On Thursday, May 4, officials for the Mineola School District and the board of education described in detail a $25.7 million bond referendum that will be voted on by the public on June 20. In presenting the bond to those who were in attendence at the middle school, the district and the board made it clear that the items contained within the bond are now a necessity to the education of the district's students.

The board used the responses to a survey sent to all residents of the district as a guide in putting together the bond. Of all the residents the survey was sent to, 16.5 percent returned it. Of those who responded to the survey, 68 percent felt technology should be a part of any bond issue; 67 percent felt that space issues should be part of the bond, with 70 percent agreeing that the Willis Avenue property should be used to address space problems; 66 percent felt major building repairs should be included as part of a bond.

Therefore, the board and the district constructed a bond that consists of three major initiatives: technology, space and facilities, and major building repairs and improvements.

Here is a decription of what the district will get if the bond were to pass on June 20 through each of the initiatives:

* Five year implementation of a plan to support curriculum goals

* Comprehensive staff development

* Computers in all classrooms

* Enhanced computer labs and library media centers in all schools

* Networking within and between buildings for enhanced instruction¬voice and video data

* Internet access in all classrooms, labs and library media centers.

* New space for pre-K and kindergarten in the new Willis Avenue School

* Additional classroom/learning space in elementary and middle schools created by moving all district kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classes as well as central administration offices to the new Willis Avenue school

* New expanded cafeteria/student area in middle school

* Expanded library media centers in all schools

* New Willis Avenue facility¬two stories and basement storage with sufficient space to accommodate full day kindergarten, something the board and district will consider implementing in the future.

The new Willis Avenue structure will have sufficient space for meetings, sufficient parking (approximately 51 parking spaces) and a playground area in the back of the school. According to John Jackson, the district's chief financial officer, the Willis Avenue School could be ready by the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year. However, many factors could change that including weather.

* New Roofs¬Meadow Drive and high school

* New Boilers¬Meadow Drive, Cross Street and middle schools

* Asbestos Abatement¬Willis Avenue, Meadow Drive and middle schools

* Cafeteria expansion and office relocation in the middle school (Moving the central administration offices from the middle school to the new Willis Avenue structure will allow the main offices to be moved from the second floor to the first floor, a more appropriate location for the main offices, according to the district officials.)

The district also broke down how each of the schools in the district will be affected by the passing of the bond:

* Two additional classroom spaces

* More technology for the library/media center, computer labs and classrooms

* Connecting all classrooms for voice, video, data and the Internet

* Additional electrical outlets and capacity to support all the technology

* Three additional classroom spaces

* New boiler

* Technology and electrical improvements as listed under Hampton Street

* Three additional classroom spaces

* Technology and electrical improvements as listed under Hampton Street

* New roof

* Two new boilers

* Two additional classroom spaces

* Technology and electrical improvements as listed under Hampton Street

* Administration moves out, creating 6-8 classrooms or approximately 8,000 square feet (The board and the administration said this should be adequate to solve the problem of overcrowding in the middle school.)

* New boiler

* Reconfigure and enlarge cafeteria space

* Reconfigure space for library/media center and computer labs

* Technology and electrical improvements as listed under Hampton Street

* New roof

* Technology and electrical improvements as listed under Hampton Street

This district and the board said they are putting out the bond to provide adequate space for learning, appropriate technology to enhance teaching and learning in preparing students for the world of the 21st century and basic repairs to ensure a better learning environment for the students of the district

What it will cost

The district and board also used the survey in putting together a bond they felt the public would support. Of those who returned the survey, 66 percent indicated they would support a bond that reflected a $50 to $100 per year tax increase.

The total cost of the bond is $25,777,615, which will be paid over a period of 30 years. The average yearly cost for residents without tax relief would be $96.38; for those with the Senior Citizens Star Program, it would be $53.01 and for those with a Non-Senior Citizens Star Program, it would be $70.36.

The critical vote is June 20

The district and board feel this bond is critical because the initiatives in it are deemed necessities. Officials said that the new roofs and boilers as well as the renovation to the cafeteria in the middle school contained within the bond are necessary improvements. If the bond doesn't pass, they would have to be part of future budgets. Also, the district does need additional space and the best solution was to use the Willis Avenue property as opposed to building onto existing schools. According to Board of Education President Roseanne Buglione, building onto existing schools takes away from some of the area of the playing fields.

In the area of technology, the district feels its students must be able to function in a technological world.