The August 13, 2008 edition of the Mineola American contained two items concerning the Mineola School District and are commented on in this letter. The article on school board member Laraine Salvatore regarding cuts to be made and the letter by Debbie Donovan covering many of the same issues are indeed a welcome sign that the citizens in this district have finally had enough.

To Laraine Salvatore, I say, "hats off to you." We finally have a board member who is standing up for the taxpayers in this district. As I have written before, we are among the most costly school districts in the entire United States, largely because of a long-term policy of uncontrolled spending and weak management by previous school boards. They have managed to bleed the taxpayers of this district with higher and higher taxes, yet performance has remained essentially unchanged. If ever there has been a "poster child" for the failure of the theory that more money can be equated with better education, it is this district.

The desperate action of the previous school board when three members voted in favor of reckless pay and benefit packages is a disgrace. Those agreements should have been deferred for action by the new school board. This single act has resulted in the new and future boards now having to make a choice of making severe cuts in staffing, which could actually affect educational quality or passing on far higher taxes to the taxpayers. This action was definitely not in the best interests of the taxpayers of the district, the school system or even the students. At the very time when families, businesses and governmental agencies are all experiencing major budget problems and making difficult budget adjustments, they have decided to recklessly exacerbate an already out of control problem. As for the reason, there can be much speculation but I leave that to the readers to make up their minds, but keep in mind that our teachers were already paid well over the county average, which is already high, and we already have some of the most expensive administrative costs in the county and state. These increases were without merit, and every legal option should be explored to nullify them.

Ms. Salvatore is right on target regarding administrative positions and costs. Other districts perform this same function far more cost effectively than here in Mineola. Go for it and let the chips fall where they may; it's time the welfare of the taxpayers is considered for a change. Other items of wasteful spending mentioned have been the costs of graduations at the Tilles Center. Again, why are we wasting precious funds? Whatever happened to school consolidations? Why are we wasting funds keeping buildings open with low occupancies? The high costs of energy and maintenance along with duplications of positions is, again, a waste and here the citizens of Mineola have already said, "close buildings" and save money. Most certainly, these examples are only the "tip of the iceberg."

Ms. Salvatore, you are most certainly going to meet with much resistance from an entrenched mindset of free spending and lack of conscience. Most certainly, there will be a lack of cooperation and roadblocks will be placed in your way from those whose long-standing "safety net" may be shattered by job reductions, consolidations and increases responsibility. But they have squeezed our community dry and the end must come. We, the residents and voters, must also do our share to keep the pressure on incoming school board members to bite the bullet, make major cost reductions and do whatever it takes to gain control of this runaway train. Let us also not forget the actions of board members Siwinski and McGrath and the need to remove them from the school board as soon as it's possible. It's our votes that will count. Good luck to you, Ms. Salvatore.

John F. Ciesla