Former BOE president wants New York Attorney General to find liability in budget deficit

On Monday, April 20, the South Country Central School District board of education held a special meeting for the fifth iteration of the 2026-2027 budget proposal. Members of the public were given a thirty-minute period to speak at three minutes each to provide their input and concerns about the mired budget.

John Belmonte, acting assistant superintendent for finance and management services, gave the majority of the presentation of the latest budget to the board.

Prior to the presentation of the more intricate parts of the budget, Belmonte discussed the need for the Special Act legislation for the school district to rectify their budget deficit. The Special Act legislation would “provide a viable pathway to stabilize its finances through a structured, multi-year recovery approach while preserving its core instructional programs for students,” said Belmonte.

Without the Special Act, the school district would need to implement immediate and severe deductions.

As the Special Act would need to be approved in the governor’s budget, the timeline for possible approval does not align perfectly with the school budget deadlines.

In three possible scenarios, the tax levy increase could go up to as high as 13.76 percent.

In the half hour prior to the start of the special meeting, former board of education trustee and former board president Gregory Miglino Jr. spoke to a crowd of about 50 about the measures that should be taken for the correction of the deficit in the budget.

“We have all come together to address the fiscal debacle the district finds itself in… the impact on our students, staff, and taxpayers will take many years to overcome and require the combined efforts of the entire community to fix, but none of that can begin to happen without trust being re-established and accountability assigned to those that have a part in this financial collapse… the kind of numbers involved, tens of millions of dollars, and the actions taken… today we are asking the U.S. Attorney’s office to get involved and investigate any crimes that may have been committed by the school district officials,” said Miglino.

In addition to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Miglino called upon the New York Attorney General’s office to investigate possible violation of New York state penal code.

Specifically, Miglino called upon current board president, E. Anne Hayes and trustee, Chris Picini, to step down as they have served the board longest.

Regarding superintendent Antonio Santana, who has served in the position since 2022, Miglino suggested he be immediately put on paid administrative leave and the district should seek out “seasoned” superintendent.

Following an at times heated discussion between board members and Belmonte, the public portion began.

Speakers, which included a good portion of district employees as well as residents, warned of the removal of directors from administrative staff and replacement as department chairs as a cost-saving measure citing the intricate work of directors to ensure compliance with state mandates. In particular, speakers pointed to the ENL department which accounts for 23 percent of the students in South Country Central District being without or severely lessened services.

Karen Anne Hawkins, a parent of three with two currently enrolled in the district and a first-grade teacher in Copiague School District, emphasized her concerns of growing class size citing her experience with both 33 and 21 students under instruction.

“The teachers are their [students] people,” said Hawkins at the conclusion of her segment.

Lisa DiSebio, also a South Country mom, with multiple generations on both her and her husband’s side are graduates of Bellport High School, said it was essential that residents be allowed to the full, forensic audit. She concluded by saying, “I am seriously considering voting ‘no’ on the budget for once.”