NYS lieutenant governor and assemblyman Ramos visit Central Islip

New York State assembly deputy house speaker Philip Ramos and New York State lieutenant governor Antonio Delgado came to the Central Islip School District with hundreds of backpacks, school supplies, headphones, and two checks totaling $347,000 in tow.

Hundreds of young children will be starting school on the right pathway upon receiving the backpacks filled with back-to-school supplies and headphone sets as they get ready to return to the classroom. The school supplies were donated by the Turkish Cultural Center of Long Island and the organization’s president, Sadri Atinole, was on hand to help distribute the backpacks to local families.

Assemblyman Ramos presented the two checks totaling $347,000 to Long Island Latino Teachers Association (LILTA) president Dafny Irizarry, to continue the organization’s work in helping prepare students for future success and to establish an office and home base in the Central Islip community.

LILTA was established as a nonprofit organization of committed educators and supporters of education who inform and educate local communities, while advocating for high-quality education in order to increase graduation rates and higher education enrollment and completion among the Latino population. The organization offers summer programs, cultural events, and college career high school conferences for local students. LILTA has also awarded more than $60,000 in scholarships to help increase diversity in the teaching profession.

School board president Luis Alcantara presented opening remarks and was joined by school board vice president Debra Cavanagh and fellow board members Michele Harriott, Ralph Delgado Jr. and Maureen Esposito.

Superintendent of schools Dr. Sharon A. Dungee thanked Ramos, Delgado, and Atinole for their generous contributions to the Central Islip school community, and congratulated Irizarry for receiving the grant to continue her work guiding students through their educational journeys.