Elmont Online

The Elmont School Board meeting was the latest circus sideshow for the Elmont, North Valley Stream, Stewart Manor and South Floral Park communities.   A few weeks ago the Board of Education announced that the district would be refunding and crediting taxpayers $200,000 through a lower tax rate on their school taxes. The move seemingly made to show the community that the Board of Education was looking for ways to cut taxes on homeowners. Residents, at first, were pleased but then came to the harsh reality that the motives were very different from what was displayed, and the dollar amount of the gesture was inconsequential, less than $1.40 per household and business.

Taxpayers could only shake their heads in disgust as School Trustee Lorraine Ferrigno made a public show of the District's lawful give back to taxpayers moneys it had overcharged on their school tax bills.

Audience members realized that it was not the good will gesture boasted by Ferrigno but instead a thinly veiled magic trick by a Trustee best known for missing meetings and being a no-show at school district events.

During passage of the resolution, Ferrigno instructed the school district’s business consultant to explain how and why the money was going back to the community. Ferrigno, waving her arms as if she was personally giving back the money, was overly dramatic showing her fiscal prudence. In reality, the law specifically prohibits school districts from stockpiling money to the detriment of taxpayers.

“When I saw what was happening I was really excited until Mr. Galante explained that they had to do it. It’s kind of like going to the grocery store and having a bill for $90 dollars, giving the cashier $100, and the cashier taking credit for giving you back $10 in change. Lorraine should known better. This took a lot of gall on her part,” said a Clara Carlson PTA member.

“It really showed that Mrs. Ferrigno is out of touch and thinks the public doesn’t understand,” said a Stewart Manor teacher adding, “we go without a contract for two years and she looks people in the eye and blather this nonsense. She’s a hypocrite especially when you realize she has her own health insurance scandal brewing.”

All School Trustees voted in favor of the resolution. However, during the Ferrigno sideshow, several Trustees looked on in disbelief at her antics. “I thought she was going to announce paying back all the interest she owes on the interest free loan for the health insurance policy the district fronted with taxpayer monies.  Instead, she decided to pull that. It took guts,” a school district employee cracked.

School Board President Michael Jaime is known to be very uncomfortable with the Ferrigno sweetheart health insurance arrangement and her attendance problems at school events and meetings. Residents are openly asking when he will move to publically ask for her resignation on the High School Board and eliminate the health insurance plan for Board of Education members. “Everybody knows Mike hates this and is embarrassed. The question is who will stand up and demand answers. If they want to act tough with the teachers and teacher aides with their contracts that’s fine. But they better start to clean up their act on the Board. The public is staying quiet but not for much longer,” said a longtime school board attendee.

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