On Oct. 19, the residents of Farmingdale will vote on a $38.5 million bond referendum. The State of New York is our partner in this referendum and as such will reimburse us 57.5 percent of the total, or $22,162,984. The community will pay the balance and that cost will depend on the taxable assessed value of your home. The average home in Farmingdale is assessed at $6,000 - and the cost of the bond for this assessment will be $89.40 annually or $7.45 per month.

More than anything else, this referendum is about providing the funding necessary to implement educational programs critical to our children's success; smaller elementary class sizes, full-day kindergarten, an enriched 6th grade curriculum by creating a 6-8 middle school, and addressing the immediate needs we face today with overcrowding. Also included in this bond are districtwide facilities maintenance needs such as replaced security systems in our buildings, roofing needs and the installation of elevators so that each of our schools are in compliance with the Americans for Disabilities Act.

We are currently educating 1,000 more students since 1990 and that figure will grow another 450 within the next four years. In order to meet these challenges, we must build onto our existing buildings. As a parent leader in this community for over 16 years, I have been a part of this process that began over two years ago and I can assure you that the research and planning by the board of education, administration, teachers, support staff, students, parents and community members like myself were quite extensive.

This bond referendum addresses so many unique needs of our district. There is no other fiscally prudent way to answer these needs other than this bond referendum. With or without this bond, these issues are still on the table and these needs must be met. To include all of them in annual budgets would not only take years; it would cost much more to do it "piecemeal' style. The time is right! The interest rates are favorable and the current state aid return of 57.5 percent is not guaranteed to last; it certainly won't go any higher.

The comprehensive plan of action proposed by this bond referendum effectively addresses the district's educational objectives and challenges presented by the new state standards and assessments and it meets our space needs in a fiscally sound manner.

I wholeheartedly urge you to register to vote by Oct. 14 if you are not registered. For further information call the District Clerk's office at 752-6552. Please make this commitment by marking your calendar now to come out and vote yes for this bond referendum on Oct. 19 at the Howitt Middle School from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Our children today as well as those yet to enter our schools are worth it.

Kathy Dowling