VOTE YES ON DECEMBER 6. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE MISINFORMATION AND“FAKE NEWS” BEING PROMULAGATED BY A FEW UNCARING, DISHONEST INDIVIDUALS!
I have a special affection for the Glen Cove School District and the Glen Cove community. I was a principal for 13 years and an assistant superintendent for 10 years in the Glen Cove School District. I graduated from the Glen Cove School District. I raised my family in Glen Cove and my children all graduated from Glen Cove High School. On December 6, residents of Glen Cove will vote on the Glen Cove School District’s bond referendum. Most importantly, passage of this bond will equip all classroom, office and other corridor doors in all of our school buildings with state-of-the-art doors and remote-automatic locking mechanisms. This is critically important in the world we live in today. In 2019, pre-pandemic, there were 26 mass school shootings. In 2022, that number has almost doubled to 46, and the year is not over yet. Across the country in 2022, there have been over 600 mass shootings. How can we not do everything we can to protect our children!
This bond will also upgrade our 50+ year old high school science labs, bring our high school into compliance with ADA regulations, install new HVAC in the high school to ensure the health of our students, and provide our high school campus with sports facilities that will put us on a par with our surrounding communities and increase community usage of those facilities. We can get all this done for $12.50 for the average homeowner in Glen Cove. How do we not pass this bond overwhelmingly??
There are those in our community who are saying none of this is necessary, or that we can do everything that is proposed in this bond without the bond. They are either misinformed, or know the facts and are intentionally spreading misinformation. They say our district is financially mismanaged. Moody’s does not give a school district an Aa rating that is financially mismanaged. Glen Cove Schools are rated Aa by Moody’s. These same unscrupulous individuals claim that this bond is about creating “palaces.” New science labs, ADA complaint bathrooms and cafeteria, and doors and locks recommended by Homeland Security are not creating “palaces.” And one of these individuals submitted a Letter to the Editor claiming turf fields are dangerous and that districts across Long Island are removing their turf fields. All of this is false, and this individual knows it which is why he offered no credible evidence to support his claims. In fact, districts and towns across Long Island, such as Valley Stream Central, Massapequa, Hicksville, Farmingdale, William Floyd, and the towns of Oyster Bay and North Hempstead all have turf fields. Almost all proposed athletic field renovations in school districts across Long Island are for turf fields. Fourteen of the 16 pro football teams have turf fields. But these people don’t want you to know any of that and don’t want you to know exactly what is in the bond which is why they say nothing about the specific projects that are proposed. They just feed you misinformation and distort the truth.
This bond is about essentials for the District. Nothing more. Keeping our children safe is essential. Providing all students with equal access to school building facilities is essential. Providing upgraded athletic facilities that will reduce annual maintenance costs and provide increased opportunities for community usage is essential.
VOTE YES ON DECEMBER 6.
Sincerely,
Michael Israel
Glen Cove
