It was with great interest that I read Diana DePalma's letter in last week's Hicksville Illustrated News in which she accused me of a conflict of interest. It has occurred to me that I already may have set some sort of record for being attacked before I even take the oath as a sitting school board trustee.

Mrs. DePalma makes some interesting points - all of them slanderous. It seems that she was not satisfied with the results of a free election so she decided to make outrageous charges in last week's Hicksville Illustrated. Maybe Mrs. DePalma believes that she can exert influence over the school board by attempting to discredit me, "suggesting" that I disqualify myself with regard to issues involving Hicksville teachers. It won't work.

For years, I have enjoyed speaking with teachers in all of our schools, establishing relationships that evolved into mutual respect. It is no secret that I am and have always been pro teacher. In many instances, our teachers spend as many waking hours with their students as the children's parents. How can we expect our children to be successful academically if we do not nurture the essential bond between teacher and student? For the last three years, I have been consistently outspoken in defending the need to support our teachers. My campaign for trustee was based on the need for the district administration to partner with our teachers to better serve the needs of our children.

Mrs. DePalma states that I benefited from "thousands of dollars of support" from the Hicksville Congress of Teachers (HCT). Really? In truth, the HCT placed full-page ads in town newspapers in support of the budget, as they were asked to do by the district administration (any conflicts here?) The HCT has always expressed appreciation that I have publicly supported teachers and asked if I would accept their endorsement, though I was jokingly warned that it could be the "kiss of death." I insisted that no separate ad be taken out on my behalf. The HCT asked for nothing in return. In general, the HCT has, in recent years, only expressed the desire for teachers to be treated fairly.

Maybe Mrs. DePalma is so concerned because until she decided to give up her seat last year, she sat on a school board whose majority was virulently anti-teacher. Among other things, during our nation's worst tragedy, the majority of the board helped bring national attention to Hicksville and disgrace to the board by supporting the persecution of one of Hicksville's teachers, a volunteer firefighter who was called to Ground Zero to aid in rescue and recovery efforts. Instead of praising this teacher as a role model for her students, the teacher was held up to ridicule.

Mrs. DePalma is also concerned about decisions that would "financially benefit the teacher's union." Again, she was part of a board that was responsible for making Hicksville's teachers the second lowest paid in Nassau County, which has resulted in the resignations of many of Hicksville's best teachers. In the last several years, over 100 teachers have resigned, and more are looking for other jobs. That board's disregard for teachers has had an adverse effect on the district's test scores, as well as deprived our children of talented and long-admired teachers.

Candidates for elected positions receive endorsements all the time, but in Mrs. DePalma's world it automatically means that I am not capable of fair judgment when it comes to teachers. She yells "fire" by intimating that I may vote to favor pay increases that in the past brought "soaring property taxes and put the community in an uproar." I have stated consistently my belief that unlike the board of which Mrs. DePalma was a member, the problem is not how much residents spend per child, but how the money is spent. We spend more money per child than at least half the districts in Nassau County, yet other districts that spend less score higher and are able to maintain the continuity of their teacher base.

We must resolve the problems we have without thinking that only spending more is the solution. I hope to contribute to finding the right solutions on a board that is dedicated to that as well. I was elected by Hicksville taxpayers to protect their interests and help our children to receive the best possible education. I will do that despite Mrs. DePalma's slanderous and cynical comment that my seat was "bought and paid for" by the HCT. Pass the sour grapes.

Gus Costa

In Diana DePalma's recent letter to the editor she makes a number of assumptions and puts forth half-truths.

Yes, in the early to mid '90s there was a 30 percent increase in teachers' salaries. However, the full truth is that it was 10 percent per year over a three-year contract. The increase was intended to bring the teachers' salaries in Hicksville in line with the rest of Nassau County. The subsequent school boards failed to continue to try to keep our teachers' salaries in the mid range for Nassau County and we now find that our district is the lowest paying in Nassau County, making it extremely difficult if not impossible to attract quality teachers.

To assume that Gus Costa sold his soul and future votes to the Hicksville Congress of Teachers (HCT) only reflects Ms. DePalma's faulty opinion. Her assumption that the HCT would not have supported anyone without a payback is ignoring the deplorable relations that have existed between the administration and its employees. The HCT supported the budget. Ms. DePalma did not suggest that they now own Richard Pfaender, Peggy Theis or Pat Love. Perhaps the HCT felt that the "devil they don't know is better than the devil they do know." As in any election in a free society many different factions support candidates; this does not mean that they own the candidate.

As a former board member, Ms. DePalma should know that it is the responsibility of every board member to cast a vote, yea or nay. This allows the taxpayers to know where their elected officials stand.

Mr. Costa has recognized the severe problems that exist with personnel in this district. He knows that there are things that can be done to improve relations that do not cost anything. We owe our children the best we can afford and in looking at the per pupil spending and comparing it with other districts you will find that we spend in the 50th percentile per pupil and pay our teachers the lowest median salary in Nassau County. We have the money; we have to learn how to spend it wisely so we can bring our district to the middle of the scale in wages and scores.

It costs the taxpayers more in reduced property values when the school district isn't even considered mediocre (in the middle). Our homes are the single largest investment we will make. We owe it to our children and ourselves to improve our school district.

Carole Lawson

Once again, Hicksville has been treated to one of Carole Lawson's tirades against a school board member with whom she disagrees. Yes, Ms. Lawson, after another of your many personal attacks, Hicksville gets the point that you don't see eye to eye with Pat Love.

We have seen that while Pat Love fought to reopen East Street School when student populations increased, you opposed the reopening and instead advocated housing Hicksville's students in temporary trailers. Year after year, while Pat has worked diligently with other board members and administrators to present budgets and a bond that provide educational improvements that are affordable to the community, you repeatedly exhort residents to vote "no" on any and all budget increases.

Again and again, Ms. Lawson, we have listened to you berate Pat Love and other board members about the costs of our special education program when you know full well that these programs are state mandated and that the board has no power to change or limit mandated services for special education students. And yes, Pat Love was a member of the board which appointed Maureen Bright superintendent, but take a look around, Ms. Lawson, and you'll see that there have been more improvements in this district since Mrs. Bright took the position than under the past several superintendents.

For the past seven years that Pat has served on the board, she has worked countless volunteer hours to bring this district educational improvements such as full day kindergarten, new reading, math, social studies and science curriculum, remedial programs, more advanced placement and honors courses, state of the art science labs, expanded technology programs and continued improvements to our school buildings and grounds, while you, Ms. Lawson, spend your time writing letters of complaint to the local papers.

And while you are expecting Pat Love to write a letter of thanks to the community for her re-election to the board, instead it is the community which should be thanking Pat for the countless hours she has devoted to Hicksville's students and the many educational improvements she has brought to our schools.

Carol Koegl