(The following letter was sent to the East Meadow Board of Education and forwarded to The Westbury Times for publication.

This correspondence shall address the proposed relocation of the district's Central Administrative Offices to the Salisbury School and the use of district funds and/or the funds received from the recent $50 million bond issue for that purpose.

Last year, Central Administration campaigned for the issuance of a bond to, among other things, enable the district to construct additional classroom space and relocate the Central Administrative Offices to the Salisbury School, currently occupied by a BOCES facility.

It has come to the attention of this Civic Association, as well as other concerned organizations and residents, that the proposed relocation of the Central Administrative Offices will cause the following:

1) the eviction of the BOCES program, a good and loyal tenant for many years;

2) the use of district funds to renovate the school and its classrooms for office space;

3) the demolition of the Salisbury School in its current configuration, eliminating critically needed classroom space;

4) the loss of revenue generated for the district from the rent received from BOCES; and

5) relocation of Central Administrative Offices to a school on the outskirts of the district , from its current central location at East Meadow High School.

Our executive board and many other residents, organizations and taxpayers of the district find it incomprehensible that the school board would proceed with these plans. The use of local and NYS taxpayer funds to further the interests of Central Administration is both fiscally irresponsible and ill-conceived.

Clearly, the voters of this community were not advised of the financial impact the proposed relocation of the Central Administrative Offices and loss of the BOCES facility would cause.

Therefore, on behalf of the East Meadow Civic Association, which services all residents in the East Meadow School District and many other concerned taxpayers, I recommend that the present school board reverse the plan to move the Central Administration Offices to the Salisbury School. The board should explore other alternatives that would not have such a serious negative financial impact on the district.

We anxiously await your response.

Robert Zafonte

President, East Meadow Civic and Community Service Association