I do not live in the Westbury School District. As a trustee in the Village of Westbury, however, I am keenly aware of the concerns of many of the village's residents regarding the proposed bond offering being planned by the Westbury School District, which was the subject of an article in The Westbury Times last week. I also realize that the fate of the village, as well as the property values of our homeowners, is inextricably intertwined with that of the school district.

While I am also mindful of the separation of responsibilities between the village and the school district, the proposed project is so significant, with such a potentially material impact on the community, that I feel it is my obligation to the village's residents - and to the community at large - to comment on the project in question. Regrettably, I was unable, due to a previous commitment, to attend the public meeting on this topic held at the high school on June 18. However, I want to make the following points which I believe warrant consideration by the school board and the residents of the district with respect to this very significant decision.

First, the school district should take a lesson from the recent problems encountered by the Westbury Water District in that entity's efforts to increase water rates in the water district. The water district rate increase was, at least in part, due to increased debt service commitments. It was obvious in that situation that the residents of the community were, rightfully, very much concerned by the rising cost of living in Nassau County and the increased cost of government. In that case, it was suggested that the water district did not fully do its homework in terms of projecting the expected impact on residents of the new rates, and the water district was criticized for not making the process as open and communicative as possible.

I would urge that the school district and its management perform and make available to residents exhaustive projections clearly identifying the impact on the local taxpayers of this very significant proposed bond offering. This project will certainly have a very material cost impact to the residents. I believe that it is the district's responsibility to be open with the residents, and to be precise as to the expected tax increases that this undertaking will create. I applaud the school board and the staff for having the informational meeting and I trust that it was well attended by concerned members of the community.

Secondly, while I am certain that critical needs exist, I urge that the school district limit its planned expenditures to only those that are absolutely necessary for its immediate capital needs and those that are foreseeable for the near future. No padding of the project should or will be tolerated by the community. The tax increases to the residents should be mitigated in any and all ways possible so that, again, the residents of the district are not unduly burdened.

Frankly, without commenting on the merits of the proposed project elements, I find it very hard to fathom how the community will be able to pay for this very massive project, even with significant state aid. While other districts have recently proposed bond offerings of this nature, very few, if any, were of the magnitude that has been suggested in this case.

The board of education and the district staff must look to any and all ways of minimizing the project and the impact on the residents before making this commitment. The district residents should be afforded complete and detailed information about the scope and cost of the project. Given the huge amount of money that is at stake here, even a minor miscalculation by the district could have the most serious economic effects on the district, the village, area homeowners, taxpayers, residents and ultimately, the students.

I trust that the school board will weigh these and other factors carefully, as is their fiduciary responsibility. I fear, however, that the proposed project is too ambitious and costly for the residents of the community to bear.

Peter I. Cavallaro