At the recent meeting of the Mineola Board of Education, during his state-of-the-district address, Superintendent of Schools for the Mineola School District Dr. Lorenzo Licopoli not only spoke about the investigation that led to the arrest of the assistant superintendent of finance and operations but also spoke about the recent accomplishments of the school district and then asked the public, at the end of the address, to consider that the upcoming bond referendum stand on its own merits.

Although the superintendent did not shy away from talking about the Nassau District Attorney's investigation, he also spoke about the strides the district has made in terms of making it more transparent and accountable to taxpayers.

Even though the school district may have to gain back some of the public's trust, the district has made some significant accomplishments in recent years, the superintendent pointed out. Some of the goals and initiatives Dr. Licopoli mentioned are a strategic plan for district improvement, school improvement plans that address specific academic needs of students, a district-wide assessment program, a district-wide reading program, a district-wide professional development program, teacher and administrator performance review systems, a more clear and transparent organization, a revised educational planning and a budget development process that is more understandable and corrects years of budget neglect in terms of budget histories and actual expenses.

However, what is probably one of the most notable accomplishments of the district is the improvement of student achievement. Dr. Licopoli pointed out the improved student performance is evident in unprecedented Regents results, the general education students achieving on a level competitive with neighboring schools and college acceptances to the nation's most competitive universities.

The district has also managed to be more fiscally responsible. The superintendent pointed out on the expense side of the budget, the district cut over $3 million in expenses, saved over $800,000 in debt service due to energy performance contracts, increased revenues of $150,000 from legislative grant proposals recovering approximately $1 million in state aid, $500,000 of which is expected to be received in August from re-examining state aid forms. However, the big financial news recently has been the Nextel agreement in which the district will lease its communications lines atop the Empire State Building for $846,780 annually. According to the superintendent's address, adding the pluses and minuses to the expense sides of the budget since July 2001 totals over $5.1 million of tax savings to the community.

Dr. Licopoli said that in looking at the 2004-2005 school year at its midpoint, he likes what he sees as he mentioned improved instruction, excellent class sizes, well rounded curricular and extracurricular opportunities for all children and higher expectations and aspirations for student performance.

Dr. Licopoli hopes that, in light of recent investigation that led to the arrest of the assistant superintendent for finance and operations, residents will consider the value of the upcoming referendum. "My request to the community is that you understand that our original initiatives of accountability have not changed. We are continuing to do what we should be doing in keeping people accountable," he said. "I ask you to put our achievements in perspective with the seriousness of the allegations and for you to consider that Referendum 2005 should stand on its own merits. Finally, I ask you that the investigation should not be the sole reason for not advancing a capital project that will bring our district facilities and buildings up to date so that our students and community will have the same type of opportunities in terms of safety, security, access to fields and modernized facilities as students in other school district."

Dr. Licopoli also gave recommendations for the district to follow. They are:

* Act on the finance committee's expense reduction plan, expected by the end of March 2005, which will call for a decrease of at least $2.5M in expenses over five years and include considerations for the 2005-2006 school budget.

* Continue to improve communication and community understanding of the financial impact of referendum 2005 factoring in New York State Building Aid and the additional non-tax revenue the district has recently obtained.

* Fully implement the recommendations found in the Internal Controls audit

* Fully implement the recommendations of the Independent Auditor

* Convene an independent community committee to work with the district to study and propose those procedures that will ensure 100 percent accountability in the use of district materials, supplies, and equipment. Report and recommendations to the board of education by June 2005.

* Continue with district initiatives.

* Develop a plan that reaches out to parents of all school age youth to promote the Mineola Public School system as a high quality educational choice in Mineola.

* Create an independent advisory group representative of PTAs, parents, students, staff and community members, to discuss areas of mutual concern on the state of the district on a monthly basis.

* Take a leadership role in advocating for the reform of the New York State Aid to Schools Formula accounting for the cost of living in Nassau County in order to increase state aid to Mineola.