(Ed.'s Note: The following letter was originally sent to Board of Ed President Morano and was read before the board and the public at the Jan. 26 work session and is printed here at the author's request.)

On Jan. 8, the Board of Education requested that the property owners' associations canvas their constituency for interested parties to serve on the proposed Citizens' Advisory Committee. The purpose of this committee is to address the funding needed for building repairs, additional space and program enhancement.

In response to the board's instructions, the Eastern Property Owners' Association board of directors solicited potential candidates for this committee through a section-wide mailing to its 2,600 constituents. Eight residents with expertise in engineering, construction management, architecture, law, or finance responded. From this number of respondents, seven were interviewed. As a result of this process, the EPOA board of directors is pleased to present the following candidates (resumés attached) for your consideration:

1. James F. Carney

2. H. Bradford Gustavson

3. Emily L. Ng

Upon further consideration, the EPOA board of directors unanimously approved the following statement:

The Eastern Property Owners' Association is most enthusiastic about the appointment of a Citizens' Advisory Committee. We believe that for the committee to be successful in its efforts to present a bond proposal acceptable to the residents of Garden City, it must consist of carefully selected members and have at its disposal all the information necessary to make informed decisions.

Furthermore, the effectiveness of this committee rests in its ability to be truly representative of the community it serves and to conduct its proceedings in an efficient and unencumbered manner. To these ends, the EPOA board of directors recommends:

1. The committee consists of five to seven members in order to function in an efficient manner. In response to the board's request for input, the Estates, the East, the PTA, and one of your own board members specifically recommended that the committee be no smaller than five members and no larger that seven members. These organizations represent a substantial portion of the district's population. The rationale for this recommendation was carefully thought out and its purpose was to enable the committee to operate at maximum efficiency. One representative each from the PTA and SEPTA can join the representatives of the POAs on the committee.

2. The committee consists of residents of the village who can obtain information from the professional staff. Since the POAs represent all the village residents, they should have the majority representation on the committee. We believe that input from teachers and administrators is of paramount importance. We believe, however, that that input can be far more effectively received through sub-committees. As Mrs. Leone said, five principals can better identify needs across the board than just one. The same can be said for teachers who run the gamut from kindergarten to 12th grade.

3. The Board of Education avoids placing members on this committee who can be perceived as having a conflict of interest. We believe that the appointment of teachers and administrators might be perceived in this way and it would be unwise to risk such criticism.

The EPOA board of directors trusts that the Board of Education will give serious attention to our concerns. We believe that the success of this committee will depend on the manner in which it is charged and assembled. The committee must be permitted to work with complete independence of the school board and to be given whatever professional assistance the members believe it needs. We believe that it is in the best interest of this community for the Board of Education to act on this matter with all due haste.