The residents of Massapequa School District will vote on the school budget on Tuesday, May 18. Once again, the administration is requesting another tax increase to support a budget that is now over 90 million dollars. Prior to casting our ballots we should take to task the issue of whether or not we are getting the best return from our investment.

What kind of education system are we supporting? The district's budget proposal adds a new level of bureaucracy and administrators for the Ames School. According to a recent Newsday article, Massapequa ranks in the bottom half of Nassau County. The district fails to have over 40 percent of our senior students continue onto four year colleges. The district's proposal increases the overall capital project debt service by 188 percent.

It appears that the mediocre performance of our district's policy is failing its residents. We must send a clear signal that we will no longer tolerate a declining system that believes that spending more money will avoid an education crisis. Vote no on May 18.

Philip Healey