At the outset of the last Herricks School Board meeting that focused on the Middle School, High School and Technology Budget, four students took front and center with the SMARTBoard and demonstrated the latest technology implementing the Smart Music program and in doing so completely captivated everyone in the room.

The Smart Music was programmed into the SMARTBoard. The teacher presenting the program then tapped the board and the instrumental music, much like what sheet music would look like for the instruments the students were going to play, flashed on the screen. Seconds later the accompanying music started and the students began to play. At the end of the brief lesson, the students stopped and the teacher pointed out a red mark on the music where the students had not been right on key.

He explained that the students could practice the piece and he could then see it and know if they were on target with the music or not, and he said he could do that either in his own home at night, when grading papers, or at school.

The next student played a trumpet solo with the music and with the accompaniment and did it perfectly; therefore there were no red marks on the music.

The teacher explained that the program has features for every facet of music including band, orchestra, string and chorus.

The board and the audience were awed with the marvelous program introduced last spring and recently installed under the leadership of the Chairman of the Music Department John McNeur. With his many innovative methods in place, the Herricks Music Department and its musicians have captured most of the outstanding music awards in New York State and throughout the nation.

The principal of the middle school, Joseph Leccese, and thep of the high school, Dr. Jane Modoono, both presented their very conservative budgets. Both stressed the need for more technology for the students, namely SMARTBoards and Dr. Modoono wanted six additional SMARTBoards, a cart with 23 laptops for science to be wheeled in and out of the various classrooms and 43 replacement computers. She also requested the installation of a music technology center to go along with the Smart Music Program.

Principal Leccese also requested SMARTBoards in every room including music, and the textbooks that now come with CDs so the students only have to take home the CD instead of a heavy textbook. He pointed out that his budget line was basically the same as last year.

Chairperson of Technology Donald Barton outlined all of the requests of the various schools. Each elementary school, plus the middle school and high school, all requested additional SMARTBoards. His total equipment request was $262,630.

After the venues were presented, the board then went over the budget and the end result was an increase of $4, 998, 207 from last year. That results in a budget-to-budget percentage increase of 5.72 percent.

The board approved the calendar and the meeting schedule for 2008/2009. They also set the reorganizational meeting for July 1 and on Aug. 7 they will set the tax levy.

The board also approved the calendar for 2008/2009.

At the March 6 meeting Assistant Superintendent for Business Helen Costigan announced that there had been a decrease in the state estimate for the Teachers Retirement System. She said, "We received a letter reducing the estimated rate contribution for the Teachers Retirement System. The actual rate is set for July 1; however, they are advising a rate to use for budget purposes and that reduction is $170,000."

Costigan added, "As interest rates continue to decreas, we are reducing what we anticipate to pay on our Tax Anticipation Notes. These are borrowed each year. That reduction amount is $40,500. That reduces the original budget from $92,306,775 to $92,096,275."

Therefore, trustee Peter Grisafi proposed that the following items, that had been eliminated, be added back into the budget:

Two ride-on lawnmowers at a cost of $24, 765

One Express Cargo Van at a cost of $18, 395

A psychologist to be shared at middle and high school at a cost of $77,946

An Elementary strings music teacher at a cost of $65,415

Cafeteria equipment of four double freezers for the elementary school and middle schools, plus three warmers for the elementary school at a cost of $24,000.

Ten Yamaha keyboards at $500, plus cables, software and training at $8,400.

New Budget Total will be $92,315,196 which amounts to a 5.73 percent budget to budget increase.

Costigan commented, "The reductions were almost equal to additions."

The board agreed regarding the additions. However, the budget will not be adopted until the next meeting to be held on March 13 at 7:15 p.m. at the Herricks Community Center, 999 Herricks Road, New Hyde Park.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Costigan also pointed out that Governor Eliot Spitzer has stated that any aid for construction voted on by the community after July 1, 2008 would be aided at 10 percent. However, if the current bond is passed at the May election the aid will be at its current 32 percent. The difference in dollars to the district is $1.33 million dollars.

In reference to the recent news reports regarding school attorneys Dr. John Bierwirth issued the following statement:

"For the past two weeks there have been stories in Newsday almost daily about several attorneys employed by various districts on Long Island. If you have read any of these you are probably aware of the fact that both the FBI and the New York State Attorney General's office have initiated sweeping investigations.

"Herricks does not currently have any attorneys on payroll, rather than on contract and had not had any on payroll going back many years. Since this last Monday, Assistant Superintendent for Business Helen Costigan and other staff members in the business office have reviewed all of the records available since 1945.

"They determined that five different people were appointed between 1945 and 1992 in the position of 'school attorney', as it was called then and all five were paid on payroll, a practice which in and of itself was not illegal then and is not now.

"Since April 1992, 16 years ago, the district has paid all legal counsel on contract, not payroll.

"The firm of Ingerman Smith was hired as legal counsel from December 1992 through June 2000. Since July of 2000, the firm of Jaspan, Schlesinger and Hoffman has served as legal counsel. No one from either firm was ever paid on the Herricks payroll and no one from either firm was reported by Herricks to the New York State Retirement System."

The following announcements were made by Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Dr. Deirdre Hayes:

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has named the following students finalists in the National Merit Scholarship competitions: Simone Agha, Andrew Chen, Christine Chung, Jeremy Cohen, Peter DiMarco, Raghav Goyal, Nicole Noronha, Parth Shah and Alex Yang.

Herricks High School junior Nick Cerra is the Nassau County Swim champion in the 200 free style event. He has achieved All-County and All-American in this event. He will compete in the upcoming New York State Swimming competition at the Nassau County Aquatic Center.

Recently, two Herricks High students represented the United States at the Taiwan 2008 International Science Fair in Taipei, Taiwan. Senior Yusung (John) Lim was awarded the first place prize in Engineering for his project, "Promoting Metal Adhesion to Polymer Thin-films and Electro spun Micro fibers with Supercritical Carbon Dioxide."

Sanchita Singal, a junior, was awarded the Grand Second Place Prize in Medicine and Health for his project, "Remote Activated Chip-based Drug Release System Using Nanoparticles as an Anti-Cancer Therapeutic."

The Taiwan International Science Fair is sponsored by the Taiwan Ministry of Education and the invited delegations included Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Mexico, South Africa, New Zealand, Philippines and Thailand. More than 100 students participated in the Science Fair which was held at the Taiwan Educational Science Center in downtown Taipei. Both students are in the Herricks High School Science Research Program and completed their research at Stony Brook University.