The tension inside Howitt Middle School steadily mounted Tuesday night, as proponents of Farmingdale School District's $38.5 million bond issue waited for the results of a referendum on the measure. As School Board President Anthony Vitale walked to the microphone with the tally, his colleagues struggled to interpret his facial expression, and painfully waited for him to reveal the score. Upon his announcement that the bond had passed, the crowd burst into celebration - with parents, school officials and other supporters from the community embracing and congratulating each other.

In the months, weeks and hours leading up to the Oct. 19 referendum, proponents had worked tirelessly to convince residents to vote for the bond, which drew an outcome of 1,493 in favor and 1,238 against. Some school board members and PTA leaders had even spent the day calling residents or talking with them outside supermarkets in an effort to rally support. For them, programs such as full-day kindergarten and reduced class sizes, which are made possible by the bond, have been long-awaited, and are sorely needed to help students meet today's tougher educational demands.

"The excitement that I feel right now is not for us," Vitale said as he rejoiced with his fellow school officials and parents. "The excitement I feel right now is for the students." Through such programs as full-day kindergarten and reduced class sizes, for which the bond provides new classrooms, he said the district's students are going to "meet and beat" the new learning standards being phased in by the state. The standards include fourth and eighth grade assessments, as well as all-Regents graduation requirements. "By the vote tonight, I feel we just took our kids out of a time warp and into the 21st century," Vitale added.

"I am elated," said school board member Josephine Macchia, noting that the vote confirms that the community takes pride in its schools, and wants to move Farmingdale forward. "It was a long haul."

The district started preparing the bond issue over two years ago, by assessing space, program and maintenance needs. In August, the board of education gave approval to put the measure before voters. Since that time, supporters were involved in a widespread public information campaign to increase awareness about the bond's components. They also had been trying to get out the word that the time to build is now, because, as an incentive, the state is giving an extra 10 percent in building aid to districts that pass a bond measure before July, 2000. Farmingdale's state aid ratio is at its highest ever - close to 60 percent.

In addition to funding extra classrooms for full-day kindergarten and reduced elementary class sizes, the bond allows for new classrooms to address the enrollment growth that is projected to persist over the next five to six years, as well as the construction of a sixth grade wing at Howitt Middle School. It also funds districtwide facilities maintenance work on the school system's aging buildings, such as roof and window replacement.

The overall components of the measure, which consists of construction sites on every campus in the district, are the following:

-About 30 classrooms will be added in the elementary schools, as well as music rooms, elevators in all buildings currently without, and additional bathroom facilities for students.

-Learning environments for special services, such as speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, corrective math and music.

-Expansion of the cafeteria at Northside.

- 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 will 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.

-Expansion of cafeteria space at the high school - work that will help accommodate growing enrollment that is a result of the booming population at the lower levels.

-Schools districtwide will 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, the physical education locker rooms and offices will be replaced, as will the bleachers in the main gym, and Guildford Hall and the auditorium will be reconstructed.

The district plans to both borrow and pay back the funds over a 20-year period. Considering state building aid, the estimated 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, will be $89.40.

Voters interviewed upon leaving the polls gave a range of reasons for their acceptance or rejection of the bond.

The full-day kindergarten issue seemed to be at the forefront for many. "It will help make the school district on par with any of the other higher-rated school districts," said Alex Wolff, who voted for the bond. He said he has been paying school taxes for 10 years, and wants his 2 1/2-year-old daughter, also named Alex, to benefit from full-day kindergarten. "She will be in school for the first full-day kindergarten," he said, clutching the little one's hand.

"I think that most of us had to work two jobs and raise our kids, and I don't want to have to pay for someone else's childcare," said one resident who voted against the bond and chose to remain anonymous.

"I think kindergartners need more time. Half a day is too little," said Claudia Padilla, who has three children - ages 7, 5 and five months - and supported the measure.

For others, issues such as capital improvements were a propelling force. "The schools look the same as they did 25 years ago when I graduated, and it's about time they make capital improvements," Dan Burhans, father of a third grader and kindergartner, said after casting a vote in favor of the bond.

One resident who voted against the measure and wanted to remain anonymous doubted the logic of putting additions onto the buildings, because he said the school population could eventually decline. "What's going to happen to all these buildings that are being built up in another 10 years when the population goes down," he said, noting that the district has sold off buildings in the past due to enrollment declines.

School officials argue, however, that it has been over 20 years since a school building has been sold, and that this was done by past administrators because these buildings cannot always be rented, and the cost of maintaining and refurbishing them for re-opening costs millions of dollars.

The resident added that school districts should not raise taxes for improvements, but that rather the federal government should use its surplus for such educational needs. "We have a tremendous surplus in the capital," he said. "Use the money for education instead of big business."

Ed O'Hara, who voted for the bond, said he did so because he has witnessed growing enrollment in his children's classes, and therefore knows more space is needed. "I have three kids in the schools, so therefore, if it is needed for the proper education, I feel it is worth the money," he said.

The timeline for implementation of programs funded by the bond is as follows: September 2001 - implementation of full-day kindergarten in all four elementary schools; September 2002 - sixth grade students from all four elementary schools move to new sixth grade wing in Howitt Middle School, elementary classes being conducted in small spaces move to full-size classrooms; September 2003 - additional sections added to the elementary schools to reduce class size in kindergarten through third grade.

Superintendent of Schools Gerard W. Dempsey, Jr. described the passage of the bond as an important step for the future of education in Farmingdale. "It's not just about bricks and mortar. It's about educational programs for our students," he said. He was also pleased by the turnout, which he described as high for a bond vote, and noted that the support of the majority showed that the community believes the program benefits of the bond outweigh the costs. "The community spoke for the children," he said.