Last week, the Levittown Tribune reported some of the results of the survey on Levittown's future, as divulged at the Dec. 13 Levittown 2047 conference. Since then, Levittown Superintendent of Schools Dr. Herman Sirois and school-board member Diane Shapiro have furnished us information on the background of the respondents.
The Levittown officials note:
"The average age of those responding was 54, with 70 percent of all respondents being between the ages of 38 and 70. That's two years higher than the average age of the adult (20-plus) population of the Levittown/Island Trees area. The average educational level of the range of the respondents was two years of college or an associate degree, with 70 percent of all respondents being in the range of some college to some stating beyond a bachelor's degree. This is consistent with Nassau County Health Department and U.S. Census Data for Levittown/Island Trees.
"The average income level of those responding to the survey," they continue, "was $57,000, with 70 percent of all respondents earning between $35,000 and $75,000. This is consistent with the U.S. Census income level for the Levittown/Island Trees area."
While the survey was done not by a consulting firm but by Levittowners just like the respondents, the figures Sirois and Shapiro have announced seem to prove the authenticity of the survey...that its conclusions reflect what the average Levittown resident thinks, instead of some skewed portion of the populace.
Somehow, though, we think the real pulse of Levittown won't come in how its residents respond to questions on a piece of paper. That'll come when residents have to deal with the issues in their own world.
For example, the fact that the school districts through the STAR program are "rebating" their revenue to average citizens means an immediate easing of their heavy tax burden. But how is that going to ensure that the school districts will be able to function with what they have left, and still keep up with increasing enrollment and mandates that will force them to hire new teachers and spend more money on the educators they have?
One of the results of the Levittown survey indicated that residents feel strongly that schools should teach more about the dangers bigotry and intolerance. We hope that schools do more than that, but continue to gear their offerings toward celebrating the diversity of Long Island's backgrounds as the Culture Club at Gardiners Avenue School is doing.
Moreover, there should be more done to promote tolerance and cultural exploration for adults as well. It's among adults, not children, that most of the bigotry and intolerance rear their heads, from obtaining jobs or housing to dealing with people we meet on the street. We've gone through the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution and the Space Age, all of those "technologically advanced" eras, and still we're so far away from the goal of brother/sisterhood we proclaim is the basis of our society.
Anyhow: We think Levittown has a bright future, based on all it has done over the last 50 years to ensure that this planned suburban hamlet has all the elements of a great community. How bright it is, however, will result from how well those of us who love Levittown turn the numbers on a piece of paper into guideposts for our (and our children's) lives.
