A great deal of attention was paid recently to a failed attempt by a private school operating company to garner the support of parents for the takeover of several schools in New York City. The resounding defeat of the proposal in all five schools where it was presented to parents underscores both the challenges of public education and the shortcomings of the some of the solutions being offered.

The ones who suffer the most from failing schools, of course, are the children. There is no question that many inner city schools, and even some in the suburbs, are not providing their students with the educational opportunities they need. We in Roslyn are indeed fortunate to be in a school district that enjoys the strong commitment of its parents and community and is able to provide an outstanding education to our youngsters.

The real failure, in my view, is the lack of commitment on the state level for appropriate funding in all of New York's schools. Many residents may not realize how little aid a district like ours receives in the form of state aid. Less than four percent of school district revenues are provided by the state. More than 90 percent derives from local property taxes.

Though the New York State Constitution calls for the state to provide pubic education to all children, the state aid given to Roslyn amounts to about $700 per pupil -- an amount that is obviously inadequate to provide an educational program of any kind.

Roslyn's residents and taxpayers have traditionally supported the school district very strongly and have been willing to provide the resources necessary, through taxes and alternative funding, that is required to sustain the academic excellence for which Roslyn is widely recognized.

While the state's commitment has not increased, the district's educational mission has remained constant in the face of large increases in students, staff and costs in general. We have had to confront the challenge of a 25 percent increase in student population in the last 10 years (which is the equivalent of an entire school), an increase of 50 teachers during that same time period to maintain appropriate class sizes and provide appropriate services to students, a rising inflation rate (3.7 percent in the past year, affecting the cost of almost everything), and enormous increases in the costs of utilities, textbooks, transportation and many other services.

The school district is always mindful of the fact that the increasing costs have an impact on taxpayers. A 52.5 percent increase in health insurance costs over the last five years, for example, has been offset by mandatory contributions for health insurance premiums from every district employee (including myself), saving the district a total of $1.8 million during this time period. Another example is that while students and staff have increased dramatically, the total number of district and building administrators has not changed since I became Superintendent in 1992.

The goal of the state should be to provide the same opportunities to every student in New York from which students in districts like Roslyn are able to benefit. It is in everyone's interest that youngsters excel in all school districts, that more services are provided to children beginning in preschool to ensure that their many and diverse needs are addressed from the start, and that more high school graduates attend college as a result of these efforts.

Our Board of Education has been active in the Nassau-Suffolk and New York School Boards Association and other organizations that have conducted ongoing lobbying efforts to redress inequities in state aid. Many lawsuits have been filed against the state for the way it distributes aid to education, and a number are pending at this time.

Privatizing schools, establishing charter schools and providing vouchers may help a handful of youngsters in the short run, but will do nothing for the vast majority of students who will continue to attend the public schools of our state and nation. Even the overwhelming majority of parents in those five troubled schools in New York City seem to be convinced that a deeper commitment to public education is still the solution to the nation's educational challenges.