Legislative Breakfast Hosted by North Shore LAC Attended by Local Legislators, NS Administration, and BOE
The North Shore Schools’ Legislative Action Committee (LAC), a citizen’s advisory committee of the North Shore Schools’ Board of Education, hosted a Legislative Breakfast on December 12, 2025, with local legislators representing residents within the school district to discuss issues concerning the North Shore community. Also in attendance was Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Chris Zublionis, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Dr. Carol Ann Smyth, Assistant Superintendent for Business, Mr. James Pappas, BOE President Dr. Andrea Macari, and Board of Education trustees, and Student Government Organization (SGO) President Genevieve Hudin. The meeting was held at the North Shore Schools Transportation Depot, across from the waterfront where the Glenwood Landing power plant was located. Superintendent Dr. Zublionis said, “We are very grateful to the members of LAC and the Board of Education for organizing this Legislative Breakfast; and to our invited guests, our legislators, for attending and actively participating in important discussions that affect all of our North Shore constituents. We are eager to continue to work together now and in the future to find financial and creative solutions on behalf of our students.”
James Versocki, LAC Chairperson, opened the meeting and welcomed the local legislators, who briefly introduced themselves. They included Assemblymember Charles Lavine, Assemblymember Jake Blumencranz, Nassau County Legislator, Delia DeRiggi Whitton, a Representative from Congressman Tom Suozzi’s Office (Cindy Rogers) and a Representative from Senator Jack Martins’ office (Denise Paredes). In addition, Davidoff Hutcher and DHC Representatives Nicole Weingartner and Nick Terzulli were in attendance
The topics included:
1. LIPA Agreement and Fiscal Cliff
- Discussion of long-term financial implications
- Legislative Ask: Establishment of a fund to protect taxpayers impacted.
2. Assessment of Utility Infrastructure and Planning
- Review of current utility services and future capacity needs
- Legislative Ask: Clarification on National Grid’s planned development projects.
3. New Properties and Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs)
- Impact on state aid formulas and local tax revenue
- Examination of class/tier structure and potential tax shifts
- Legislative Ask: Support for equitable state aid distribution related to IDA activity; Support new legislation to protect school districts from large swings in utility tax reassessments.
4. Road Repairs and School-Area Enhancements
- Priority focus on east-side sidewalk improvements between Four Corners and the high school.
- Discussion of traffic safety, walkability, and infrastructure funding.
5. Impact of Recent Federal Department of Education Changes on the School District
- Overview of policy updates and compliance requirements
- Possible funding implications and anticipated effects on student services
Assemblyman Chuck Levine and others spoke about the tightening of budgets in Albany especially in the 2026 -2027 years partly due to the drastic cutbacks from the Federal government. They mentioned that Special Ed funding could be affected. Districts that receive a lot of funding from the State and Federal Government would be most impacted by these possible cuts. North Shore is not one of these districts.
While funding might be limited, the legislators positively offered assistance in helping the District with important contacts to help set up future meetings with National Grid members. But, stated that information was still limited.
The SGO President Genevieve Hudin communicated the need for placing a four-way stop sign at Kissam Road and Glen Cove Avenue (by the high school) to alleviate pedestrian safety concerns, traffic, walkability, and potential accidents. Nassau County Legislator Delia spoke about the traffic and safety implications and said she would be following-up with the Town of Oyster Bay to help alleviate this important safety issue.
To conclude, our local legislators all expressed concern about the North Shore School District’s plight and wanted to continue the partnership and offer ways to help but also spoke about the tightening of budgets in Albany. Overall, the discussion was extremely informative throughout the morning, with Assemblymember Chuck Lavine, Nassau County Legislator, Delia DeRiggi Whitton, and Assemblymember Jake Blumenthal offering several ideas and follow-up suggestions which the District has already begun looking into.