All 212 New York State lawmakers are facing re-election next November - maybe that's why we see so many photos of them in the Three Village Times giving out proclamations and organizing reading programs in the public schools.

Being surrounded by smiling school children holding reading awards make great photo ops. But, let's face it, in view of the problems facing our communities, should that be the top priority of our elected officials? I think not. Reading programs should be handled by trained school staff but lawmakers should be in Albany solving our problems such as the following:

Franklin Square's school taxes surged by an incredible 14.13 percent, one of the highest tax increases on Long Island. This puts a heavy burden on homeowners but it also impacts business owners whose school tax rate is nearly three times the residential rate and who send no children to our schools and cannot vote on the school budget.

Landlords of illegal apartments are not paying their fair share of school and other property taxes, yet nothing appears to have been done to remedy the situation.

Teachers' salaries are going up at four times the inflation rate, causing school spending to skyrocket. If this continues, a second grade Franklin Square teacher who now has a salary of $95,001 will be paid about $101,000 in two years. West Hempstead already has teachers who get paychecks of over $100,000 for a 10-month school year. Rather than improve productivity, schools are adding more teachers - Elmont hired 31 new teachers this year; West Hempstead added more than 17 teachers and administrators, further stretching the school budget.

Franklin Square teachers will be getting an average raise next year of $5,200. By comparison, the average retired couple on Social Security will get an increase in benefits of $184 for the entire year.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand that it is intolerable to have school taxes increase by 14.13 percent each year while Social Security checks go up by only 2.1 percent.

New York is facing one of the worst fiscal crises in its history. Next year's state budget will have a deficit of at least $6 billion with a hole of $4.2 billion because the state borrowed against the tobacco settlement in order to balance its budget. Yet, school boards keep looking to Albany for more money. A recent study showed that New York State's residents are the highest taxed in the nation.

Unless our representatives in Albany concentrate on controlling escalating teacher salaries and school spending, retirees will no longer be able to live in our community. The sad part is that children will be deprived of the love and affection that only grandparents can give.

George Rand