With each week that goes by, it is with increasing disdain that we read the litany of complaints about the Manhasset school system, how its tax base is stretched to the limit, and what David Seltzer deems are the urgent, and unequivocal changes needed to avoid his "doomsday" scenario.

I, for one, have read enough from him, and am here to offer another "glass half full" scenario. Although Manhasset's needs are diverse, what could help more in our situation would be to have the entire elected body of our local government work toward tax relief. Attacking and belittling our schools' administration accomplishes nothing but forcing the talented to leave or retire in complete disgust.

Why, for example, couldn't someone like Mr. Seltzer rail against our brand new, and completely unneeded multimillion dollar library?

Port Washington just stretched its citizens' tax base once again to greatly expand its public library. Port Washington, by extension, is part of the Town of North Hempstead, as is Manhasset. If our town's elected officials were truly concerned with our tax exposure, they could have simply made their expanded library accessible to Manhasset residents. Millions would be saved, and taxes for all would go down immediately. It is a fact that the advent of the Internet, with all it has to offer, requires less visits to the library. Furthermore, that prime property on Northern Boulevard could have been sold to a commercial entity, creating a tax producing entity for our citizens. If you doubt any of this, why on earth, when bequeathed a $200,000 surprise gift, wouldn't this library apply it to salaries for a year or so as an offset, instead of using it to buy a new, unneeded checkout system for books? Jobs could also be saved by transferring and adding them to the Port Washington Library.

Mr. Seltzer also loves to quote the league tables as to how Manhasset ranks among its peer schools. Garden City, for instance, does not have as diverse a school population as Manhasset does. The State of New York mandates our school system to provide certain exceedingly expensive programs and services to some of our students. Mr. Seltzer would have us believe that these are simple issues to forget about, when in reality we have little choice but to fund these programs.

Not long ago, Newsweek ranked Manhasset High School as 11th in the nation. Nowhere do we hear from him or others as to what a great tribute this truly is. Why? Because Newsweek took many other issues into account when grading and ranking the schools. It certainly was not the negative and myopic viewpoint which we are constantly bombarded with in the local Manhasset Press.

Finally, Mr. Seltzer loves to go into diatribes as to what exactly is fair pay for our teachers and administrators. I ask simply this: What exactly is fair pay for a teacher like my mom? She has served the Manhasset community as a first and second grade teacher for over 30 years. Her own education is beyond reproach, with a master's degree plus 60 credits, with an additional 15 credits beyond that. It is the highest level possible without a doctorate. Further, parents love and respect her so much that they constantly ask what they can do to have Mrs. Zoller become their first grader's teacher. She recently received a note from a former student who graduated from Princeton University with honors, who thanked her for setting him on the right track in life. I sat at lunch one day with her when a young woman came up to her to thank her for help setting her life's course; she had just graduated from Columbia University and was intent on pursuing a post graduate degree.

These people remembered Judith Zoller decades later for what she did for them. I could go on further, because I've seen how happy people are to know her, and thank her for her accomplishments with their children. For this life's work and effort, Mr. Seltzer and others believe my mom should get no raise at all. Zero is the thanks for a job well done.

His daughter graduated this year from Manhasset High School. Now Mr. Seltzer is kind enough to try to help out the community, and his own pocket, by attempting to gut the school budget.

Our community wants, needs and deserves better. Which would they rather have, an angry David Seltzer, or a first grade teacher like Judy Zoller? The choice is still theirs.

Joseph C. Zoller