Community takes a stand against state budget cuts

The School District held a letter writing campaign at the middle school on Thursday, Feb. 8, where dozens of community members packed the cafeteria to address the state about their opposition to state funding cuts to the school district in the governor’s proposed FY 2025 budget.

Under the current proposed budget, Sayville would lose approximately $3.6 million in state funding and would have dire impact on staffing and extracurricular activities.

Members of Sayville’s 2023 Long Island Championship football team came out and voiced concerns over other after school activities being cut.

Quarterback Jake Tripptree said, “In Sayville, known for its excellent education, these cuts could take away important opportunities from future generations, maybe even my own kids. Our upbringing in this community has deeply influenced us, showing why it’s vital to keep funding for all programs, so every child can succeed.”

Anthoy Contaldi said, “Sayville is one of the best-recognized school districts because of the opportunities it provides to students and families.”

Noah Jabour noted that he and his teammates on the football team were “privileged to play for a protected program like football” and that “budget cuts could lead to smaller, less popular programs being cut… and those programs mean as much to them as football does to us.”

Retired Sayville schoolteachers also came out in support of the letter-writing campaign and voiced their concerns.