Sir Winston Churchill, during the German Luftwaffe's nightly blitz upon the City of London, made one of the most memorable comments of World War II. In a rousing tribute to the courageous pilots and men of the Royal Air Force (RAF) he commented, on Aug. 20, 1940, that: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

I thought of Sir Winston, as I sat through another dull Levittown School District "Meet the Candidate" night, earlier this week and wondered what he would say if he were seated in the audience. I suspect he might come to the conclusion that: Never in the field of children's education was so little known by so many to so few.

The audience, at this PTA-sponsored event, consisted of a handful of interested residents and the usual suspects. I'm not sure how PTA publicizes this annual event; however, the turnout was a disgrace. Equally disgraceful is the fact that, after another year, our school board will consist of five uncontested "walk on" members. Apathy once again, is the only winner in Levittown!

During an informal, question-and-answer period, I asked the candidates (all present or former board members) to describe the budgeting processes (Function/Object) used in Levittown and contrast its advantages/disadvantages with a program budget. I didn't consider this to be a trick or difficult question, however, not a single one of them knew what I was talking about. It's ironic that every page of the nearly $100 million budget, adopted by the board on April 14, contains the legend Function/Object. I wonder if they even bothered to read this document prior to its approval.

All of the candidates affirmed their belief in the meaningless phrase "quality education" and the need for smaller class size. All children, they proclaimed, fare better in a smaller educational environment.

One of the hottest topics, in education circles, is the concept of Charter Schools. The Levittown Board of Education, without any discussion, recently voted its opposition to Charter Schools in New York State. Since they appear to be in favor of "quality education," I asked the candidates to explain their position(s) and describe implementation of the New York State Charter Schools Plan. One candidate must have been out to lunch, this year, since he had absolutely no concept about Charter Schools. I wonder when he last read a newspaper? The remaining candidates parroted the New York State School Boards Association propaganda about lost revenue, elitist schools for the wealthy, lack of accountability, etc. It's funny, I thought they were interested in Success for Every Student. I guess they are only really interested in maintaining the status quo!

James P. Ward