On Thursday night, Feb. 9, a crowd of over 200 people braved the winter weather to attend an Open Forum, one sponsored by the Roslyn Board of Education.

The forum, which was held at the cafeteria at Roslyn High School, was advertised as an evening held to foster dialogue with the community without the limitations and time constraints of a normal board meeting agenda.

It was also designed to allow residents and board members to discuss the proposed 2006-2007 school budget. According to Stanley Stern, president of the BOE, the district's superintendent, David Helme, has presented his budget recommendations to the board, which is now merely reviewing that document.

"We want a budget that contains the best possible education that can be passed by the public," Stern said.

While many parents had questions and advice on where the budget process should go, the issue of lawsuits against former and current BOE members over the embezzlement scandal was also a topic of debate.

Elizabeth Spicer, a Roslyn resident who initiated an online poll on the ongoing legal procedures, wanted to know the results of the poll, whose numbers she said had been forwarded to the BOE.

Of the 144 respondents, the solid majority wanted the lawsuit discontinued. However, board member Meryl Ben-Levy also told Ms. Spicer that such a referendum would be frowned upon by the New York State Commissioner of Education and would also be found to be illegal "at best." The BOE, Ms. Ben-Levy continued, did not want to confer legitimacy on this particular online vote.

Either way, attorneys for Farrell Fitz, the law firm that is in charge of ongoing litigation, gave their reasons for supporting such a lawsuit. BOE members, said attorney Tom Killeen, had fiduciary duties to their constituents, namely to ensure that the district's budget was being dispensed properly.

Since the comprehensive report by Comptroller Alan Hevesi's office proved this was not the case, the BOE, Killeen added, had the legal right to pursue such a suit against board members. The law firm's current strategy, Killeen said, was to obtain "maximum recovery for the district." In addition, Stanley Stern said the board has no intention to go after insurance companies.

However, all throughout the evening, a number of residents spoke out against continuing the lawsuit.

On other issues, Dave Sealey, a Roslyn resident recommended that the BOE simply issue a "two or three" line statement outlining what the board stands for and wants to achieve. "That would have a positive impact" on future board proceedings, Sealey said.

Other parents commented on specific budget items. Sheryl Gertzman noted the absence of an autism program for her son. The current program, she said, has been discontinued, at least for new children.

Rebecca Hollander asked for the BOE to continue funding its Independent Sports Program. Such a program, she said, is not a "financial burden." Meanwhile, its impact, Ms. Hollander added, is very important to the students. Another parent asked that the board look at the swimming programs at neighboring high schools to see if something comparable to what, say, Herricks High School has, can be obtained in the new budget.

Meanwhile, Bill Eisler maintained that any current program, in addition to being worthwhile, must also be cost-effective. While claiming that "part of the community doesn't accept financial limits" on the school budget, there is another Roslyn, where "not everyone is wealthy." That Roslyn, Eisler continued, struggles to pay mortgages and taxes. While noting that some people have already lost their homes due to such expenses, further high taxation will cause even more "valuable" people to leave the Roslyn area. The board, he said, should "consider those consequences" when drafting a budget.

For his part, Stanley Stern said that the superintendent's budget only reflects what program David Helme's office considers to be beneficial. Now, the addition and subtraction process begins and the board, Stern added, wants to listen to the public all along the way to a final budget. He did acknowledge that a great bulk of the budget is taken up by pensions, health insurance, and other benefits to district employees.