1977-03-17

              MISS £ D; J* tttfsii* i
THE L . I . HISTORICAL
PIERRPOMT & CUSTOM 3T3
fcROOBUH 2 , N. Y.
A Prize Winning Weekly Serving The Greater Farmingdale Area Since 1920 ^ fl § K
^ 4 » Official Newspaper for the Village of Farmingdale
Vol. 58 No. 18 Second Class Postage Paid
in Farmingdale, N. Y. 11735 • Thursday, March 17,1977 Copyright 1977 by
The Farmingdale Post price 15c - $ 5 per year
SWEARING IN the Village of Farmingdale's new trustee Pat Romanelli is Village Justice John Gillies.
The ceremony took place at Monday night's board of trustees meeting in the VUlage Hall. The trustees
are still waiting for a ruling from the state Attorney General on when they must hold a public election
for the seat. [ Post photo by Bob Starrett]^
Public Urged To Protest
State School Aid Cuts
" Let the legislative leadership
in Albany know that this com­munity
cannot tolerate a loss of
three quarters of a million dollars
in state aid". This was the call to
all community residents and
groups concerned with the
welfare of the schools by Frank
Ranieri, president of the Far­mingdale
Board of Education,
and Charles Manso, Acting
Superintendent of Schools.
According to the Board
president and superintendent,
information has been received
which indicates that the school
aid formula for next year will be
acted upon before the end of
March. In contacting local
legislative leaders, including
Senator Johnson, Assemblyman
Healey, and Assemblyman
Yevoli, the district was informed
that not enough pressure is being
brought on the Albany leaders.
The changes proposed by
Governor Carey will cost the
Farmingdale district $ 750,000 if
adopted.
Every family and organization
in Farmingdale was asked to
write or send telegrams to
Albany this week. They are also
requested to be present at a
preliminary budget hearing
scheduled for Monday, March 21.
In his State Of The State
message, Governor Hugh Carey
proposed a new aid to education
bill which will redistribute the
present amount of aid available
for schools. The Carey formula
proposes an end to " save-harmless"
legislation which
guarantees that school districts
will receive the same dollar
amount of aid as received in the
prior year. Carey stated that aid
should be reduced in districts
where there are declining
enrollments.
School leaders were quick to
point out that the pupil count was
only one factor in the state aid
formula. The proposed school aid
bill does not make any changes
which will accommodate for
inflation and other rising costs
beyond the control of the local
school districts.
Ranieri indicated that tax­payers
have been protected only
by the save- harmless legislation
and the declining enrollments.
All Board members were in
agreement that the Governor's
solution simply would transfer
the fiscal burden to the local
property tax base.
In telegrams to Albany, the
district stated that Farmingdale
has held the line on expenditures
and stabilized its high tax rate.
This " hold the line" effort was
accomplished at great sacrifice
and by taking strong measures
Board Names
New School
including the closing of a school
building.
Governor Carey and Senate
and Assembly leaders of both
parties were told that the district
cannot continue this course if
state support is dropped beyond
present levels. The statement by
Ranieri and Manso called for
local taxpayers to call or write to
Governor Carey, Senators
Warren Anderson and Manfred
Ohrenstein, and Assemblymen
Stanley Steingut and Perry
Duryea at the State Capitol in
Albany, New York ( zip code
12224).
An early picture of the status of
next year's budget was promised
for a public session, scheduled for
Monday, March21, at 8: 30p. m. in
the Senior High School.
Preliminary figures regarding
both revenues and expenditures
are to be revealed by the Board's
finance committee.
Deli Robbed
Ray's Deli, 960 Fulton St.,
Farmingdale, was held up last
week by two men armed with a
shotgun.
Eighth precinct police said two
white males entered the store at 9
p. m. March 8 and escaped with
$ 400 in cash, making their
getaway in a light brown sedan.
The lengthy search for the new superintendent of the
Farmingdale Schools has been successfully completed
with the recruiting of Dr. Federick J. Brockmann, the
present superintendent in Guilford, Connecticut. The
Board of Education announced the signing of the con­tract
at a special meeting held last night.
It was known that over 177
nominations and applications
were received for the position.
One hundred seventeen of these
application^ were complete^ and
screened", with the Board oif
Education personally in­terviewing
seven final can­didates.
After reaching a con­sensus
regarding Dr. Brockmann
and visiting Guilford, the Board
negotiated to bring him to Far­mingdale.
Dr. Brockmann has served as
superintendent of schools in
Guilford since 1970. He had
previously been employed as an
assistant to the superintendent of
schools in Pearl River, New
York, and as an administrator in
both the middle school and high
school at Pearl River. He started
his career as a teacher of high
school English and journalism in
the district.
The new chief school ad­ministrator
has recieved several
honors and distinctions over the
years. He was awarded a
Newspaper Fund Fellowship in
1958, a National Association of
Secondary Schools Principals
Internship in 1965, a fellowship
for professional development in
1969, and the Edward R. Shaw
Scholarship for Graduate Service
and Academic Achievement in
Education Administration at
New York University in 1971. He
has served as a consultant to the
i Virgin Islands Department of
Education in Programmed
Budgeting Systems.
In 1975 Dr. Brockmann
received the Shoreline Kiwanis
award for devoted effort and
serves as president of the
Shoreline Kiwanis this year. He
resides in Guilford, Connecticut,
is married, and the father of two
daughters.
Dr. Brockmann has a
Bachelor's and Master's degree
from Wagner College in Staten
Island. He completed graduate
study at Columbia University,
the School of Commerce of New
York University, and Mont-clair
State College. He
[ Continued on page 8]
Dr. Frederick J. Brockmann
Services Held
For 10 Yr Old
Murder Victim
Funeral services » will be held
Monday morning at St. Kilian's
Roman Catholic Church for ten
year old Lisamarie Merritt, who
was kidnapped from her Far­mingdale
home last Wednesday,
sexually abused and murdered.
The young girlV body was
found Thursday morning in a
shallow grave near Montauk
Point. John Waggoner, 32, a
former boarder in the Merritt
home, has been charged with
second degree murder and first
degree kidnapping.
Waggoner and his family were
taken in by Gary and Dorothy
Merritt of Sullivan Ave. when
Waggoner lost his job and his
home. Waggoner left the Merritt
home several weeks ago after a
dispute with his wife, over his
alleged relationship with a 12
year old girl.
After Mrs. Merritt served
divorce papers on Waggoner as a
favor to his wife, Waggoner
allegedly broke into the Merritt
home and kidnapped Lisamarie,
leaving her body in the wooded
Montauk area.
[ Continued on page 8]