(Editor's Note: The following letter is in response to Larry Wornum's letter "Board Trustee Opposes Resolution," which appeared in the June 27, 2008 edition of The Westbury Times. Wornum, a member of the Westbury Board of Education, wrote the letter in opposition to district resolution 9.23, which, if approved, would allow Westbury to lease classroom space from St. Francis de Chantal in Wantagh for the purpose of offering a full-day pre-kindergarten program for the 2008-2009 school year. The resolution was tabled at the June 18 board meeting.)

In the interest of setting the record straight and revealing the truth, Larry Wornum's letter to The Westbury Times needs to be responded to. Some of the claims he makes are woefully misleading or simply not true.

Taxpayers will not be paying the projects costs of this program as some want us to believe. The fact is that this beneficial program will be funded through state Universal Pre-K appropriations and Contract for Excellence grant monies. Mr. Wornum needs to take his responsibilities as a public official seriously and get the facts straight first.

Similarly and equally puzzling is that Mr. Wornum in fact voted in favor of allowing the district to enter into negotiations with St. Francis de Chantal to lease part of its facility for a pre-K program. While Westbury's full-day Pre-K may be housed out of the district, unfortunately there simply is no suitable space in any of our schools, or in the community, to operate the program in an adequate, safe classroom setting in accordance with New York State Education Department regulations. To suggest private schools or churches may be admirable, but the reality is that they are either not available or not suitable to conduct classroom instruction.

Full-day pre-kindergarten has been proven to be an effective educational tool in which children, especially those from disadvantaged homes, perform better on literacy and mathematics tests than children in traditional two-and-a-half to three-hour public preschool programs. Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced that 94 percent of pre-K children finished the school year with either age-appropriate or emerging age-appropriate skills and behavior. "Pre" determines whether children are at the right level to begin kindergarten. Areas assessed include language, literacy and math readiness as well as social-emotional development.

While not mandated by the state, to give out youth an opportunity to be successful, we must have a full-day pre-kindergartne. There are numerous benefits that not only help the students but also help Westbury's working families. Pre-K can save taxpayers money later on by reducing the need for remedial education services, which is not paid for by grants or other appropriations. Either way you look at it, we cannot wait to offer our children a full-day pre-K. For Mr. Wornum to attempt to discredit this valuable program is shameful.

Pablo Sinclair
President, Westbury Hills Civic Association