As I canvassed people the greater part of last week imploring them to sign a petition to the Westbury School Board suggesting that the members put the budget up for a revote, one question that was asked of me at last Thursday's spring concert at the high school was: "What is the alternative?" The person asking the question was aware of the consequences, but wasn't sure if there were any alternatives.

Many people in our communities have similar concerns and are not comfortable with a system where every year they have to subsidize a budget that should be provided for by the government - at least the greater part of it, anyway.

Those people with such concerns are seeing eye-to-eye with the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), and a whole host of dignitaries, including legislators and government officials who are in support of a lawsuit against the State of New York and various state officials¬including Governor George Pataki; Carl T. Hayden, chancellor of the Board of Regents; and Richard P. Mills, commissioner of the State Education Department.

The suit is the culmination of "the campaign for fiscal equity," and was filed on behalf of the approximately 80,000 children who attend the approximately 150 so-called "high-minority" schools - those with more than 80 percent minority outside New York City. The high-minority schools are in 21 districts across the state, including Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, Yonkers, Mt. Vernon, in Westchester County, Hempstead, Uniondale, Roosevelt, Freeport, Elmont and Westbury in Nassau County and Wyndanch and Amityville in Suffolk County.

Norman Siegel in his opening arguments stated, among other things, that "The NYCLU has powerful legal claims to attack the massive failure that is taking place in many of our public schools ... We are challenging a range of state educational practices that, while racially neutral on their face, are having a discriminatory impact upon students in high minority schools. These practices must be changed now."

Siegel gave many examples of the various effects that the inequity in funding, based on geography and racial composition, have on particular school districts. He mentioned, for instance, that in Suffolk County the defendants spent nearly 15 percent more on instructional experiences for each student in the county's low-minority district than it spent in the county's two high-minority districts.

Similar concerns were expressed by New York City's School Chancellor Harold Levy, testifying on behalf of New York City a few weeks ago, when he made reference to the fact that for many years there has been legislative manipulation of the state aid formula. He reviewed over 10 years of school funding allocations and found that almost every year New York City received precisely 38.86 percent of any funding increase. This fixed share was given regardless of the city's student needs, wealth, enrollment or attendance rates. Sound familiar? State Comptroller H. Carl McCall was also direct in his criticism of the process. He stated that: "The current day complexity and convoluted nature of the aid system is the result of many years of manipulation of the formulas through the budget process. Each year the legislative leadership and the executive agree on some broad parameters for school aid, such as how much the year-to-year increase will be and on how, overall, the aid will be distributed among regions... Although the formulas were originally intended to reflect need, each year's manipulation is, in truth, most heavily driven by a politically determined requirement."

So, the long answer is yes, there is an alternative, but it is going to take a lawsuit before the governor and state officials put their money where their mouths are by providing the resources so that all students may have a real opportunity to meet the higher learning standards mandated by the state.

In the meantime, all of us must continue to fight for our children even to the tune of, in the case of Westbury School District, $1.15 per day.

It is inconceivable that the leader of the free world and, arguably, the richest nation on earth, can afford to spend $250 billion per year on the military industrial complex - in peacetime! Yet, some of our children have to be attending school with overcrowded classrooms, crumbling buildings, and lack of up-to-date technological equipment, all because of the lack of financial resources.

It is up to all of us to learn more about this lawsuit and become a part of it by pressuring the policymakers to do the right thing for the children. Regular updates on the suit can be obtained from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity website at www.cfequity.org or by calling 1-(212) 876-8455, ext. 218.

The various policymakers are:

The Honorable George E. Pataki, governor; Carol Stone, director of the budget; State Capitol, Albany, NY 12224, 1-(518) 474-1041.

The Honorable Joseph Bruno, majority leader; Martin Connor, minority leader; Ronald Stafford, chair, finance cmt.; and Randy Kuhl, chair, educ. cmt.; Legislative Office Bldg., Albany, NY 12247, 1-(518) 455-2800.

Sheldon Silver, speaker; Michael Bragman, majority leader; John Faso, minority leader; Herman Farrell, chair, Ways and Means; and Steven Sanders, chair, educ. cmt.; Legislative Office Bldg., Albany, NY 12248, 1-(518) 455-4100.

Chester Mc.Gibbon