A Newsday survey of Long Island school districts holding budget votes today found that the largest number of respondents remain optimistic about their finances over the next several years, but that a growing number are uncertain or pessimistic.

Across Nassau and Suffolk counties, residents of 124 school districts are going to polls today to vote on proposed school budgets totaling more than $16 billion. Some polls are already open across Long Island. Voting hours vary among local school districts.

In recent weeks, Newsday asked districts to describe their financial outlook for the next three years, as part of a questionnaire that also covered budgets and taxes for the 2025-26 school year. One big question raised by district officials in interviews was whether Washington, D.C., might impose cuts in federal funding in coming months that would have an impact on public schools here.

John Hildebrand reports in NEWSDAY that of 114 systems responding to the survey – up from 104 last year – 50% expressed optimism about their future finances, 32% uncertainty and 18% pessimism. Comparable figures from polling last year were 56%, 28% and 16%, respectively.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers have approved an aid increase of more than $1.7 billion for schools statewide next year, while adding a caveat that has some school officials worried. An inserted budgetary "superpower" rule would allow the state to withhold aid, in the event it finds itself facing a fiscal deficit of $2 billion or more.

On Long Island, some longtime school leaders said the budgetary language reminded them of what happened in 1990, when the state got caught up in a nationwide economic slump. At the time, then-Gov. Mario Cuomo and legislators imposed midyear school aid cuts of $190 million.

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The Town of Riverhead will end its effort to seize a blighted building on East Main Street from the Long Island Science Center, clearing the way for the nonprofit to build a new museum on the town square. The Riverhead Town Board will vote to cancel the hearing scheduled for tomorrow on whether to use eminent domain to acquire the Riverhead-based nonprofit’s building at 111 East Main Street, Supervisor Tim Hubbard said during a press conference yesterday. Riverhead Town officials had said the building is severely damaged and poses a “danger to the public;” the town planned to buy the building and sell it to a private developer for demolition and redevelopment of the former Swezey’s Department Store property. Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that last month, science center officials, working with new architects, presented a revised two-phase plan for the museum during the Town Board’s work session. The plan is both “feasible” and “fundable,” Hubbard said; it “focuses on addressing the most glaring issues in the existing building and allows them to open as soon as possible.” Science center officials said they hope to complete the first phase of renovations — allowing it to open the museum — by this fall. “I’m very happy,” Long Island Science Center President Larry Oxman said after Hubbard’s announcement…which was applauded by a small group of residents and local business owners who had gathered downtown to hear the news on Monday afternoon. “I’m really happy that the Science Center is going to be on Main Street again. I’m just really pleased,” said Cindy Clifford, president of the Heart of Riverhead Civic Association. The civic group had organized a letter writing campaign and circulated an online petition urging the Town Board to drop the eminent domain action.

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Members of the Southampton Town Board, Westhampton VFW Post 5350, local military organizations and friends and family celebrated local veterans with the “Hometown Heroes” banner program at Good Ground Park in Hamptons Bays yesterday. As reported on 27east.com, the program, spearheaded by Southampton Town Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara, aims to recognize and honor local military men and women by displaying personalized banners with their picture and military service information. The program will run from Memorial Day through Veterans Day.

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A developer that built ground satellite antennaes in Calverton without proper approvals — part of a bid to boost internet connection on the North Fork — is seeking permits from Riverhead a year after officials ordered a stop to the project. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that the developer plans to build 40 "satellite earth station" antennas on the property that communicate to Starlink satellites orbiting in space. Roughly half of them, which resemble domed white orbs, were installed without an initial approval, Riverhead Town officials have said.

Starlink is SpaceX’s internet network that speaks to a constellation of satellites orbiting Earth. The company was founded by billionaire Elon Musk.

Terra Connect, a telecommunications firm based in Parsippany, New Jersey, began construction on a field of satellites last year on industrial land in the Enterprise Park at Calverton. Riverhead Town issued a stop work order in May 2024 because, officials said, the developer had not secured site plan approvals or building permits.

At the time, the town’s zoning code did not reference the emerging technology that's used as an intermediary between satellites in orbit and local internet networks. Since then, the town has approved new laws that allow satellite stations by special permit. Riverhead set a June 3 hearing on the proposal.

“Unfortunately they did start it without the permits, but they’ve been very cooperative since,” said Riverhead Supervisor Tim Hubbard. In the application, Terra Connect officials noted that Starlink provides service to more than 1 million customers in the United States, particularly in rural areas.

“The Satellite Earth Station will improve the overall performance and capacity of the Starlink system, including to the local area,” the company said in the application.

A Starlink report from February says the company has more than 6,750 satellites in orbit and millions of customers globally.

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Riverhead officials marked National EMS Week last night at Town Hall with an awards ceremony recognizing Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Stony Brook EMS and Riverhead Police Department members for five CPR saves made this year so far. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Supervisor Tim Hubbard welcomed the first responders, their family and friends who filled the Town Hall meeting room for the ceremony, congratulating the award recipients for their “incredible work” to save lives in the community. “It’s just really a great thing that Riverhead has such good coverage from all of our public services, with our fire departments, EMS and police,” Supervisor Hubbard said. Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps President Garrett Lake described the saves and called out the names of the EMS and police department officers who worked together to make them.

Lake spoke of the importance of “teamwork between the police department, EMS and fire.” The public is often unaware of the critical role of police in lifesaving EMS work, Lake said. “Without police getting on scene, starting CPR, starting that chain of survival, updating us to what we have there. That is what saves lives,” Lake said. Lake read a brief narrative about each save. RVAC Chief Jacob Phillips and Riverhead Police Chief Ed Frost distributed the award certificates. Riverhead Town Council Members Ken Rothwell, Joann Waski and Bob Kern were on hand for the Monday evening ceremony, along with RVAC District Manager Patrick Gugliotta.

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The Hampton Bays and Southampton school districts have been honored with a Best Communities for Music Education designation from the nonprofit NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. The districts are two of 935 school districts from across the nation to earn the award.

To receive the recognition, the districts demonstrated outstanding achievement in their efforts to provide music access and education to all students. The districts were required to answer detailed questions about their programs, including funding, music class participation, instruction time and support.

As reported on 27east.com, this is the sixth year in a row that Hampton Bays has been recognized and the 10th year that Southampton has earned the distinction.

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is a not-for-profit global trade association dedicated to the music products industry. Originally founded in 1901, NAMM is headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and represents 15,000 global member companies and individual professionals.

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Island Harvest, one of Long Island’s largest food banks, could lose up to 4 million pounds of food annually for lower income families, seniors and veterans, if $300 billion in SNAP benefits are cut in the proposed federal budget, organizers said.

Advocacy groups gathered yesterday at the food bank’s warehouse in Melville with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to warn of potential cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that provides food to about 150,000 Long Islanders and 1.7 million people in New York City, Schumer said.

John Asbury reports in NEWSDAY that Island Harvest provides 20 million pounds of food annually for more than 108,000 people in Suffolk County and more than 41,000 people in Nassau County in the SNAP program, according to the food bank. Food banks, including the Hauppauge-based Long Island Cares Harry Chapin Food Bank, said the demand for food and SNAP assistance has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proposed budget would cut more than $1 million to Long Island’s emergency food programs, which could pay for about 3 million pounds of food, under the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Island Harvest provides food boxes monthly to 5,500 seniors on Long Island who make less than $1,900 per month, said Island Harvest president Randi Shubin Dresner.

The U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee voted Sunday, along party lines by a vote of 17-16, to advance the budget bill to a vote before the full House later this week. The committee did not include any representatives from Long Island.

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) in a prepared statement last night said the budget bill wasn’t ready for a vote yet with key provisions on SALT, Medicaid, and SNAP still being negotiated.

“Senator Schumer’s criticism is premature, and he knows it. I’ve had numerous meetings with organizations like Island Harvest and Long Island Cares, and I understand and support the vital work they do,” LaLota said.