Bethpage-Tribune_1969-07-03

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Serving Bethpage - Plainview - Island Trees - ^eaford
Vol.3 No. 37 Thursday, July 3, 1969 10< per copy
Bethpage Bailiwick
by Muriel Taylor
Pick Mrs. Cullem Island Treei^President
The Re-Organization Meeting of the Bethpage Board
of Education, held on Tuesday evening, July 1 was an
enjoyable session.
Mr. Miklas, as Acting Chairman, called the meeting
to order at 8:39 p.m. All Board members were present.
The Oath of Office was administered to Mr. Coyle and
Mr. Hearl by the Attorney, Louis Orfan; Mr. Orfan and
Mr. LoFaso were the first to shake hands with the
newly-installed gentlemen so they each were $1 richer
afterward ( a Board'practice I hadn't been aware of
before.)
Joseph M. Dawson and Hugh J. Coyle were
nominated for the position of Board President. After a
vote of 2-2, with Mr. Dawson and Mr. Coyle abstaining,
the Board decided on a closed discussion. When the
open meeting was resumed, the nomination of Mr.
Coyle had been withdrawn, and Mr. Dawson was
elected President by a *bte of 5-0, Mr. Dawson ab­staining:
Mr. Miklas $1 richer after congratulating Mr.
Dawson. Mr. Coyle was elected Vice-President by a
vote of 5-0, Mr. Coyle abstaining.
Eleanor Behrik was appointed as District Clerk and
Peter Perniciaro as District Treasurer for the 1969-70
school year, and the Oath of Office was administered
by the Attorney. Louis N. Orfan was appointed as
Attorney for the school district and the firm of Koehler
& Vogel as District Auditors. The Medical Examiners
and the Supervising Dentist appointed are the same as
A motion was made and seconded that the last
Tuesday of each month be designated as the regular
monthly meeting (8:30 p.m. in the Board room of the
Administration Bldg.) A second motion specified that,
the first and second Tuesdays of each month be
designated as special meetings subject to cancellation
at the discretion of the President, or in his absence - the
Vice-President. Both motions were passed
unanimously. . . • • . ... . ,
The "Long Island Press" was designated the official
newspaper, and in a second motion, the "Bethpage
Tribune" was specified as the local newspaper to be
used whenever the interests of the District dictate (in
the opinion of the Board) and additional publication.
The first motion passed unanimously; the second 5-1,
Mr. Fink opposed (as he felt it was a superfluous ac-
Hempstead Bank was continued as the depository for
District funds, except that the High School activity
accounts and the Cafeteria account would be at Long
Island National Bank. A resolution requiring a
Treasurer's Bond in the amount of $500,000 was made
by Mr LoFaso, seconded by Mr, Miklas and passed.
Mr. Dawson, as President, was appointed as
Delegate to the N.Y. State School Boards Assn.
Convention, and the agenda item listed as ap­pointment
of delegate to the Nassau-Suffolk School
Bds Ass'n." was eliminated. The rest of the agenda
was deferred until the Board reconvenes on July 2nd at
11 p.m., and the Re-Organization Meeting was
recessed until that time. " _
A Special Meeting was opened at 10:10 p.m. A Board
of Registration was appointed. The resignation of
Thomas E. Morris (effective June 30th) was discussed
and it was decided by the Board to have a committee
(consisting of Mr. Dawson and Mr. Coyle) see Mr
Morris and ask him to reconsider his withdrawal; this
{Continued on Page 11)
Despite some signs of tension
between trustees, the Island
Trees Board of Education began
its 1969-70 year with a productive
reorganizational meeting
Tuesday night.
The meeting began on a
unanimous note with the white
ballot election of Mrs. Florence
Cullem to the presidency. Mrs.
Cullem was nominated by James
Tucci, and seconded by trustees
Lawrence Berke and Anthony
Lancelotti.
Lancellotti, along with other
new board members Mrs. Lillian
Rosa and Lawrence Zeis, was
sworn in to the post at the
executive session preceding the
meeting.
Mrs. Cullem gave her thanks to
out-going president Don Ferris.
'Tucci, Superintendent Leo
Miller, and District Clerk
Dorothea Griffin joined in a
round of praise for Ferris, who
they called a sincere and
courageous, if controversial,
president.
Unanimity extended to most of
the meetings business, but splits
developed over the vice-presidency,
the naming of an
official newspaper and the set­ting
of a legal schedule of
meetings.
Tucci defeated Berke for the
V. P.slot by a 4-3 margin on the
second round of voting. Tucci had
abstained from joining Ferris,
Lancellotti, and Mrs. Cullem in
his own cause, but decided to
break 'the deadlock when his
opponent voted for himself. Zeis
and Mrs. Rosa supported Berke.
Ferris, in nominating Tucci,
contended that he had worked the
hardest of all members on the
Board, and noted that Tucci had
finished the management survey
negotiations from a hospital bed.
Lancellotti seconded Tucci, while
Zeis and Mrs. Rosa nominated
and seconded Berke, respec­tively.
The most debated issue of the
night was the selection of an
official newspaper for the
district. With Mrs. Cullem ab­staining
from debate and
discussion, the board appeared
split over whether to name two
daily papers, one daily, or a
combination of a daily and a
weekly paper.
Mrs. Cullem explained that her
abstention resulted from her
position as publisher of the
BETHPAGE TRIBUNE and as a
director of the Nassau County
Press Association, an
organization of weekly papers.
She also stated that she would
refuse any legal advertising for
her paper, even if voted by the
Board, as long as she remains a
trustee of the district.
After some exchanges between
board members and the
audience, and in order to
progress with the business of the
meeting, the question was tabled
until the next session, July 8.
In other business, the Board re­appointed
Mrs. Griffin districts
clerk and, James Barbour
treasurer. Board members
praised Mrs. Griffin for her
service and loyalty and noted before deciding
that Barbour had been district ^-meetings,
treasurer since 1955. \ff Tho hn
Finally, the Board agreed to
meet once a month startingan
August. The board declined a
motion by Berke to have an
additional meeting for taxpayer-staff
and taxpayer-board
discussions. /
Various trustees noted that it
was required by law to decide a
minimum meeting schedule that
night. They explained that time
would be needed to mull Berke's
suggestion, and that the legal
responsibility should be met
on extra
The board decided- 4-3 (Mrs.
Cullem, Ferris,' Larfcellotti,
Tucci for; Mrs. Rosa, Berke,
Zeis, against) to maintain the
Board's traditional once-a-month
schedule.
Lancellotti pointed out,
however, that the vote should not
be interpreted as for or against
seminars, workshops, and
discussions between board
taxpayers, and staff, but ONLY
as a vote against tying, the board
to the legal responsibility of two
meetings every month.
Plain edge Board Reorganizes
At the Plainedge school district
reorganizational meeting
Tuesday, President James
Ackley was reelected. Michael
Lanzarone was picked as V.P.,
while Mrs. Esther Rose was
appointed district clerk, Charles
Caifa, treasurer, and LeRoy Van
Nostra nd, attorney.
The school budget, defeated
last month, will be resubmitted
on Wednesday, July 23.
Registration will be held Wed­nesday,
July 16 from 10 a.m. to 10
p.m. at the five voting districts.
The Library budget will also be
voted on July 23.
The Board will meet next
Thursday, July 10, at 8:30 p.m. at
—the Plainedge High School.
LUCKY KEY OPENS "THE GREEN POINT"
TREASURE CHEST Robert Warshouer of Bertram
Place Bethpage was among the visitors who tried to
open the Treasure Chest containing many valuable
prizes at The Green Point Savings Bank's opening
celebration of their new Levittown office. His key was
one of the lucky ones, and although there were many
more winners throughout the day, Robert was the
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Budget Bulletin
The Bethpage school budget was passed by a 64-vote
margin last night. The $9,216,468 budget, which calls
for a tax rate of 10.04, received 1224 votes in favor, 1160
against. It was the second time around for the budget,
which was overwhelmingly rejected last month.
The Library budget was also passed. Final figures
were not, available as of press time for the budget,
which sets a tax rate of .32.
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