The Manhasset School Board's generosity is becoming legendary among Long Island administrators. The Manhasset School superintendent's recent 19 percent salary increase makes his salary greater than the salaries of the NYS governor, the NYC mayor and NYC School Chancellor Klien. It should be noted that Manhasset holds the distinction of having two superintendents; the second superintendent earns approximately $800 per diem. If the school board is so generous to its superintendents, why then should they hold back when negotiating a contract with the teachers union? A cursory examination of the union contract reveals that the school board, as is their custom, did not hold back with the taxpayer's money.

The unfortunate reality for the taxpayer is that the well-publicized 3.35 percent yearly salary increase negotiated by the union and the board is the opposite of reality and represents only the tip of the iceberg. The real raise is much higher. For example, a hypothetical third grade teacher with a bachelor's degree gets an irrevocable automatic raise of 7 percent upon completion of the fourth year in the district. The new contract adds another 3.35 percent to the 7 percent bringing the total raise for the year to an astounding 10.35 percent.

If, during the same year, the teacher got a master's degree in elementary education, there is another raise of 23.35 percent on top of the 10.35 percent. The actual raise for this elementary teacher with four years seniority would be an astounding 33.7 percent raise in one year alone.

What the school board has omitted from the well-publicized announcement touting a 3.35 percent annual raise is the fact that the 3.35 percent annual raise is in addition to the annual automatic raises teachers get based on seniority and college credits. In reality the sole purpose of the 3.35 percent increase in the current contract is to add to the automatic and irrevocable annual raises.

It should be noted that incompetent tenured teachers are not dismissed from the district and automatic, irrevocable raises are given to all teachers regardless of competence or merit. Furthermore, for every vacant elementary teacher position there are well over 600 résumés from New York State Certified teachers seeking the job. The constant cry that "we must pay for good teachers" is bogus.

By withholding the true cost of the contract, the board has undermined their credibility and has raised questions regarding their willingness to represent the entire community. As our community is adversely affected by the economic downturn, the mantra, "it's for the children" rings hollow. The only organization that seeks quality education and fiscal responsibility and therefore represents the entire community is MPSA and you can reach them at www.Manhassetpsa.com.

Eugene W. Garges