Did you receive a flier in your door that stated: "Vote No until the budget is reduced?" Did it make you as angry as it made me? It should, because this group, the MSICAC does not care one bit about a quality education. Nor do they care about the importance of the school district to this community. They only care about dollars. I want an excellent education for all children, and in this day and age, I know that it will cost money. I moved here for the quality of the public schools. I will fight to keep them strong, and I will support them. I will support them in tough times when the budgets are smaller than I think they should be, and I will support them when the budget is larger than I think it should be, because that is the right thing to do. The school district and the excellent education that it has traditionally provided is an extremely important aspect of our community, and the strength and reputation of our schools have a large influence on the property values here in Manhasset. To say that they do not is to not be honest. Yes, there are other factors, but the strength of the schools and their reputation is key.

I am not going to just stand by and let a small group of angry tax critics destroy our community's public schools. If they were truly serious about reducing taxes, they could help all of us by attacking the problem at its root:- Albany. By attacking here in Manhasset, they are attacking only a symptom of the larger tax issue of un-funded state mandates, and the solution to that problem lies only in Albany. Not here on the backs of the children and the teachers.

The board of education and the administration are making Herculean efforts to affect change. They have assembled a new team in the business office. They are seeking efficiencies. They have been listening to the community and addressing issues. I am only one person in the community, and if I am unhappy, I will communicate that to the board of education and the administration and let them handle it. That is constructive criticism and teamwork. Change is in the schools, and we, the community, have to help the board and the administration accomplish that mandate. That's their job: to affect change, and mine - ours - is to support them.

Let's support them and give them a chance. Let's stand up for an excellent education. Let's support Manhasset and its schools.

Richard Rule