EDITORIAL
Thumbs-Up to School Board Trustees
An outsider who might have walked into the beginning of the Levittown Board of Education meeting on Nov. 12 must have thought he/she had walked into a lovefest. There were members of the student, parent, administration and union families presenting the school board with verbal (and edible) tokens of their appreciation, as if the trustees had just saved Johnstown, Pa. from the flood of the century.
Actually, they were recognizing the trustees for taking on one of the toughest jobs in public life. As Levittown board members, they are charged with being the directors of a nearly $100 million corporation. They make decisions that will affect the health, safety and well-being of thousands of children during their tenures. With this community not having a local municipal government like a city or village, the board members are also Levittown's defacto city councilmen.
Using the metaphor of a mock want ad, Levittown PTA Council President Roxane Boneillo put the trustees' duties into perspective at the board meeting. "Must have flexible hours so that you can attend many meetings, some lasting until two o'clock in the morning (especially in the spring)," Boneillo read from the "ad."
"You will be called on to make difficult decisions, which will mean there is always at least one group of people very angry with you and you will probably be subjected to name calling in public at times... And most importantly, the salary for this demanding job...is ZERO."
So, what is the positive compensation for the Levittown and Island Trees people charged with this awesome responsibility? Besides the concept of public service and sacrifice, we think it's the fact that they see the positive end products of their hours of work. That includes students going on to better schools and winning awards from prestigious organizations, teachers being honored for going above and beyond the call of duty, and schools in which learning, laughter, friendship and love are prevalent.
Levittown and Island Trees have done well in those departments, and we expect they'll continue to do so in future years. Thanks, in large part, to the good judgment of those unpaid volunteers we see on the dais each month.
-- Dave Mock
EDITORIAL
Raising Good Students and Citizens
The rise of organizations in Levittown like SADD, and the civic activities done by the Key Clubs, provide a good introduction to public life for many young people. It gets them involved with issues they may end up facing as adults, and encourages them to give back to society.
The true tests of the values the students learn at Division, MacArthur and Island Trees High Schools will come when they have to make ethical decisions in the workplaces, community organizations and home life. One thing we believe has remained constant in Levittown-area schools is the desire of teachers and administrators to produce citizens who can be ethical, critical and independent.
In and out of the classroom, Levittown's young people have the chance to learn that they can make a difference in their lives, and the lives of others. All it takes are core values, activities that stimulate those values, and the encouragement to live those values all the time.