I applaud the board and the administration for the creativity and the courage they have demonstrated in putting forth the two propositions for community vote on Oct. 4. I applaud their leadership and vision, and the manner with which they have illuminated the community at their regular board meetings. Maintaining smaller class sizes and excellence in education are choices that this community has traditionally made, and I appreciate the fact that the district's leadership is still pursuing that vision. I too want excellence for all the children of Manhasset.

I appreciate that they explored many options and now offer us a creative solution to maintaining smaller elementary class sizes. The investment in the Munsey Park building is one that improves the existing infrastructure and will benefit children now and for many future generations.

Purchasing the property on Memorial Place is also a good strategy for the future, and one that poses difficulties given the rules under which a public entity must operate. The district has not had many options for additional space at the secondary school (or anywhere nearby) and perhaps this property (and reclamation of the bus garage, if possible) will enable the district to address classroom and/or athletic facility shortages. This is not real estate speculation; in fact it is the response to an offer made to the district by a responsible board doing their fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers and children of Manhasset. To pass on presenting this opportunity would be to do a disservice to the community, as many other options are likely to be more expensive. The property and a modest building is the most cost effective manner for addressing space issues at the secondary school that I have seen in recent years. I understand the concerns of those that say that they are not comfortable with the purchase as there is no plan. But the community will be able to have a hand in the drafting of the plan, and nothing can be built on the property without the community's approval by future vote.

I support the two propositions that we are being asked to vote on Oct. 4, and I ask that you do too. Please vote Yes for propositions 1 and 2.

Richard Rule

(Editor's note: This letter was sent to Superintendent Cardillo and to the Manhasset Press for publication.)

This letter is in response to your column in the Sept. 14 Manhasset Press as well as the meeting I attended at the Munsey Park School (Sept. 14) on the subject of class size and the propositions to be voted on Oct. 4.

What was interesting was that you failed to mention in your column that the student population at the Munsey Park School has not increased from last year to this September bringing into question the whole idea of spending $700,000 plus for something that does not appear so necessary. When you add in the second proposition of purchasing a home for also $700,000-plus to add to school property (with no purpose in mind) you are asking the community to raise expenditures by $1,400,000 for questionable reasons.

Tacking on to the propositions the statement that no tax increase is necessary is disingenuous at best. At the Sept. 14 meeting the Manhasset School Board admitted that there are many "peripheral" expenses that have not been mentioned in the propositions that will cost real tax dollars (salaries for additional teachers, teachers' aides as well as additional housekeeping, etc.). In addition, even though the $1,400,000 is coming from a reserve fund (collected from taxes) these are monies that could be used for neglected building repair which in turn will reduce the huge bond issue that the school board is planning on pushing that will really raise property taxes.

I also find your reference to various states attempts to lower class size questionable in support of doing the same here in Manhasset. My impression is that these legislative bills passed by several other states were more a result of legislator's fear of teachers' unions than a response to research (look at our own state legislature's craven response to teachers' unions in New York). The Tennessee study you refer to talks about "solid evidence of benefits" when class sizes go down to 13 to 17 students from 22 to 25 students but the monies being expended in Manhasset's propositions come nowhere near this kind of reduction. From what statistics I have seen, spending the money on the additional classrooms will reduce average class size at Munsey Park from something like 21 to 20. Are you really advocating reducing class size to 13 and 17 and how much will that cost?

One final point (my response is getting almost as long as your column) involves the students themselves. Here at Manhasset we have wonderful families who are largely middle class or upper middle class who produce good students before they even walk through the classroom door. Teaching our children is far easier than teaching children from disadvantaged communities and I wonder if the gains mentioned in the Tennessee study dealt with the latter (disadvantaged students) who might gain the most from a smaller class size.

In conclusion, based on the school board's vague purposes and propensity to spend money unnecessarily, a no vote on both propositions is called for.

John Frangos