Thirteen Long Island school districts and 16 individual schools within them are posted on a state needs-improvement list that is the first compiled since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a suspension of such ratings more than three years ago, according to a Newsday analysis. John Hildebrand and Michael R. Ebert report on Newsday.com that the latest state classifications are part of a federal and state "accountability" system that has been revived to cover academic performance for the just-completed 2022-23 school year.
Under federal rules, ratings identify schools and districts falling in the bottom 5% statewide, based on student test scores, high school graduation rates and other criteria such as absenteeism and test participation.
School systems targeted by ratings span the region, from Hempstead in Nassau County to Riverhead and Greenport on the east end but are concentrated in Suffolk County. Overall, the great majority of systems in Long Island's educational network — 111 other districts and 624 other schools — remain in good academic standing, according to the state Department of Education. As it resumes its scrutiny of classroom performance, New York also is providing districts statewide with billions of dollars in additional money meant to help counter learning loss from the pandemic and boost scores. "Accountability is a two-way street," said Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa when she initially announced the restart of ratings in July of last year.
Some educators criticized the state's rating system, contending that it often stigmatized entire districts due to data covering relatively small numbers of students.
The Quogue Bridge on Post Lane will be closed for up to three days beginning tomorrow, while the Suffolk County Department of Public Works performs emergency repairs on the 85-year-old drawbridge that connects the mainland to Dune Road. Tom Gogola reports on 27east.com that the bridge crosses the Quogue Canal on Post Lane before that road terminates at Dune Road. Residents or visitors to the beach can use the Rogers Beach Bridge to the west or the Ponqougue Bridge to the east to access Dune Road, while repairs are underway. The plan for now is that Quogue Bridge will be closed this week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, while DPW contractors do the work. In the meantime, the county will post signs announcing the temporary closure and detours. Quogue Village Mayor Robert Treuhold said he would coordinate with Westhampton Beach Village Police and fire services “to arrange for mutual assistance to ensure rapid response to any emergency that might arise.”
Turning food scraps into compost can be a messy gig. Joe Werkmeister reports on Newsday.com that on Saturday mornings, volunteers with East Hampton Compost collect buckets of discarded vegetables, fruits, potato peels and corn husks from local residents as part of a new collaborative pilot program to reduce food waste, create nutrient-rich soil and educate residents on how to minimize their carbon footprints.
Before donated scraps can be hauled to a nearby recycling center, volunteers use one hand to dig through each pile looking for twist-ties, stickers, rubber bands, pits, pasta or any other contaminants. They keep the other hand gloveless to "take down the data," said program founder Gloria Frazee.
“Not only are we teaching people, the community, how to do this composting, we're also showing the town that we can deliver clean compost,” she said.
Approximately one-third of food produced in the country is never eaten, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The agency established a national goal in...