Farmingdale School District administrators, school board members, and parent leaders are appealing to the local community to support a proposed $38.5 million bond that would fund a major overhaul of the district's buildings.

As the date of a scheduled referendum on the bond - Oct. 19 - quickly approaches, proponents are involved in a large-scale public information campaign aimed at reaching voters, including word-of mouth, mailings, and public meetings. Supporters argue that the bond measure is needed to add classrooms to introduce new programs - which are designed to help students meet tougher state standards and alleviate overcrowding - as well as renovate worn facilities. They also say that 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.

"We have to bring our students up to a point where they're going to be prepared for the 21st century," said Anthony Vitale, president of the Farmingdale Board of Education.

Included in the bond referendum are construction sites on every campus in the district. New classrooms, which are needed to address enrollment growth, create full-day kindergarten in all four elementary schools and reduce elementary class size to around 20, are a major part of that construction. Administrators also 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.

In addition, a large construction site at the Howitt Middle School is included in order to go forward with a plan to move the district's sixth graders from the elementary schools to the middle school. That site would consist of the construction of a sixth grade wing into Howitt East, 25 new classrooms, the conversion of four 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, inefficient 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.

According to Gerard W. Dempsey, Jr., superintendent of Farmingdale Schools, the bond proposal was initially spurred by enrollment growth, which has persisted for eight years, and is expected to continue for five to six more years. The desire to implement new programs to help students meet the standards, such as full-day kindergarten, smaller class sizes and the sixth grade move, also was a factor. "I believe that all our citizens are interested, and should be interested, in the future education of children," he said, noting that he is hoping all aspects of the community will learn about, and support the bond. "Our goal is to reach as many of them as we can."

School board member Robert Guarino added, "I believe that we're offering outstanding programs, and in order to get these programs through, we have to build. And, even just with enrollment, we have to build."

Troy Rosasco, a former school board member, along with PTA leader Kathy Dowling, have organized a community committee dedicated to mobilizing support for the bond. Rosasco, a parent of two pre-school age children, noted that the district must implement such programs as full-day kindergarten in order to remain a competitive district, and to help students meet the standards. "We need this, in order to successfully prepare them for the new Regents standards. They're going to all have to pass Regents," he said. "And, if we don't start them out early, getting them up to speed with their reading ability, and all the way through, unfortunately I think some kids are not going to be up to speed when it comes time to graduate."

According to Dr. William J. Fanning, assistant superintendent for business, the district expects to bond over a 20-year period. Considering state building aid, he estimated that the annual impact on taxes for Oyster Bay residents with an average home assessed at $6,000, and Babylon residents with a similar home assessed at $4,051, would be $89.40.

Public meetings that have already taken place consisted of the following: (Districtwide Facilities) Sept. 27 - sixth grade move to Howitt, Sept. 29 - H.S. Renovations, Districtwide Facilities; (School Building Meetings) Sept. 15 - Bond Overview presented in Albany Ave. All Purpose Room and Woodward Parkway Auditorium, Sept. 21 - Bond Overview presented in Northside All Purpose Room and Saltzman East Memorial Auditorium.

The following public meetings remain:

Oct. 7 at 7 p.m., in Howitt Auditorium - Elementary Issues - Full-Day Kindergarten, Reduced Class Size; Oct. 7, at 11 a.m., in the meeting room of the Farmingdale Public Library - Bond Referendum Overview; Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. - Public Hearing for Bond Referendum.

To register to vote on the bond, one may call the district clerk, Josephine Murray at 752-6600.