The Levittown Board of Education gathered for its monthly meeting on the night of April 5 at the Levittown Memorial Education Center to honor a number of students, while discussing some crucial issues.

The night kicked off with a presentation by 10 Abbey Lane Elementary School students about making good decisions on eating healthy, exercise and staying away from strangers. That was followed by a performance by the children of a song Don't Talk to Strangers, where they outlined the dangers of talking to strangers and where and why they should avoid them.

This is all part of the Levittown Education Against Dangerous Decisions (LEADD) program which hits full stride this time of year.

The board also recognized a large number of students for their excellence in music. The number of students and parents present was so overwhelming that the proceedings had to be moved into the LMEC auditorium. Over 50 students from nine district schools were awarded with Long Island String Festival Association, All County and All State music honors.

The night's events led back into the board room, where members from the Dollars for Scholars Program were on hand to receive certificates in appreciation for their hard work and dedication. This program is not an official part of the Levittown School District, but is comprised of members of the Levittown community. It is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable organization that raises money to assist Levittown high school graduates further their education.

The monthly curriculum report was given by Dr. Sally Evans who discussed the expansion of the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program, which now caters to 21 different languages.

"Requirements have doubled for these ESL students in recent years, as the number of teachers in the district has gone from three to eight," Evans said of the progress of the program.

A mentor program, morning and afternoon tutoring and field trips are all new parts of the program that teach students better basic interpersonal communicative skills efficiently.

Mary Celentani, president of the MacArthur Football Parents Club, then explained to the board how at a recent MacArthur lacrosse game, a player was badly injured, came off the field and there was no trainer there to attend to him. The student was not treated until he got home after the game and disclosed his injury.

"We have trainers at all the football games, why not the lacrosse games?" Celentani questioned.

A New York State Athletic Association rule states there must be a doctor or trainer on the sideline before all football games, or the game cannot start. However, there is no similar rule for lacrosse, which is clearly a contact sport as well. The board seemed to be slightly appalled by this news and plans to investigate it further, so an occurrence like this never happens again.

The remainder of the night focused on the 2006-07 school budget, state aid and allocation of district finances for certain projects. The board agreed on $1.16 million to be used as Phase II of the Bond Issue Related Capital Improvement Program to refurbish seven science laboratories in MacArthur and Division Avenue High Schools.

There was also discussion of using up to $25,000 to install surveillance cameras and employ extra security at MacArthur and Division Avenue, specifically by the bleachers to keep the increasing amount of students away from there after hours. This issue has become a priority of the board now, especially with Easter recess.

The district later released the following statement to the Levittown Tribune:

"During its budget deliberations for the 2006-2007 school year, the Levittown Board of Education has been reviewing options for tightening up on security throughout the school district. At its April 5 board meeting, the school board took the additional measure of directing the administration to install camera surveillance at a number of unspecified locations and to immediately increase security personnel to take effect during the April school recess. These additional security measures will be monitored closely to measure their impact."

The board then spoke at length on the state budget and its impact on Levittown Schools. The New York State Legislature recently passed a budget that would provide approximately $3.4 million for the school district. Last year the district was given $4.5 million and distributed it over two years. However, this year the board is looking to compile a five-year multi-budget planning process in order to keep the tax levy under 7 percent, which is the target number according to Superintendent Dr. Herman Sirois.

The state allows for a 10-year tax stabilization period. Under this proposed five-year plan, tax levies would be 3.96 percent the first year, 6 percent the second year, and under 7 percent for the final three years.

"These are conservative figures," Dr. Sirois said. "They most likely won't be higher than that, but certainly could be lower."

New York Governor George Pataki still has to approve this legislative budget.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 p.m. as the board plans to further discuss the five-year plan at the April 11 Budget Planning Session. The next regular meeting of the board will be on Tuesday, May 9, at 8 p.m. at LMEC. Log onto www.levittownschools.com for more information.