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Send Us Your Favorite School Year Photos

Commack schools are in the final weeks, so we'd love to see your favorite moments of 2011-12 school year.

Commack school district is starting to wind down the 2011-12 school year, as students are waiting impatiently for summer vacation and parents are in last-minute preparations. 

Patch is gathering up your best 2011-12 school photos, from the first day of school, field trips, science fair projects, field day and more

Enjoy our slideshow of pictures - and then join us and share your photos too. It's easy.

Here are a few simple steps you need to follow. Then you'll be able to upload photos, announcements, events and comment on stories.

  1. Create an account
  2. Click on the “Upload Photos and Videos” button above
  3. Upload your photos and videos
  4. Make sure to include your write-ups in the Caption area for your photos

Your photos will be included in our daily newsletter for thousands of your neighbors to see! You don't get the newsletter yet? What are you waiting for?

Thank you so much for using Patch. See you at graduation. 

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Commackvoter May 20, 2013 at 10:24 pm
I know what the word increase means! You mentioned it above about insurance rates going up. You seeRead More when a member of the BOE gives his kid a job in the district, then that adult child (24 yrs) takes a 15 yr old student to a hotel for sex and gets arrested, then our insurance company has to pay to settle the lawsuit, dont you think our insurance rates go up John. Sure you dont believe it - Read all about it http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/cops-commack-hs-coach-faces-sex-abuse-charges-1.1711455 Time to break up this 5 member coffee clotch and their you scratch my back I will scratch yours.
John Smith May 20, 2013 at 10:12 pm
Can I ask you an honest question? I hope this doesn't sound to condescending because I really amRead More curious. Do you understand what the word "increase" means?
Concerned Commackian May 20, 2013 at 10:07 pm
John, it has everything to do with it. For year after year, this district has been either unwillingRead More or unable to reign in spending, but has been highly adept at cutting programs. You have to stop using the state law crutch, you really do. It just makes you seem uninformed. Who negotiates contracts for the teachers and custodians and all other union represented personnel? The state? Thats a no. Who hires secretaries for $106,500 per annum? The state? Another no. Who negotiates a Superintendant contract that grants excessive vacation, holiday and sick time not to mention a generous contribution to a retirement account (not his pension)? The state? Once again, the answer is nooooo. So John, feel free to continue your delusion that all roads lead to the evildoers in Albany, because they do not. Dont use a crutch John, get off Patch and spend a few hours educating yourself on the process. Learn how things are done. Then, when you have a thorough understanding of what you are talking about, feel free to opine. I may not agree with you, but god knows at least I will respect you for being informed.
Judge for your yourself whether these signatures were written by the same person
GM May 20, 2013 at 10:30 pm
It's always interesting to watch the fear in the faces of this Board and its operatives when theyRead More are opposed. At present, the power is with too few people and perhaps the community will agree it's time to balance the power by voting YES for Prop 2. Why would a democracy vote down more representation? We fight for more representation in congress so why does the same argument not apply here.
John Smith May 20, 2013 at 10:15 pm
MJS - that I agree with you on. There are definitely people just waiting to see if Prop 2 passesRead More and are prepared to run. You and your Tax Pac buddies - they want to get 4 seats (including Tampellini & Hartman) so they can run us into the land of 7% tax levy increases like Baldwin and Sachem with their poorly thought out short term solutions! Thanks for helping to make that clear. I appreciate the help.
MJS May 20, 2013 at 10:12 pm
Hey J.Smith - do you even think before you write or speak? Did you consider that Prop 2 has beenRead More known for a while now and so maybe there are people out there who want to run have already considered doing so and are prepared .but are just waiting to see if it passes. Also, 85 signatures could be obtained in 2-3 hours standing in front of King Kullen or Meat Farms... You can Go put yourself back together now...
Concerned Commackian May 20, 2013 at 03:45 pm
Im concerned with the rate of spending increases. You cant talk your way around them no matter howRead More hard you try. And as to this "district has no control" argument, thats a cop out and you know it. While the state tells the district what percentage of salary it must pay into the retirement system, if the district had done a more effective job of limiting the growth in compensation, not only would salary expense been lower, but the amount paid into the retirement system would have been lower as well. And John, care to calculate how much the additional state aid to the district this year lowered the levy? Im sure you dont.
John Smith May 20, 2013 at 02:19 pm
Or you could think about how spending is going up over 4% (the majority of which is fueled by costsRead More that are mandated by law -- Teachers' and Employee's Retirement and Insurance contributions -- over which the School District has no control), but the tax levy is only going up 2.91%, which means the School District -- gasp -- might be doing a good job finding alternative sources of funding other than the taxpayers. Again, look at the info for yourself, not through the eyes of a biased Tampellini/Hartman/Tax Pac supporter.
Donna Fox May 20, 2013 at 09:25 pm
Hey Laja, John Smith and Dev. Advocate - your arguments makes no sense. Every year the District hasRead More millions of dollars that it doesn't spend which shows that they have no idea how to budget properly. Of course we need to have some over budgeting but NOT $5 Million worth, when you know every year you never come close to using it. Its crazy to say we need $5M extra in the budget every year. I'm sure we can do with $3-4 Million, and put the money saved to what it is meant for = the kids. Its idiotic thinking like yours that has people fleeing L.I. and making it unaffordable to live here unless your rich.
Concerned Commackian May 20, 2013 at 09:24 pm
@LaJa. Putting truthfully in quotation marks as you did in your last post was brilliant. Your use ofRead More that word (truthfully)is specious (look it up) at best!!!!! Hysterical
Concerned Commackian May 20, 2013 at 09:14 pm
"Things happen during a school year" to the tune of $5 million a year? FIVE MILLION?Read More $5,000,000? Can you give me a list of the "things" that happened last year, or are you just making that up? In fact, your citation of Superstorm Sandy is a perfect example of your flawed thinking. I would bet you would be hard pressed to find unexpected expenses related to Sandy totalling $500,000 (five hundred thousand) much less $5,000,000. See Advocate, the reason that the people you support should not be voted in is that they throw around numbers just like you do. They are oblivious that the vast majority of those numbers come out of the pockets of people that work hard and watch every dollar they spend. Its a novel concept, try it sometime.
Commackvoter May 19, 2013 at 11:28 am
Yes John Smith, agree that the PTA SHOULD have video taped and posted it somewhere for the communityRead More to view. This is the 21st century and there is no excuse for them not offering this for those who could not attend. Same goes for the CUFSD but at least the law prohibits them from banning taping public meetings.
MJS May 19, 2013 at 10:29 am
It will be interesting to see what Mr. Behar does if he loses, since he is totally opposed to PropRead More 2. So if Prop 2 passes, and he chooses to take advantage of it and run again then in my eyes, and those of the Community, he will reveal himself to be a total Hypocrite. The same would go for Egan, since he too opposes Prop 2.
Retired May 19, 2013 at 08:45 am
Hey John - No one is being slick. You incorrectly assumed that it was suspicious that there was noRead More video tape of the meet the candidates night. I can understand why you would think that but the fact is that the PTA did not allow any video. I wish video could have been done so the community could have seen each candidate themselves and make their own assessment. If you don't believe what I say just contact the PTA and confirm it with them....
MJS May 19, 2013 at 10:29 am
It will be interesting to see what Mr. Behar does if he loses, since he is totally opposed to PropRead More 2. So if Prop 2 passes, and he chooses to take advantage of it and run again then in my eyes, and those of the Community, he will reveal himself to be a total Hypocrite. The same would go for Egan, since he too opposes Prop 2.
Retired May 19, 2013 at 09:52 am
@RL - I agree with term limits, but the law says that can only be proposed by the Board. The publicRead More cannot submit such a proposition. The board, at least the current one, will never agree to that b/c they want to keep themselves in power at any cost. By adding 2 new people Prop 2 may a provide an opportunity to have people on aboard that will consider proposing term limits, as well as other changes. So, yet another reason to Vote YES to Prop 2.
RL May 17, 2013 at 08:08 am
I agree new blood can be used and some new thinking and the way to accomplish that is to vote newRead More faces in. Does having more people create a larger bureaucracy thought. Having served on a number of private, charity and corporate boards I can tell you more is not always the answer. I think term limits would be a better approach. This way you don't have the same though process year after year. Two terms six years seems reasonably to me.
Concerned Commackian May 18, 2013 at 09:18 pm
Commack Parent is right. Its definately a costRead More issue.....BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAH!!! Thanks Parent, that was the best chuckle ive had all day!
LINANA May 17, 2013 at 12:28 am
Since past precedence for a number of years has been to send out literature informing ALL residentsRead More (including those with no children in the schools) of candidates bios, does the omission of the bios raise a legal issue? ??? We all pay school taxes and district has the obligation to provide us with this info. Shame on them!!!! Teacher's union is also "encouraging" votes for Egan & Behar and against adding two additional seats to the board. People with a vested interest "encouraging" you to vote a particular way should raise flags!!! Hopefully people will think for themselves and make an informed vote for the candidate they feel will best represent the students & residents of Commack.
Janice May 16, 2013 at 12:08 pm
IT does raise a red flag! I think it IS definitely time to vote for some new folks. I am going toRead More check out Hartman and Tampellini's bios. If I like what I see, I am voting for change
MJS May 19, 2013 at 10:28 am
It will be interesting to see what Mr. Behar does if he loses, since he is totally opposed to PropRead More 2. So if Prop 2 passes, and he chooses to take advantage of it and run again then in my eyes, and those of the Community, he will reveal himself to be a total Hypocrite. The same would go for Egan, since he too opposes Prop 2.
Dawn-Marie Bailey May 15, 2013 at 09:02 pm
Doing my best. Please spread the word. Thanks!
GM May 15, 2013 at 08:30 pm
You go Girl! Spread the word. It's less than a week until we vote and you can quickly educate usingRead More social media.
MJS May 19, 2013 at 12:47 pm
It will be interesting to see what Mr. Behar does if he loses, since he is totally opposed to PropRead More 2. So if Prop 2 passes, and he chooses to take advantage of it and run again then in my eyes, and those of the Community, he will reveal himself to be a total Hypocrite. The same would go for Egan, since he too opposes Prop 2.
ergodic May 16, 2013 at 11:09 am
Hey, PTA, BOE/// try lending a hand///don't criticize things you don't understand///the community isRead More clearly beyond your command///your 100 year road is rapidly aging///and, the times, they are changing. CUFSD has experienced a decline in total enrollment from a peak of 7830 in 2008-09 to 6934 (projected) in 2013-14, a decrease of 11.4%. During that period, spending per pupil increased from $19,759 to $25,871 - an increase of 30.9%. This performance does not reflect well on the financial management capabilities of the BOE. And, is it a surprise that NYSUT is an advocate for the status quo? A more democratic approach to decision-making via a vote for Prop 2 should be helpful.
re May 16, 2013 at 12:01 am
Vote yes for the additional members of the board. Save our schools. Save our schools with fairRead More representation. Join a new taxpayers representation committee at the Commack community assoc effective September 2013. Our next meeting is May 30 at 7pm at the Bristol assisted living community room( next to sears) Do not let this civic group wither away as it would be a victory for the school board that monitors any opposition to the way the district operates.