The-Leader_1988-01-28

              >^
•••s
Olllelai
Nempaoar
Village of.
— Freeport
Ffeieport
SctiQOl District
•
Baldwin >
- School District
niE^.
FREEPORT
BAlOWfK
54th YEAR. NO. 4 FREEPORT, NEW' YORK January 28,1988 PRICE 2 5 * PER COPY
Tr
1-Village to-self-insure-health-po
The Freeport Board of Trus­tees
,voted Monday night to enter
intpi.a contract with GCO Risk
Management Inc. to Administer a -
Village self-insutance program i o^
provide medical/hospital/pre*—
criptipn coverage ' for' Village
employees, theirdependents and
retirees.. . . " _
. The program WQUld-repUCBe"
the current Empiit Plan coverage'
and is hoped to save the Village
$500,000, CCG, wluch adminis-teits
the VaiageH Workers Com­pensative
Program, has success'~
ities and'tchool districts across
the iUte. ^ the Village, the addi->
tiopalcosti anloiint to $700,000,
or 63 ceAtsj - on. the recently
-adopted Si.!u tax increase. Sav-
'ihgs ;from wtf-iosunnce could
mean restbraUbn.of budget cuts
taken to. allow for the Empire
hike, said' Mayor Dorothy
Storm. -
The Village has joined with
Nassau-County in a lawsiilt.to
have the Empire increasesiset
aside. .However, a similar"QCe
160 FIREFlaHTERS battiad a biua angulfitiig six (tore* on
Grand Avsnua In Baldwih, Saturday night. Saa atory on paga 2.
fully handled the Town of
Smithtown'i health plan for' the
past five years.
The move is being made in face
of a 63 percent increase in Empire
PU|.n premiums-far' health insu-rance.
which went into effect as of
January I. The increase has had a
majbrimpact on moit municipal-brougM~
by School districts was
unsuccessful.
. The self-insurance plan is
dependent onGCG.obtaimngthe
•: necessary'"excess" insurance to
• pay claims above the Village's
. own insurance.pool of $888,000
_ for the year, ft '\s estiouted the
'Village^ total costs, including an -
: adriiinistrative fee, will be
$1,146,000', as compared to
$1,696,000 which would be
required,to keep Empire Plan
coverage. As 90 days notice, is
required" by Empire before with­drawal,
the Village must continue
to pay the. increased .premitims
from January 1 until April 30.
The self-insurance plan is sche­duled
to go into efl'ect'tin May 1;
All presently. enrolled in the '
Empire Plan will remain fully
covered during the transition. ^
Mayor Dorothy Storm serves
as uuurperson oi tbe Mew fork
State ' Conference of. Mayors*
Empire Plan Task Force which is
examiidng bptions available-to
the Plan^ participants.and the
gei}erai issue of health insurance
benefits for mutucipal employees.
The proposal follows investi­gation
by Village Clerk Thomias
; (continued on pag« 1 2 ) '
FHSipriilbip^ 0£^^ on Fi^lPprt ! • #
by'JSue'Mprianji
• • .yAshgspieaks..ii>>uperlatives
- -'-abbiit-Breepdrt• Hlgrnsehsor
. students,' staj^:^d'<prbgrams,-
David Church^ excitement and
''•'-enthusiasm about thi present and'
; "especially the futorebf the school
he,)as.headed since .July can't
help but be contapoiis; ..
< ."O'ur.students are"the,best
behaved secpn^iity students iVe
byer seen." the iie'wprvncipal says.
, "T^ep&^yinioti and' commit-liienrbf.'
lhe.stifi'.is'iliniquei^h'c'i'
continues, and he dtM the ichool (
as having "^a.Urgfryanetf .of •_
. , ebutie bfl'erin^ at' more levels''
thain just about anywhere else:.* •.'
. .:. Despite the excellence he' has
- - - - :-encountered in his short tienuie>t.-'
•' Freep.oh.High School, Mr..
Cbnrcblelans to tnike aidiffer--
'ence at the school,'taking it to .
- . even greater heights, not just aca- :
deminlly - but i.n;:;.service and
cbounitment. both -within the
school and in the communityT'-'
Such commitment, he feels'
strongly, shovdd And its bepn-iHn{^
for youngsters while they
.are in school, to .counteract the
current climate he sees in colleges
_andihen3t)on«i&jrholebfgoals.
. limitect'to statosr-wealth'and
self-interest. . —
'1 want to see more of our
-VOUnf^tf-r* ifivnIvMl in e»tra-"
to interact with other' students
and faculty o'n an informal basis."
:' l^tudenls develo'p inoreoiesiH
; ingful-'ixpeiie'nce^ anil comnut-
•' .meiit~t'o •• .lKerTschb6V~when~.il"'",
touches'their, peitoaal lives;": he.'
thinks, adding that he feels invol­vement;
in '.socially, responsible'
^.activities is as importatnt is'aca-.;
dimics'in personal developihent,'
and has been shown to be a better
indicatorof success on the'coUege
'.level than either grades or SAT
..'scores.;,; ;;:i. .[. ; ,•.:. .•:--,'.
"" J" Mr. : Church* has worked
:• qiJieldy" to"put'lhis~pliilbSBp.hy"
into practiw, at FHS.' the new;
"peer leadehbjp" program be'
',!bi:gui last'summer lus.upper-•'
'classmen meeting with ineoiaing'
• ninth graders to ease;their tiansi- '
-tion and providcj-ole models for.:
the Freshmen. .., 'T^.tz^ •—• .
..'.'.. His i^im this year is (hat every.
PHS^tmior'partidpate in being
. assigned one or.two.eighthgrad-
' eti at Dodd Jtimor H i ^ School..
The Junion, ,who'\ritl receive'
• training ':on their"- 'rotes arid
• responsibilities, will visit Dodd
during the year and participate in
. summer aqtiviUes with . their'
younger counterparts, providing
a personaHttd orientation to
_.FHS. .;. .
"When you pve kids *the"
opportunity to help other
youngsters, they are eager to par-
Chtttch'is detefrnlifCd to meetaU.*.:' at least SO decisions a day" in his
the needs. of the FHS student '"stride, and while it would seem to
po'pblation -.more varied tiian leave little time for his wife,
most. T '- •' . . • ..• .Judith- and sons Evan,-9,-and"
ng.FHS-a.iiveiyexciting-^Davidf.^f-he-saySr^^y^^i'amily-
'^sehool,'^ the new.;'piindpal feels' feels ]t proprietary interest in
Freeport; is "at .the apex of . Frieep'ort."
improving its academic,
performance." -..',
• ."This is being broii'ght about by
a sysle'm wide commitme.nt to
staff training in the very latest
dbyelopinentsin leanung theory
and its practi& in the classrooin.
;;': Although th'e Chu'rebevreside
' inllkf assapequ4> the prinapal says
that his bpys^n ofterrbe-found
playing basketball in the FHS!
g^hasitim, and "school events-
. are.family events," with'the kids
' rager to p»ticipate in cbtnmun-
F^qm..lmproyementi.ir^.the„i. ity_ activities,--.-.----'-i"
David Chu.rch
' regentstprogram'and.idvaisced:
courses winch will enable some
1_ FHS graduates ^tb begin college -
. as Sophomores, to a sophist!-,
bated vocational electionics prq^
gram, a pre-enpneering program
to bepn next year," and a full
. stance Abdse as Bxamplest^ kids 'cdmplenienjl'-of-oecupattatial-:
•helping eich other. He displays •* edticationiaihicula, the extensive
with piidea lengthy list of student array of eoii'rie'klwtibns at FHS
council activities which include.'a ' aunsnt achieving Mr. Chu^hli
committee designedto tinprbye ^ goal of givihg''all'ybungittrsan
the lives of FreepprtVseniordti- - equal ' opportui.i>ity to g ^ a
' ze'ns, a foster chUd adoption pro­gram,,
and: a fundraiser to. help
Long Island's huiigty., —-:^--
.. Also.in the .wotkits a.Student
. 'Service Center, 'opening wfthin
the next several months, which
will prqnde a central location for
. regents or a local diplonuu"
. Such strides have been inade at
- .the higjh Khbbl over the put sev­eral
yeart.that Mr, Church cqiift: -
dehtly envisions applying either
this year or next to Newsdayls
High ^ehopj, of the: Year
. currieular and interscholattic
activities," Mr; Church says. "So"
many .young people work part-time
jobs that their only'contact
with the school is format classes:
This dpesnt give them a chaiMX
uwpate," Mr. ynurcfa says, "une.
way, of teaching responsibility b '
by making It easier for kids to do
the Jight thing." • ",•
He alto points to the peer
tutoring program and the active.
ch.apter Of Students Against Sub-
_ . , . , of
Tall-dubs-and setvice oiganlta'—uuiupeti'tio , _
tions to get together, while pro- The 43-year-old administrator . tbs, plaques and welljended
viding career.and.college gui- has maiotaioeda hecticcchedole - plants coexisting in the princi-
As ehthuuastic about the Vil-.
la^'as he is about its high School,. .
Mr.' Church plans to make.the
Recreatioji'Center.'a gatherjing
pUce' for his' fafiily to; swim'
together.'. .•'-' ,.•;;'...' ••..'' .'
'. Bepnning'his carm in City '
schools - as-'a-teaehet and-, theit-
Dean of Stiidentsi mbnng on to
the.' Minebla District.as'juniqi:
hi^ prindpal, and .dlrectorfof
secondary edueatidn. and the'n to
the. Bellmbre^Merriek 'Cenitrai
- High School District a^ assistant'
superintendent, his ^ most recent.
post, Mr. Church maintains that
.rof ^11- the,places .I've worked -
Fieepbrthas'the inbst'defined
scDte of cominunfty •- it^ a uni­que
plaice.".!
•• Amnnn the'manv family phb^
dancepteaifidtuiotialmviixi. since coming to FHS, arriving paTi surprisingly iinchntered
' Two activity fairs and sewslel*.
lers booKiog extra-curricular'
activitlM are. also helping to
involve student^.'
' Nevertheless, academics Have
top priority at FHS,. abd Mr..
daily jiut alter 6 a^m:, frequently
'.not depaitlog until late at night,
.'and also Working at Hbfstra Uni­versity
to a^d a doctoral degree to
the bachelors and two masters he'
• already holdsrHe takes "making
ofdte is a photograph of (be
administrator iVcojnlcal cbecf-
"Eader^garb. But ifis certainly no',
joke that David Church b'leading
ihe cheeHng section for the future
of Freeport High School.