Immediately after receiving needed state approval on a $38.5 million bond proposal, the Farmingdale School District earlier this month set the date for a public vote on the measure.

The board of education during its Aug. 11 meeting set the date of the bond referendum as Oct. 19. The money would fund new classroom construction needed to address overcrowding, implement full-day kindergarten and transform the middle school to a grades 6-8 structure, as well as the renovation of worn facilities.

According to school administrators, the work will help students meet the tougher state learning standards that are currently being phased in. And, they say now is the time to do it, as school building aid is at its highest ever. The state would reimburse 57 percent of the bond amount, bringing the cost of the project to taxpayers down to about $16.15 million. Last year, the state building aid ratio was about 47 percent, which, compared to previous years, was also thought to be quite favorable.

"The ratio of state is encouraging the construction that we know we need to do," said Barbara Horsley, assistant superintendent for administration and transportation.

Included in the bond referendum, which school officials had been planning for two years, are construction sites on every campus in the district. "The goal of the bond is to allow us to have the classrooms that we need for enrollment growth that's been going on for the last 10 years, and will continue, and so that we can have the space to create full-day kindergarten in all four of our elementary schools. Part of the classroom space will be used to reduce class size in kindergarten through 3rd grade classes down to around 20," said Horsley.

In addition to these aims, the administrators say they want to provide learning environments for special services, such as speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, corrective math and music. About 30 classrooms would be added in the elementary schools, as would music rooms, elevators in all buildings currently without, and additional bathroom facilities for students. The bond also calls for the expansion of the cafeteria at Northside.

"It also includes a large construction site at the Howitt School, so that we can move our sixth graders to the middle school to create a 6-7-8 middle school. And, we believe that that's going to be important, because our students are going to be assessed in 8th grade, with the new standards, and we would like to see them there for three years to develop and prepare for that," Horsley added.

That site would consist of the construction of a 6th grade wing into Howitt East, 25 new classrooms, the conversion of 4 rooms currently used by the library for use in the middle school, a new library media center and a new music suite.

The bond proposal also includes expansion of cafeteria space at the high school - work that will help accommodate growing enrollment which is a result of the booming population at the lower levels.

In an aim to address the maintenance needs of the district's aging buildings, the bond would also fund the following: Schools districtwide would see replacement of old, innefficient boilers and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; upgrading of security and fire alarm systems in all buildings, electrical wiring to accommodate the increased demands of new technology in all buildings, and roof, door and window replacement. At the high school, in addition to the cafeteria expansion, the physical education locker rooms and offices would be replaced, as would the bleachers in the main gym, and Guildford Hall and the auditorium would be reconstructed.

"Our buildings are getting older, and we've been working on them every year, to maintain them, but they need a substantial amount of work," said Assistant Superintendent Horsley.

According to Superintendent of Schools Gerard W. Dempsey, Jr., the district is embarking on a wide-spread campaign for community support for the bond proposal.

"For those people who have been paying close attention to what the board has been talking about over the last two years, they know about the needs; they know about the program issues. They've heard about them up until now. But I think a bond referendum calls for a major campaign of information. That we have just begun," he said.

"The campaign has to be a campaign of information, because people have to understand the size and complexity of the referendum."

The district has scheduled a series of bond referendum public meetings, and is urging local residents to attend. They are as follows: (Districtwide meetings, to take place in Howitt auditorium) Sept. 27 - 6th grade move to Howitt, Sept. 29 - H.S. Renovations, Districtwide Facilities, Oct. 7 - Elementary Issues - Full-Day Kindergarten, Reduced Class Size, Oct. 13 - Public Hearing for Bond Referendum; (School Building Meetings) Sept. 15 - Bond Overview to be presented in Albany Ave. All Purpose Room and Woodward Parkway Auditorium, Sept. 21 - Bond Overview to be presented in Northside All Purpose Room and Saltzman East Memorial Auditorium. All meetings will start at 7 p.m.

In addition, an informational flyer has been mailed to all district residents, which is entitled, "Preparing for the 21st Century: New Challenges for Education." It outlines the bond project and costs, and others like it are expected to follow.

Dempsey added that the bond proposal is necessary to address the long-range needs of the district, which are too costly to handle out of pocket.

"We've been able to make modifications within buildings, and add a few classrooms at Northside within regular budgets, but you cannot move to the long-range programs within a regular budgetary year like that. The impact on the tax rate would be too high, and really would not be manageable," he said.

"So, to address the overall, long-term enrollment growth needs, as well as the full-day kindergarten, reduced class-size and middle school, the only way was a bond referendum."

Administrators expect to bond over a 20-year period, and estimate the following impact on taxes, considering state building aid: For Oyster Bay residents with an average home assessed at $6,000, the annual tax impact would be approximately $88.00, while for Babylon residents with a similar home assessed at $4,051, it would be $80.00.

As the fall bond vote approaches, Dempsey is hoping that taxpayers will view the financial proposal as an investment in the local community and its students - for now, and for tomorrow.

"Capital construction is always an investment in the future," he said. "So, when we add classrooms, we're adding them for the kids who need them now, but we're also adding to the community a resource for the future."