This letter is in response to Dr. Finn's presentation of the bond issue and the well-written letter of Dolores Garger that was printed in last week's paper. There is no doubt that funds are needed through this bond referendum, but let's consider education as well as infrastructure and spend the money wisely.

I have been a resident of Hicksville for 21 years and my three sons are/have been in this school district. Having been very involved in the PTA and experiencing budget issues and school closings in the past, I would like to review for the community some recent and past points of interest.

Recently, we received a newly surfaced track at the high school, new gymnastic equipment, and new labs and beautifully refinished tennis courts at the middle school. We do not, however, have anywhere on Fourth Street to shield middle school children from the rain and snow when they are dismissed and their parents vie for a place to pick them up and the security aides chase them away from the doors. The teachers walk only a few steps to their cars in the parking lot.

The metal awning, which led from the building to the street, was removed three years ago due to age and rust. It was never replaced, but the tennis courts are gorgeous. Why can't they replace this awning?

Many years ago when East Street School was closed, then- superintendent Mr. Mugavero bragged about saving money not having a Curriculum Advisor for six months. He would/could not tell me how many teachers were let go as a result of the closed school and was proud of the new student/teacher ratios that went from 1:17-20 to 1:28-30. We have lost 70 teachers in the last two years, surely not all from retirement. We have also lost two wonderful teachers from the high school to a nearby school district for $13,000 more a year.

This makes no difference to our community because our taxes are so low. We want to achieve zero percent increase in tax rates and now a bond referendum has been proposed that has the community up in arms.

My son had an AP biology teacher who lived in someone's garage and told stories about his life until December of the school year. He was then replaced with a young, uncertified teacher who had to be supervised until January. He had a health teacher who failed him even though he had an 85 test average, but because he did not turn in two or three weekly newspaper articles.

Other students have had no Italian teacher or no science teacher for up to six months and were handed ditto papers to complete during that period of time. But the best example is my youngest son's honor's math teacher who is new and admits to using another teacher's unit test and whiting out her name, doesn't cover material and presents the rest of it poorly. When these honor students scored below his expectations on the mid-term exam, he used profanity to tell them how disappointed he was.

Ms. Garger summed up an ongoing problem here in Hicksville. We brag about our small increases in school tax rates at the expense of our children's education. We have neglected to include aging buildings and boilers in our budgets. I am mortified when a relative or friend sees our middle school auditorium where the plaster is cracked and the murals and curtains are at least 20 to 30 years old. We pay teachers less than surrounding districts and spend exorbitant amounts on new physical education equipment.

Standard test scores in the district are dropping and our state report card is not very good due to the quality of our new teaching staff. We need science labs and new computer technology. We need some increase in taxes to maintain our aging infrastructure and need to mandate a sound education for our children who will compete in our new high-tech and ultra modernized society.

Our tax rates are well below those of our northern neighbors and surrounding districts such as Levittown, an area of equal family income and real estate values. My heart goes out to the longtime residents of Hicksville who have fixed incomes. I hope they can afford to reside here and maintain a comfortable lifestyle, but please let it not be at the expense of generations to come. Let's all work together to make intelligent decisions about how our tax revenue and bond money is spent.

Caryn Calabrese