Kaminsky, Solages Urge FAA To Stop Noisy Planes Over North Woodmere

Assembly Members Todd Kaminsky and Michaelle Solages wrote a letter today to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) urging them to reconsider recent changes in flight paths that have directed an increased number of planes to fly over North Woodmere and blasting them for not consulting with the community beforehand.

“The increase of flights in the last week over North Woodmere has been astronomical and came without warning, adversely affecting the quality of life of many residents,” the letter stated. “We urge you to rectify this situation immediately by distributing the flight paths in a more equitable manner, thus sharing the noise burden across multiple communities.”

The FAA, in conjunction with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, recently closed Runway 4L-22R at John F. Kennedy Airport for construction. While the closure is supposedly temporary, residents report that there was minimal-to-no public outreach in their communities to advise on how this change would affect the volume and frequency of airplane noise overhead.

The letter from Assembly Members Kaminsky and Solages stated, “Affected communities should be given the right to voice their opinions and concerns publicly with the appropriate FAA officials. We respectfully request that you advise our offices as to when we can expect flight patterns to return to their previous status. We further request that you immediately hold a public forum so that residents may voice their concerns on how these changes affect their daily lives.”

In the meantime, residents are advised to contact the FAA Noise Ombudsman to report complaints by e-mail at 9-AWA-NoiseOmbudsman@faa.gov or by phone at 202-267-3521. v

Assemblyman Kaminsky Announces Increases To Education Funding For South Shore School Districts

Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky announced nearly $7 million in new school funding for the South Shore–an 8.8% increase next year for the seven school districts located in the 20th Assembly District.

“I am proud to announce that this year’s budget deal includes significant funding increases for the South Shore’s school districts–increases our students need for a quality education,” Kaminsky said. “In a world where schools have been using their reserve funds and cutting programs and personnel, this aid increase could not have come sooner.”

South Shore superintendents applauded the funding increases.

“We appreciate the effort made by Assemblyman Kaminsky in a very difficult budget fight to increase funding for Long Beach students,” said Long Beach Superintendent David Weiss. “The increase of $1.5 million will go a long way to helping us achieve a sustainable budget and preserve programs for our children.”

“On behalf of the Lawrence Public Schools, I would like to thank Assemblyman Kaminsky for advocating for our children,” said Lawrence Superintendent Gary Schall. “It is important to have a representative who understands that the proper financial support of education will ultimately shape our future.”

School Districts on the South Shore received the following increases:

– East Rockaway: $466,154 (7.79%)

– Hewlett Woodmere: $1,265,430 (16.06%)

– Lawrence: $1,253,481 (13.01%)

– Long Beach: $1,619,284 (8.38%)

– Lynbrook: $941,895 (11.41%)

– Oceanside: $1,503,190 (8.47%)

“Funding increases are not just good news for our schools,” Kaminsky said. “Increased state school funding is a significant step in reducing our property taxes, and in doing so, lifting a major burden off of homeowners all across our district.”

Assemblyman Kaminsky added: “However, there is still work to do this legislative session to secure even more support for our students and teachers. Rest assured, I will continue the fight to empower our teachers and parents and to make education more than simply about testing.”

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