Seven months after the Massapequa School District's Building and Grounds Committee issued its $70.7 million worth of renovation and construction work to be done on the district's school buildings, the school board came to a consensus on the items to be included in the proposed bond issue during last week's planning session.

A majority of the board's trustees have agreed on approximately $49.8 million worth of repairs, renovations and construction to the district's 10 school buildings.

"I believe the decision on the total amount made by the board takes into consideration a fair balance of education, aesthetics and other factors," said board member Robert Thompson.

The board has been entrenched in the process of refining the bond issue for months. They began with what Thompson called a "wish-list" of approximately 180 renovation and construction projects recommended by the Buildings and Grounds Steering committee, a group of administrators, consultants and residents. The committe came up with this list after surveying the district's 10 school buildings which include Ames School, Berner Junior High, Birch Lane School, Fairfield School, Hawthorne School, East Lake School, McKenna School, Lockhart School, Massapequa High and Unqua School.

The committee divided the list into six categories, including electrical, heating, roofing, windows, site improvements and general improvements. General improvements, estimated to be the largest category, included new classroom ceilings, improved lighting, bathroom renovations and door replacements.

Superintendent Dr. James Brucia said the school board is closer than ever to finalizing the bond issue. He added that he didn't expect any major changes to be made from this point on.

Although Trustee C. Richard Sorvillo stated he didn't want to offer his approval of it quite yet, the rest of the board approved the changes made to the overall package during its planning session last week. Sorvillo said he doesn't object to it, but needs a little more time to make sure the issues he believes are important are addressed.

Items added to the bond issue last week include gym wall padding, new home economics rooms for Massapequa High and Berner Junior School, new science rooms and cafeteria renovations for the Berner Junior High cafeteria and renovations for the Little Theater. Other issues covered by the bond issue include technological upgrades and landscaping.

According to Business Administrator Fred Smith, the bond issue is meant to cover necessary but high-priced projects that would ordinarily be very difficult to incorporate into the yearly budget. He compares the process of upgrading the school district's buildings to that of the renovations of a private home.

"You really don't take full house window replacement out of your current paycheck," Smith said.

He added that because the school district is prohibited by law to have a savings account and has no other cash reserve, a bond issue is necessary in order to address serious issues that may affect the safety and the quality of the students' education.

Newly appointed board president Christine Nottonson reiterated the sentiment that the items that will be presented in the bond issue are "essential" to the school system.

Despite the general consensus on the need for a bond issue, board members, the superintendent and others are not taking it for granted that it will be immediately embraced by the public.

Early on during last week's planning session, Smith projected that if passed the project could raise school taxes as little as 3 percent or as much as 6 percent depending on the length of time over which the bond is paid for. This projection was based on an earlier figure of $48.5 million.

However, Thompson said that residents who qualify for the New York State School Tax Relief (STAR) program that will take effect over the next two years may not feel the increase at all because of the substantial decrease in their overall school taxes. Although, he added that he doesn't believe that STAR should be used as an excuse to raise school taxes, but that it is something to consider when projecting the bond issue's potential financial impact on residents.

Another factor residents may be asked to consider, is that the board estimates state aid will cover a minimum of 63 percent of the total price tag. So while $49.8 million may sound like a lot, it's projected that the community will only be responsible for 27 percent of the cost.

Nottonson projects that over the next few weeks, the public will be provided a great deal of information regarding the bond issue. With the help of Educational Research and Marketing, Inc. (ER&M), the public relations firm hired to inform the district's residents about the issue, the school board and superintendent hope to win the public's support of the bond issue by the fall when it will be up for a vote.