCES, and County school districts – in meeting at the Nassau BOCES meeting last week.

Officials representing the Nassau Schools and Municipal Savings Initiative made a presentation about initiatives that they said will save nearly $5 million through cooperative purchases for goods and services. It evolved into an exchange of ideas regarding significant cost-saving initiatives that could be pursued in the future.

“It’s one of the most important things my administration is doing to help taxpayers. You may not agree with everything I say and do, but I think we’re all on the same page here – doing what we can to save taxpayer dollars,” Mangano said.

Officials said the $5 million figure is a savings of up to $4 million in natural gas costs for Nassau, through a deal the county entered into with Hess. BOCES has already piggybacked on that contract and expects to save between $60,000 and $70,000 a year co its natural gas costs. Several school districts have reportedly also expressed interest in buying off the contract.

The consortium had been awarded a $1 million 21st Century Demonstration Shared Services Grant from New York State with the expectation that it become a model for cooperative efforts between municipal and education groups throughout the nation.

Officials from the consortium said it has also implemented savings in lower pricing on out-of-district transportation for 28 school districts through regional bidding; savings on joint purchasing of essential goods by all participants; and lower costs for telecommunication services such as Internet, telephone and cellular services for grant partners.

Other initiatives the group is exploring include other forms of energy, joint roof repairs and the purchase of office supplies, in bulk.

Several municipal officials and school district superintendents have expressed misgivings about the requirements the Nassau Schools and Municipal Savings Initiative has set for participating members. Officials have said that the consortium would restrict them from seeking lower prices through other purchasting consortiums.

Mangano invited special districts, such as fire and water districts as well as officials from villages, cities and towns to last night’s presentation and to join the consortium. Several fire district commissioners attended as did representatives for state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimmel, state Assemblyman Mike Montessano and state Sen. Carl Marcellino.

Anyone interested in joining the consortium, or for more information, can go to its website: https://www.nassausharedservicesgrant.org/

Reach reporter Richard Tedesco by e-mail at rtedesco@archive.theisland360.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x204

Citing the health threat to children, Nassau County Legislators Judi Bosworth (D-Great Neck) and Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) have proposed a prohibition on smoking in vehicles where children are present.

The bill introduced by the legislators would protect children by banning smoking in all motor vehicles in Nassau County where at least one passenger is younger than 18 years of age.

“In the 1960’s ‘Mad Men’ generation, we allowed children to stand up in the car or sit on our laps, we didn’t wear seatbelts or have air bags and we smoked cigarettes in the car when children were present. Today, we know that all of those things are potentially harmful and yet the only one the law still allows is smoking with kids in the car,”  Bosworth said. “Let’s protect our children’s lungs by passing this overdue legislation.”

Jacobs added, “This matter is extremely important to the health and future of our children. We, as adults, must raise awareness to protect the most vulnerable among us. Let us be their voice by passing this legislation.”

The legislators would seek to impose a fine of up to $1,000 for each violation. A proposed state law would carry a fine of $100 for anyone caught smoking with children aged 14 or younger.

The county legislature’s presiding officer Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa) has declined to put the proposed legislation filed last November on the legislative calendar, preferring to see what happens with the proposed state law before putting it before the county legislature, according to Schmitt spokeswoman Christina Brennan.

Schmitt feels that if the state Legislature enacts a similar measure, a county bill “would be redundant,” Brennan said.

Among the bill’s backers are doctors, representatives of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Tobacco Action Coalition, the LI Perinatal Forum, the American Cancer Society, the Manhasset Coalition against Substance Abuse, and the Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition.

Great Neck Village Mayor Ralph Kreitzman, who was at the forefront of an initiative to ban smoking on sidewalks in the village of Great of Neck, also joined in supporting the proposed law that would seek to protect children from the potential health problems spawned by exposure to second-hand smoke.

Part of a 2006 report from former acting Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu on involuntary exposure to second-hand smoke entitled “Children and Second-hand Smoke Exposure” enumerated the dangers inherent to children in close proximity to it.

Moritsugu’s report said that because their bodies are developing, infants and young children are especially vulnerable to the poisons in second-hand smoke. Exposure to it can cause acute lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and young children and are at increased risk for ear infections.

Exposure to second-hand smoke also causes respiratory symptoms, including cough, phlegm, wheeze, and breathlessness, among school-aged children, the surgeon general’s report said.

Can anyone tell me which of our candidates running for trustee has had experience serving on a village board?

Recent letters written to the Williston Times as well as an obviously costly flyer mailed to residents from the Community Party (Tanner, Parente, Shannon) state that experience is necessary for this position and that there is” no time for on the job training.”

So again I ask, who is the candidate with experience of serving on a Village Board?

I’m quite sure none of the three candidates vying for a trustee seat have had experience in this area.

Twelve years ago, we elected a hard-working, community-involved resident to be our mayor. Nancy had very similar qualifications as one of the current candidates, namely Caroline DeBenedittis.

She had no law degree but had a passion for the Village of East Williston and the time to devote to making it a better place. Appointing Caroline to chair the recreation committee ensured that the many activities that make our community so special would thrive.

A more dedicated and involved East Williston resident would be hard to find!

Caroline DeBenedittis has lived in our town for over 12 years. She knows our village, she knows our people.

Having attended the majority of our village meetings, she has gained insight into the operations of local government.

She knows how to negotiate contracts and navigate her way through business operations having worked in retail management for over 10 years.

As chairwoman of our recreation committee for the last seven years, Caroline has organized events such as the “tent” dinner parties on the Village Green, our Memorial Day Race, and Friday night game and movie night.

She is the one responsible for all those smiles we see on the young children’s faces during the Easter Egg Hunt and the Ragamuffin Parade.

All of these events run as a well-oiled machine and all within or very often under budget.

During her tenure, the recreation budget has declined by more than 30 percent. Yet, she continues to add programs for our residents at no additional cost.

Hey, but here’s a woman who supposedly has no experience!!

Hopefully the majority of our residents know Caroline and can honestly say that they would love to have her in their corner every time. Her passion and pride for the town of East Williston will not only benefit the Board but ultimately the residents of East Williston.

Please join me on March 15 in voting for Caroline DeBenedittis.

Ellen Berkery

East Williston

It has been our honor and privilege to serve as your mayor, and as a trustee over the years.

You have expressed your confidence in us by returning us to office several times and, as we leave those offices, we would like to ask you to vote for a slate of exemplary candidates running for mayor and for two open trustee positions – Dave Tanner, Bobby Shannon and Bonnie Parente.

The board on which we have served is more than a mere group of individuals – we have functioned together as a team. Each of us has brought a unique body of skill and experience to the job and, working together those skills have complemented each other with the result that the current board of trustees is even more effective than the sum of its individual members’ abilities.

We would need this to continue in the best of times but over the next four years, which will be difficult ones for all of us in New York State, it is even more important that the people who you elect have a demonstrable record of accomplishment. In an era of tax caps and cutbacks, good intentions will not be enough – our village will require the ability to convert good intentions and enthusiasm into the programs that make our village a special place.

Dave’s skills in municipal finance are broad, and best evidenced, we think, by the fact that even in a recession, with a chaotic real estate market, our village bond rating has improved to AA+.

Bobby Shannon and Bonnie Parente are equally gifted. Each brings the training and perspective of an attorney to the board.

In addition, Bobby has managed a business in a recession-battered industry, and made it grow.

Bonnie manages personnel issues for a public agency.

Each of them serves on fact finding boards for your village government, Bobby on the planning board and Bonnie on the board of zoning appeals. Each of them is heavily involved in community activities as well, including scouting, little league, charitable pursuits and service organizations.

While it is tempting to vote for someone who is familiar, our village will require much more over the next four years. We will need trustees who will be capable of assuming difficult responsibilities from day one.

Bobby Shannon and Bonnie Parente are by far the most qualified candidates to take up those responsibilities.

On March 15, please vote to continue our tradition of effective, competent and fiscally responsible government by voting for Dave Tanner for mayor, and Bobby Shannon and Bonnie Parente for village trustee.

Nancy Zolezzi,

mayor of the Village

of East Williston

Jim Daw,

deputy mayor of the

Village of East Williston

I first met Caroline DeBenedittis eleven years ago when I became a volunteer for the East Williston Cub Scouts.

She was already active as a leader in the cub scouts and as we worked together we also became friends. Over eight years ago Caroline stepped-up and volunteered to be the religion teacher for my son and his friends and this fall we will see our kids receive their confirmation together.

We have worked together on the East Williston Recreation Committee, as well as the North Side, Willets Road and Wheatley PTOs. Throughout all the time we have spent together I am always impressed by Caroline’s constant generosity – she is the first one to offer to help and our community benefits every time.

Caroline has been a regular attendee at the East Williston Community Meetings, and when I need to know about an issue in our village, I always go to Caroline. Caroline is able to give a thorough explanation of what is going on and I trust her viewpoint to be the one that will do the most good for our community.

Caroline will be an excellent addition to our village board because she can see many sides to each issue. I believe Caroline examines all sides of an issue and determines her own independent opinion based on what she believes will benefit the entire community not just the one that benefits her family or her friends.

Caroline is approachable and I know she will be willing to talk about what is going on in our village.

If you knock on her door, she will answer it and will be happy to explain her decisions as a trustee of our village.

Please join me on March 15 by voting for Caroline DeBenedittis.

Caroline Fraser

East Williston

From local chambers of commerce to the federal government, once elected even the most dedicated officials have difficulty refraining from succumbing to the politics at play.

Boards which have been in place for extended periods of time and/or those that that are elected as teams can work well together but also run the risk of maintaining the status quo, rubber stamping or being blind to new, innovative ideas.

There are so many good reasons to vote for Caroline DeBenedittis for East Williston village trustee but for me paramount among them is the independent, innovative and intelligent voice she brings. She will be the dynamic influence that she’s proven to be in countless other settings.

Having had the pleasure of working with Caroline in various volunteer endeavors including scouts, religious ed, school committees, athletic booster clubs and village committees I have firsthand knowledge of the generosity of spirit, enthusiasm and work ethic which are natural for her. Her resourcefulness, fiscal responsibility, organizational abilities, listening skills, instinctive leadership aptitude and problem solving capabilities will prove indispensible as a member of our village board.

Caroline will bring her extensive business experience to the position of village trustee.

She graduated from St John’s with a Bachelors of Science in Business Management. She worked for over 10 years in the retail field and her positions included preparing budgets, personnel management: overseeing 30-plus employees, negotiating prices with outside vendors, providing customer service, and opening 2 successful retail businesses from scratch.

Her commitment to our village is evident in her attendance at the village meetings and her willingness to serve on various village committees over many years. And let’s face it – she practically lives on the Village Green! And unlike the other two candidates, Caroline has lived in this village for over 12 years. Caroline’s goals are our goals – to maintain the quality of life we’ve come to expect in our village while keeping taxes manageable.

When voting on March 15 remember it is not necessary to vote for a ticket in its entirety There are three candidates running for two open trustee seats. Even though two candidates are running on one ticket they are still independent of each other – meaning you can vote for one while not necessarily voting for the other.

My vote trustee will be going to Caroline DeBenedittis and I hope yours will too.

Lori Castoria

East Williston

In the article, “Budget votes reflect my goals in Congress,” in the March 4, 2011 edition of The Williston Times, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy writes that she “voted against a budget amendment to defund health-care reforms” and that this budget bill “cuts funding for women’s health care.”

Translation: Carolyn McCarthy does not vote for bills that defunds abortion or Planned Parenthood.

Medical technology proves that life begins at conception.

Abortion advocates themselves have admitted for years that abortion kills a human being.

Murder and eugenics, both of these evils, are supported by those in Congress who support abortion and Planned Parenthood.

They carry on the torch of Margaret Sanger. One of Carolyn McCarthy’s goals in Congress is to continue to use taxpayers money to support the murder of innocent human life.

She chooses to end life each and every time she votes in favor of Planned Parenthood.

Perhaps someday voters in the Long Island’s 4th Congressional District will vote for life and against Carolyn McCarthy.

Anne Reiser

East Williston

I have been involved as a volunteer in the village for many years.

I’ve been on the pool committee and beautification committee and am proud to say I live in Williston Park.

This election day, you will be given an opportunity to elect a candidate who will work hard to help maintain the “Quality of Life” so valued by our residents.

Please join me and cast your vote for Barbara Alagna for trustee. Voting will take place from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the American Legion on Willis Avenue.

Sal Valente

Williston Park

As the village elections near, we have the opportunity to elect a newcomer to government with all the intelligence, integrity and enthusiasm needed to provide us with excellent leadership. I have had the opportunity to work with Bonnie Parente over the years and have been amazed at her energy and passion for helping her neighbors and her community. I am thrilled that she would step into Village service and commit to making our Village as good as it can be. I urge every village voter to consider Bonnie’s candidacy. Thank you.

Michael A. L. Balboni

East Williston