After the bond referendum was defeated last fall, the Board of Education invited residents to attend meetings and provide some insight into why the last bond was defeated and what they could do differently the second time around. Many parents suggested that the Board develop better public relations and get the information to more people. The Board had stated that they had sent home notices, articles had been run on the front pages of the local papers for months in advance, and announcements were made at Back to School Night, etc. and so they questioned how much more they could have done. Some argued that many people felt that they didn't know enough about the plan, despite the Board's having made copies available at each of the schools and the EPOA having copies available for purchase at the Garden City Copy Center for any resident interested, as well as a detailed analysis presented in sources such as Garden City Life prior to the vote. So, how then could the Board of Education get the information to those who found last fall's methods inadequate? The Ad Hoc Committee suggested that the Board engage a professional public relations firm to help them put together what Chairman John Sullivan termed at an August meeting, "a professional campaign."

E,R & M of Bohemia has been engaged by the Board to prepare newsletters to be sent to the residents of the Village. In fact, according to Michael Conti, the gentleman from the firm who is handling the Garden City project, they are currently completing their first newsletter for the district. Conti commented in a telephone conversation with Garden City Life, "This project is about publicizing a lot of things people don't see," such as some of the conditions within the school that need improvements or repairs. One of the methods to provide residents with a picture of what is needed will be a video, which Conti says will run "approximately eight minutes." This will provide images of the kinds of changes the schools need to make to remain current and to provide safety for the students.

Also planned for the video, Conti says are interviews with the Ad Hoc Committee members who will highlight the work that they have done in attempting to anaylze and prioritize the district's needs in terms of programming and enrollment. Conti says the video will be available through the library, the POAs, and parent groups. He added, "A lot of copies will be made and passed around."

When asked specifically how this campaign for the upcoming bond vote will differ from the last beyond the production of the video, Conti commented, "This will be more comprehensive; there will be more information. Our role really is to provide people with an idea of the scope and cost of the work. We'll do that through conventional materials. The difference will be that there will be more of it. It will be made available to everyone."

Conti explained that his PR firm was contracted through Western Suffolk BOCES and that they have worked with half the districts on Long Island on similar bond projects and "related media work." According to Conti, there are approximately 20 people in the firm. When asked to fax over more background information about the business, Garden City Life was told it would be sent shortly. Several requests have been made, but at press time this information had not yet been sent. Garden City Life will endeavor to bring more information to the readers as soon as possible.

When asked to further define their role in the district's plans to put forward a new referendum, Conti concluded, "We got into the district so quickly that we haven't completely clarified everything."