Thank you for the opportunity to once again respond to Mr. Aubrey Phillips. The "facts" he presented at the board of education meeting were not even close to accurate - at best, they are half-truths distorted by the single-minded agenda of only a few. Single-issue board members carrying baggage from 45 years ago will not serve in the best interest of all of the children in the Sewanhaka Central High School District (SCHSD).

The Floral Park - Bellerose Board of Education feels now and has always felt that we could provide a better education for our children and spend less money if they were in a K-12 District. The State Department of Education feels the same way. Why would anyone be against that? Wouldn't Mr. Phillips be in favor of his seventh through twelfth grade students getting a better education? In his editorial, "There is a Lott in Modern-day Diversity," he stated, "In 2002 almost 50 percent of Sewanhaka High School graduates and 34 percent of Elmont Memorial graduates did not achieve the standard required for a Regents diploma ... Let us put our heads together ... and apply the necessary pressure."

Only those looking to dodge accountability would blame their failures on others. The children who attend Sewanhaka and Elmont Memorial come from the Elmont Elementary Union Free School District (EUFSD), where it costs more per pupil to educate the children of the EUFSD than it costs per pupil in the Floral Park-Bellerose Elementary School District (FPBSD). Yet, the children of the EUFSD score among the lowest in Nassau County while the FPBSD children score among the highest. If I were a board member of the EUFSD I would want to know why that was and then work on improving it. But for a "Lott" it is easier to blame others.

Clearly Mr. Phillips et al think that spending money on gymnasiums, auditoriums, community centers and roofs will increase his district's low standardized test scores. While I am in favor of maintaining our buildings, I don't believe that will positively impact test scores. Mr. Phillips should "band together to remedy these iniquities," where they begin in his elementary school district. Or, perhaps the children of the EUFSD would be better served if they were in a K - 12 District. Then, the local EUFSD could control all the expenditures and "equitably service all Elmont's children."

Finally, let me respond to Mr. Phillips' allegation that I indulged in "personal attacks." Mr. Phillips is the one who referred to me as "the enemy at the gate." While my responsibility is to ensure that our children are to receive the best education possible, it is my vision that all children will have access to a quality education that will enable them to pursue their dreams. Only by being accountable and not blaming others for failures can that moral imperative become a reality.

Bob Burke

President, Floral Park-Bellerose

Board of Education