Gov. George Pataki said that New York State is facing the worst fiscal crisis in a lifetime. The state has a projected budget shortfall of over $10 billion requiring cuts to be made in state aid to schools and to the elderly and the poor. So what is the response of public school officials to this crisis? Rather than trying to cut costs by improving operating efficiency, they predict dire consequences if state aid is cut.

School budgets in our community have been rising sharply driven by skyrocketing teacher salaries that have reached $100,000 for a 10-month school year. The contract signed with West Hempstead teachers last year gives them annual pay raises and step increases that together average 7 percent a year, three times the inflation rate. A West Hempstead teacher with a salary of $102,000 is paid $3,000 for supervising kids in the cafeteria.

What do we get for paying these astronomical salaries? Scores on fourth grade English tests in Elmont and West Hempstead are lower than the Nassau County average, according to the latest data from the New York State Educational Department.

Teachers' salaries are outrageous but so is the pay for school administrators whose salaries range from $115,000 for assistant principals to more than $210,000 for a school superintendent, plus free lifetime health coverage. That's far greater than the pay of Gov. Pataki or members of Congress.

Our fiscal crisis may go on for years. Public schools must sharply reduce non-teaching positions now; teachers must share the cost of health insurance; automatic step increases must be eliminated. No business firm can exist if it has to give pay raises to its employees each year regardless of performance. Teachers earning more than $80,000 should be required to coach and supervise clubs without extra pay. Some teachers are paid $15,000 above their base salary for extra activities.

The US government rule of "use it or lose it" must be applied to personal and sick leave rather than allow teachers and administrators to save up these days for years and then get paid thousands of dollars at their highest pay rate when they retire, severely impacting school budgets.

Richard Andujar