As a concerned parent of school-age children, last May I voted in favor of the proposal to create a Capital Reserve Fund. I supported that proposition because of the swelling enrollment within the district and the possibility of our children not receiving the quality education that we as Manhasset residents and parents have grown to expect. My children are currently affected by the tight conditions in the Munsey Park School and they will be attending the middle school in the next couple of years where conditions are forecast to become equally alarming. The schools need to utilize many resources in order to provide the best learning conditions for our children.

I applaud the school district's creativity in identifying the multipurpose room stage area in Munsey Park as underutilized space. The plan to add additional classrooms in that space, as set forth in the architect's report, maintains the school's existing footprint. It is an innovative, creative plan and the cost of carrying it out will be money well-spent. The children and the district as a whole will benefit greatly because of it.

However, I must express my dissatisfaction with the board in not applying the same strategy of first looking to maximize the use of existing resources in order to alleviate conditions at the secondary schools. We have known for two years that the bus garage area would be vacated in the 2007-2008 school year and plans have not been made as to what to do with the space. At the public hearing held on Sept. 14, the school board was asked what the plans were for the bus garages. The response was that they would look at it after the vote on Oct. 4. In the interim the school board is looking for the community to approve the expenditure of $700,000 to purchase 86 Memorial Place to allow for potential future expansion of district facilities. When asked at the same meeting what the BOE plans were for 86 Memorial Place, their response was they are not sure what use they will make of the property.

There are no plans for the bus garage and there are no plans for 86 Memorial Place. The board of education is looking to spend $700,000 because it is an "opportunistic purchase." As homeowners, we always look to maintaining, improving, and expanding our own property before we look to purchase a second home. I would only ask the board of education to do the same.

I urge all Manhasset residents to hold the board of education acutely responsible in the process of planning the expansion of facilities to meet rising enrollment. I challenge the board of education to look at all of the internal resources available to the district before they look externally. As residents, we cannot approve spending money without knowing how what we buy will be used.

Again, I applaud the expansion program at Munsey Park. It is a logical, well thought out plan and will have a great impact on our children. Let us all unite and vote yes to Proposition 1 and no to Proposition 2. It is my hope that by doing so, we will communicate a clear message to the board that we do support well thought out internal expansion plans. However, we cannot and will not support the expenditure of funds on external expansion when there are no concrete plans for the development of the property and, more importantly, when current space is not being utilized to the best of its ability.

Maureen Caggiano