Everyone knows that there are two sides to every story. That being said, it is usually the case where the story is always influenced by a person's particular point of view or, more appropriately said, their bias. In a Nov. 30 letter to the editor, the formation of the Manhasset Public Schools Association (MPSA) was announced - a seemingly unbiased organization with the "noble" stated purpose of watching out for our schools. Unfortunately, the nobility of their purpose does not hold up well under greater scrutiny.

It is important that everyone understands the bias that this association brings to the table. Many of the MPSA volunteers have been associated in the past with an anti-tax group known as LIFER. This group's goals haven't always supported the school's mission of continued academic excellence and opportunity for all children.

With the new name, the MPSA is creating the false impression that in some manner it is sponsored or supported by, or even associated with the school district - and that can be extremely misleading. The truth is that they are not sanctioned by or recognized as an official Manhasset Public School organization. Perhaps the name change comes in order to give their mission more credibility, but after researching the association it is even more important to take a close look at their goals and the corresponding biases behind their purpose.

Some of the group's goals are goals that any person would embrace. Their mission statement, for example, lists a key goal of having the annual school budget rise no more than the regional rate of inflation. But it is with this goal that their bias becomes most evident, and where it deviates from the goals that we as parents and members of the Manhasset community have in promoting a better educational experience for our children.

The problem is that most of the factors that make up a school budget are not tied to inflation by themselves. Special education costs; unfunded state and federal mandates that continue to get heaped on districts; health care costs; increases in student enrollment; the cost of introducing a new educational program; and teacher contracts are all key pieces of the budget and yet, currently, none of these budget building blocks are linked to inflation. If any one of these items rises more than the rate of inflation, the goal of limiting school budget growth to an inflation-tied index would require cuts in staffing or in core school programs. As noble as this purpose may seem on the surface, it would severely hamper the real goal of keeping the Manhasset system as a center of excellence for our children and our community.

As one peruses the MPSA website, one can detect that same vein of bias throughout their reports. A reader can infer that MPSA wants larger class sizes and that they don't really care about the quality of the education being delivered - only the bottom-line dollars and cents. But a school system, like a community, is made up of more than just figures on a piece of paper - it is made up of the collective lives and experiences of the individuals passing through the halls of our schools - teachers and students alike.

In this country, each of us is fortunate to be entitled to have our own opinion, and frequently people agree to disagree. The important thing is to be informed about the goals of all groups out there, and understand all biases - because not everything is as it always seems.

William J. Wilkinson