LI students struggle without computers

'It's a lot of stress,' mom says

Mary Rivera said her four children have been sharing two computers to do their schoolwork. They take turns, signing on and doing assignments as the others wait their turn, she said.

Rivera's take-a-number approach to sharing stems from economics, on top of other troubles associated with this COVID-19 era of remote and hybrid learning. The single mother had to cut her full-time hours as a salesperson to two days a week in June so she could watch over the kids at home. She's also collecting partial unemployment benefits, she said.

"It's a lot of stress," said Rivera, 49, of Central Islip. "A couple of times, they've fallen behind." Three of her four kids are enrolled in the Central Islip school district, with another attending college.

Eight months into the pandemic, many Long Island districts have been able to issue computers to students, having spent millions to do so. But others, particularly in low-wealth communities, have not been able to fill the need.

Consequently, many students still do not have their own computers or access to high-speed internet, education leaders and advocates said.

But last Wednesday was a good day for Rivera's family. They received a free computer from a local charity drive — so now they have three for the four kids.

The number of new positives reported today: 406 in Nassau, 402 in Suffolk, 1,934 in New York City and 5,088 statewide.

The chart above shows how visits to workplaces on Long Island have changed since early this year. Search a map and view charts showing the latest local trends in testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.

Better times ahead?

Long Island's recovery from the coronavirus-induced recession will be "a real boom" once the pandemic subsides, an economist for New York's top bank said Tuesday.

"Over the next year, when you do get a recovery, it'll be a strong recovery," said Jason Bram, a regional economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

"Things will come back with a vengeance because people haven't traveled for much of the past nine months, they haven't gone to movies or plays," he said.

Bram, who studies the economy of Long Island and the metropolitan area, predicted the recovery won't start until spring 2021, at the earliest, because of the rise in virus cases.

"I'm not optimistic about the next two or three months," he told a virtual meeting of the Long Island Association's financial services and tax policy committee.

Paying for busing — but what about pandemic meals?

At the height of the pandemic, the William Floyd school district delivered an estimated half-million meals to homebound students via yellow buses.

So local officials grew alarmed last week when advised by the state that they wouldn't be compensated for costs of those deliveries.

"If we are not reimbursed, you're talking about a potential devastating hit of $3.5 million," said Kevin Coster, superintendent of the 8,900-student system.

State law on this issue is unequivocal, state education authorities say: Financial reimbursement for busing is meant to help with costs of transporting students, not pizza and veggie burgers.

Many argue that the law should be changed, however, with virus infection rates rising once again and schools threatened with closings. The state Board of Regents on Monday proposed an amendment allowing state-aid reimbursements when buses are used for such purposes as delivering lunches and homework packets.

LI home prices jump as buyers face limited supply

Long Island's stock of homes for sale plummeted in October, driving up prices as buyers jostled to close deals.

In Suffolk County, the median home price increased year-over-year by 16%, to $470,000 last month, the multiple listing service OneKey MLS reported Monday. Nassau County home prices rose annually by 10.3%, to $590,000.

The number of home sales rose by about 25% in Suffolk and 19% in Nassau, compared with the previous October. The rise in pending sales was even more dramatic, as the number of contract signings soared by 34% in Suffolk and 39% in Nassau from a year earlier, the listing service report shows. The supercharged pace of sales comes as Long Island homebuyers cope with a shortage of listings.

The reasons for the buying surge include record-low interest rates and pent-up demand from the COVID-19 real estate shutdown, which lasted from March until mid-June, said the CEO of OneKey MLS, Jim Speer.

Despite the rising prices, some homeowners who might consider selling remain on the sidelines, either because they are concerned about whether it's safe to let prospective buyers into their homes during the pandemic, or because they do not yet know whether they will be able to work remotely long term, Speer said.

'Tis a new kind of season for Santa's helper

Elf on the Shelf has to quarantine too. Hey, it's 2020.

When the Bialous family's two Elf on the Shelf dolls return from the North Pole to their Massapequa home on the day after Thanksgiving, Stinkypants and Snowflake will each quarantine for 14 days in a jar with a countdown calendar on the lid.

Cathy Bialous says "Bravo!" to the topical twist on the elfin tradition, and not just because she's a nurse.

"It will save us 14 days of moving those lovely little critters," jokes the mom of 8-year-old twins Jonathan and Emily.

But she isn't a total Scrooge — if her children can't bear the quarantine, Bialous might allow the elves out, but only if they wear masks or take a COVID-19 test that she will administer.

More to know

Leaders of the American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association said the Trump administration must share critical COVID-19 information with President-elect Joe Biden's transition team "to save countless lives." Their letter sent to the White House Tuesday followed Biden's warning Monday, "More people may die if we don't coordinate."

While New York City schools remain on the brink of closure, two schools in Nassau's North Shore school district switched to remote learning Tuesday after two students tested positive for COVID-19 at Glenwood Landing Elementary and North Shore Middle School, both in Glen Head, a notice on the district's website said.

The Suffolk Legislature allowed County Executive Steve Bellone's 2021 budget to pass without any major changes Monday, sending the county on a path toward deep cuts that would affect its workforce and Suffolk's most vulnerable residents during a pandemic and recession.

At least 14 Brookhaven Town employees could lose their jobs next year after unions representing hundreds of town workers rejected a salary deferment proposal that would have avoided layoffs, officials said Monday.

There is no bye week from the pandemic: Giants kicker Graham Gano tested positive for COVID-19.

News for you

Some words to consider. How can you make Thanksgiving gatherings as safe as possible with the pandemic? We explain the CDC's recommendations.

The air? It's good for you. Table for two in a romantic, candlelit courtyard? Family fun day on a funky down-on-the-farm setting made for Instagram? Here are local spots offering fun outdoor dining experiences.

BTW. A bar devoted to the LGBTQ community opened in Oceanside, with a name that stands for "born this way." "I've been wanting to do this for years, because I think it's an underserved community," said owner Gina Caggiano, who was inspired by close friends who are gay or transgender. She said about the pandemic: "We're limited until we're allowed out of this little box."

On the calendar. Is your kid falling behind at school due to the pandemic? Thursday at noon, educators, experts and stakeholders will discuss where distance learning is working, where it's failing, and what parents can do to give help or get help. Sign up here for the Newsday Live event.

Plus: A Babylon Village native is on a mission to give Rodney Dangerfield respect with a statue there.

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Commentary

Schools on Long Island aren't spreading COVID-19. When New York City's mayor asked students and teachers to return to school buildings and told them in-person learning would be safe, the city and the United Federation of Teachers negotiated a deal: Schools reopened for those who wanted to be in the classrooms, but if the citywide rate of COVID-19 test positivity exceeded 3%, schools would close.

But what happens, a Newsday editorial asks, when the metric to determine the change turns out to be the wrong measurement?

New York City is hovering just beneath a 3% rate, so close that Mayor Bill de Blasio says schools could close at any time.

Random tests at city schools of students, faculty and staff have shown a positivity rate of just .15 of a percent, or about one case in every 667 tests.

On Long Island, as worry about the pandemic's spread escalates, schools are increasingly talking about going all-remote starting now or at the Thanksgiving break and not resuming until January, post holidays. As in the city, Long Island schools are having few problems with infections and are not thus far a major cause of spreading. This is also true nationally and internationally.

COVID-19 is terrifying right now. The disease is spreading, but open schools are not the culprit, closing them won't help and keeping them open won't hurt.