As I stood up to leave the Mineola School Board meeting of June 2, I did not feel as some did that "it was another night where people talk and say nothing." I had a profound feeling of sadness, sadness for a district that has been forced to make budget cuts that will impact the children of this community. I had a sadness for the fact that our high school is in a desperate state of disrepair and the people of this community chose to vote down a bond necessary to make necessary capital improvements that would have cost the taxpayers nothing. I had a profound sadness and anger toward people in this community who have come to a few board meetings and have already made some staggering conclusions about this district, the board and the superintendent. It was evident in some of the candidates who decided to run for the board of education. Though I applaud their efforts in becoming involved, how do you start at the top when it was obvious that certain questions from the audience could not be answered because of their inexperience with the district? I cannot understand how some of these accusations and conclusions have been made when one is relatively new to the district, has attended a handful of meetings and suddenly seems to have all the answers in solving our district's problems. Yes, salary contracts are something that has to be dealt with but the superintendent's salary is not the end-all reason as to why we spend a great deal of money per pupil.

I have lived here for 13 years. It has taken me a long time to get to know and understand the various challenges the Mineola School District faces. It has taken me many conversations with teachers, administrators, parents and children to really understand who we are and what our goals are. It has taken me years of experience as a parent of three children (one who is about to graduate from Mineola High School) to get a broad view of the educational experience in Mineola. Is it perfect? Of course not. Have mistakes been made? Absolutely. However, does one honestly think that this superintendent and current administration is solely responsible for the fiscal situation that we face? As far as I'm concerned, this current administration inherited a mess that was created from years and years and years of bad decisions. Do I think we have a good plan in place? Yes. However, it takes time to see the results of strategic planning. I think the district has done a very good job in assessing and setting new standards and goals and the results are beginning to show.

Lastly, I have always believed that we need, more than ever, increased involvement from parents, especially at board meetings. For many, many years, they have been relatively poorly attended with the exception of the past few months. I am heartened by the fact that many people have woken up to the fact that they need to be more proactive in their children's education and their hard-earned tax dollars. I remember when I moved here how I had a conversation with a since retired administrator. I asked him why taking Regents exams did not seem to be very important in the Mineola School District (and I only had a child in kindergarten at the time). He told me, much to my dismay, "that the community did not demand it." I was very upset because I believed that the district not only had the job of educating the children but also of educating parents. Believe me, we have come a very long way from that conversation and I believe we will continue to get only better. However, as I publicly stated at a board meeting, you also have to take the time to see where this district was 10 and 15 years ago and where we are now. Budget controls are certainly much tighter, assessments of all kinds are made on a very regular basis, we have a website that makes receiving and sending information about our schools extremely easy, improvements in test scores are being seen, our seniors are being accepted into very prestigious schools and the list could go on.

I will continue to encourage the community to get involved by not only showing up at board meetings to complain but also to join your PTA or district committees. There are many, many positive ways to get involved. There are also many ways to get informed. Hearing unsubstantiated rumors from your neighbor may seem like innocent gossip but it hurts all of us. If you hear something that concerns you, email or call the administration or building supervisors. I have never found them lacking in getting back to me quickly with the information that I needed. Believe me, I have not agreed with all of the decisions that this superintendent or board has made (and they will tell you that!) but I do believe that they are trying to push this district forward in a positive manner.

Chris Napolitano