Judging from the questions and answers at the Meet the Candidates Night held at the Mineola Middle School last week for the school board election, some tough decisions lie ahead for the Mineola School Board.

One resident posed a question to the candidates, who included incumbent John McGrath, Brian Bradley, incumbent Steve Siwinski and Will Hornberger asking if anyone would favor closing a school. Another asked about freezing contracts while another asked about eliminating or cutting district-owned transportation. One question addressed the possibility of eliminating pre-kindergarten. These issues have become a reality in the Mineola School District, where school budgets have had trouble passing in recent years as some voters are making a statement that school taxes have reached a breaking point.

All of the candidates don't favor eliminating pre-kindergarten. The implications on the educational program Mineola offers by closing a school would surely have to be investigated. Outsourcing transportation is seen as a cost-cutting measure that has already been talked about and likely to be studied further and all candidates agree that the district and the board have tough negotiations ahead with the teachers union in the upcoming contract negotiations. In discussing contingency plans in case the 2006-2007 budget was to fail, some of the casualties could be the K-12 intramurals and the seventh grade sports teams.

At press time, school budget votes were still a day away. However, these items that could impact the school district are likely to be discussed in the future whether the budget passes or not.

According to the report to the board of education by the district's Financial Planning Committee and Zero-based Budget Sub-Committee, the district spent $25,160 per pupil in its 2005-2006 budget. The sub-committee found that salaries and benefits comprise approximately 84 percent of the budget or $21,105 per student.

This data leads to the conclusion that the district and the board must have tough negotiations with the unions. However, freezing salaries doesn't appear to be a realistic goal. While the board and district will strive to negotiate contracts in such a way that salaries and benefits will be controlled, the board will likely have to turn its attention to other areas.

The committee concluded that no single program drives the costs far above the county average. It is the breadth of the programs and the staffing levels that drive the costs. The committee concluded that the district needs to assess the current level of programs and services and if these are to be maintained, the only option is to reduce their costs.

While the district and the board put forth a budget that contains a budget-to-budget increase and tax levy increase that is comparable and, in some instances, less than other districts in the county, board of education members and district officials must still search for ways to cut spending and manage costs. It has become a reality in the Mineola School District and a constant struggle that will continue in the near future.