Last May I was honored with being elected to the East Williston School Board. The position of trustee is one I have dedicated a great amount of time and effort to and take very seriously. It is no secret that school districts across Long Island are at a crossroad. Our district, coming off a failed budget of two years ago, escalating tax increases and a challenging educational environment is front and center.

I am happy to report that in the first 7 months of my tenure, we have made progress and some of our accomplishments follow:

-Ensured that new and updated Math textbooks reflecting new curriculum requirements (replacing outdated ones) were provided to our students without increasing the budget.

-Greatly reduced advertising costs at potential savings in the tens of thousands of dollars.

-Began implementation of computers in the classroom again with existing budgeted funds and no need for increased budget to accomplish that.

-Currently monitoring educational programs ensuring that our children all have equal access to them and seeing that they are administered efficiently---an example being the district technology initiatives.

-Accepted the district audit report for the contingency budget year. The report showed $2.6 million of unused monies in the contingency budget year. That surplus was much in line with the projections of the Independent Budget Committee Report (the committee which I formed and spearheaded). This after all the unnecessary cuts, scare tactics, threats and fear of the contingency budget year.

-The taxpayers saved close to $10,000 in legal fees (thanks mostly to fellow board member Ellen Ritz) by scrutinizing invoices from our prior law firm on which we felt we were overcharged and we obtained reductions in those invoices.

This was accomplished with the help and concerns of many district residents including parents of schoolchildren, taxpayers without children in the system and members of the PTO.

The bigger picture, however, remains quite clouded. There not only remains an unwillingness to change, naturally stiff opposition and resistance is encountered at many vital areas where change is needed most.

The following is a sampling of what still exists in our district as heard at recent public board meetings:

-Board members receiving misleading, or at least incorrect, financial information relating to budgetary matters.

-Requested board approval of contracts after they have begun, in effect asking the board to "rubber stamp" proposals.

-Approving "overages" (a form of overtime-extra pay) after the related services and in some instances classes have begun prior to obtaining required board approval. Again asking to "rubber stamp."

-Proposed approval of a vendor contract where the board and central administration were made aware of alternatives which could potentially save the district thousands of dollars. More egregious is that the extent of these contracted services that are pending approval may not even be necessary and the alternatives are not even being considered by our administration or the board's majority. And again, misleading information presented to the board. (Due to the blizzard and cancellation of the February 13th board meeting, this item has not yet been approved and the taxpayer is granted a temporary reprieve.)

-Paying salary amounts in excess of contract amounts prior to board approval of the contract.

Truly a crossroad. Rather than heading this article after child author Lemony Snicket's books titled A Series of Unfortunate Events, I decided to focus on the positives of the last seven months in the beginning of this update, yet either heading may apply.

It is also true that meaningful change does take time and will not come fast and easy. Yet much more is needed to be done and we should be progressing at a more rapid pace.

As such, I urge you to become more involved and attend the upcoming board and budget meetings. I encourage you to listen and make your own judgments. It is your right to hold your administrators and board members (including myself) accountable for their actions, and personally invite and encourage you to do so.

Sigi Huhn

East Williston School Board Member