(Editor's note: The following letter was sent by the author to Dr. Carole Hankin, Superintendent of the Syosset School District and is being printed here at the author's request.)

Dr. Hankin:

After reading Newsday's article entitled "Top of Their Class" and finding Syosset students conspicuous in their absence, I decided to write and ask a question. Please allow me to give a succinct, albeit cursory history of my family in the town of Syosset. I was raised here and my parents still reside here while both my sister and I have moved to other hamlets on Long Island. What concerns me more than your conspicuous ranking in the Newsday top offender listing, [Newsday recently listed the highest paid Superintendent's on Long Island] the plethora of perks or even the Machiavellian spell you have cast over Syosset in the past decade, is the blatant lack of compassion you and your board consistently demonstrate to all residents. My parents were hard working educated people raising a family in a town far from where they were born. Now, after both children have married and moved on, find themselves struggling to maintain a life in the very place they have called home for 38 years. It is because of your arrogance and self-promotion that people much like my parents find themselves in the unenviable situation of relocating due to mounting school costs. My question, what is being done to rectify this state of affairs?

I was reading the May 27 letter that Steven J. Hancox [which was included in the audit from Alan Hevisi's Office] addressed to you and the Syosset Board of Education. It is frightening to read about the nimiety of spending that has occurred without any substantial constraint. I am confident that your first course of action will be to eschew any culpability in terms of wrongdoing. Afterwards, a disingenuous letter might follow, stating that the recommendations from Mr. Hevesi's office will serve as condign punishment and the matter will be taken under advisement. Why is it Dr. Hankin that your affected and frankly diaphanous political rhetoric goes for all intents and purposes unnoticed by the vast majority of residents and tax-payers? I have been to several board meetings if only to revel in your unique ability to wait until a decorous opportunity presents itself for the Syosset superintendent to lay claim to another achievement or grandiose providence. It is truly mesmerizing to watch your coterie on the board and the throngs of the influenced nod nesciently at every proffer made by their liege. If it was not so appropriate to make lachrymal sounds it would be humorous. To speak vehemently of fiscal restraint while standing on leather Jimmy Choo's. To quote the letter accurately "There is no statutory limit as to how much the board of education may agree to pay school district officials when negotiating for their services." And while it is correct that personal funds can supplement a host of fineries, a clear message is being sent in terms of priorities.

I have attempted to venture through this letter without unnecessary aspersion. I will let you sort out whether or not I was successful. What remains are the claims you must answer in regards to the report by the New York State Comptroller. I would ask you to change your self-serving lament to a seemingly unattainable level of compassion for all residents. Dr. Hankin, those in your position of authority need to remember that "fixing" policies is more than simply demanding they be fixed. It is more than attempting to find an emotional connection with abstract people, like those without a pension or a consistent paycheck. Most of our neighbors have substantial debt, real problems, and look toward the floor when the boss enters the room. Aside from reveling in this power-play and seeking the next photo opportunity, you might take this into consideration. I look forward to your reply and thank you for your time and consideration.

CJ DeStefano