The approximately 25 people who showed up at the public input meeting on the 1998-99 Farmingdale School District Budget were dwarfed by the size of the Howitt School auditorium, where the hearing took place April 22.

The low turnout was despite the Farmingdale Board of Education and administration's advance announcement of the meeting through such methods as mailings to residents and newspaper notices. Some present remarked on the poor attendance that clear evening, as the meeting was the last chance for taxpayers to comment in public about the proposed budget before it was to be adopted by the board.

Those who did attend included PTA (Parent Teacher Association) members and leaders, some school administrators, students and local civic leaders.

The proposed budget presented at the hearing by administrators raises the tax levy by 5.24 percent. This figure was calculated based on a projection that state aid will be approximately $14.3 million (the state legislature has announced that, in its budget agreement, Farmingdale would receive this amount, and the governor did not touch this when exercising his line item veto on other state spending measures last week), and that spending will be approximately $74.6 million. The district's spending increased by 5.82 percent over last year. Farmingdale Schools Superintendent Gerard W. Dempsey noted at the meeting that reasons for the spending increase are the following: contractual increases for salary for staff, a cost of living increase and its effect on other expenses, districtwide enrollment increases, and the district's efforts to meet new state learning standards.

Dempsey also reviewed the actions that have been taken on the budget since the start of the budget season in March. Including the April 22 hearing, the district has held five public meetings devoted to the budget, he noted. On March 18, administrators unveiled a preliminary draft budget which raised expenditures by 6.92 percent over last year. The district arrived at the smaller 5.82 percent increase after a series of budget workshops and cuts. This year's budget, he added, has a proposition attached to it, which asks the public to approve the collection of an additional $825,000 in taxes to fund the renovation of athletic fields.

Farmingdale Schools Assistant Superintendent for Business William J. Fanning at the meeting pointed to a reason for the increased tax levy. He noted that due to a negative transition adjustment, a complicated formula that adjusts the raw state aid formula, the district was shortchanged this year by $1.3 million in funding. The district has lobbied against the transition adjustment method, which has affected Farmingdale similarly for several years, since it was implemented by the state in 1993.

Local civic leaders Rose Hobbins and Emil Coppola, both of North Massapequa, voiced opposition to the athletic fields proposition. Specifically, they expressed concern about the effect of this on the wallets of senior citizens on fixed incomes.

Asking the board what the tax connected to the proposition would be per homeowner, Hobbins said, "I have to go back and tell a lot of people who are very nervous about the school district spending three quarters of a million dollars on athletic fields." She added that she has received phone calls from many senior citizens who are "literally enflamed" about the matter.

Responding to Hobbins' concerns, school board member Troy Rosasco said that the additional cost per homeowner if the proposition passes would be "only about $50." He noted that because of the poor condition of the fields, Farmingdale's track team has not had a home meet since 1983. Dempsey also responded, noting that the district plans to invest in an irrigation system that would help maintain the fields, thereby preventing future decay.

Taxpayers will vote for or against the proposition when they vote on the budget May 19. After an April 1 public hearing in which several student athletes and coaches complained of injuries that have resulted from the gross disrepair of many of the fields, the school board on the same night approved the addition of the proposition to the ballot. The passage of the proposition is contingent on the passage of the budget.

Coppola, who at the April 1 public hearing about the proposition volunteered to help repair the fields to help cut costs, at the April 22 meeting expressed concern that the district would pay too much for repairing the fields. In response, Dempsey said, "We'll be looking for the price that's available to us of somebody who could take on a job of that size."

Coppola also indicated that the district should have maintained the fields better in order to prevent the disrepair. Responding to these comments, Fanning explained the cause of the disrepair, noting that the district's three grounds-keepers are primarily responsible for such tasks and preparing the fields for sports events and tree trimming. "It's a combination of absence of the irrigation, and - frankly - not enough help," he said. He added that the district is trying to improve the maintenance of the fields through, for example, the purchase of a high powered grass cutter. More trained staff, the renovations, and the irrigation system, he noted, would also help.

Not silenced by this explanation, however, Coppola further expressed his opinion about the proposition in relation to both students and taxpayers. "It's a tough situation," he said. "I don't want to deny the kids a place to play. But by the same token, they have to understand that these things are not mandated. These people are doing this out of the goodness of their heart."

In addition to commenting on the proposition to fund the renovation of the fields, Coppola spoke about the difficulties annual tax increases have presented to the elderly. Noting that the cost of living has also increased, he said, "Seniors are not getting anything. Seniors are getting pushed down the road." He added, "You can't keep asking each year for more money for the budget."

Responding to Coppola's remarks, School Board President Josephine Macchia defended the proposition as being in the best interest of the district's students. Noting that the money for renovating the athletic facilities has been cut from the budget since 1990, she said that due to the disrepair of the fields, "We're at the point now, where the students, as well as some adults, have experienced some injuries." Indicating that the source of the senior citizens' high tax burden is an unfair allocation of state aid which shortchanges Farmingdale, she added, "I'd like you to encourage your neighbors who couldn't be here this evening to write to your legislators."

Also during the budget hearing, Farmingdale High School student Brian Levine requested that the district allocate more funds for extracurricular student activities. Noting that students' activities are a vital part of the school, he said, "It gives them a connection to the school." He added, "It gives them a reason to be here, much more than the mandates."

Macchia responded to his input. "I am very encouraged by your words, and I think that we can definitely look into that," she said.

An additional school budget hearing - the one mandated by state law - will be held May 12 at 8 p.m. at Howitt School.