Bethpage-Tribune_1973-03-15

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BETHPyNGE
also serving ISLAND TREES
OLDBETHB»GE PLAINVTEW PLAINEDGE, SEAFORD
—
VOL. 7 No. 17
J
Thursday, March 15,1973
10 cents per copy
Two Win Academy Nods Bethpage School
By Mary McCutcheon and Lorraine Carley Board Report
Fleischman Report Panel Discussed
falls within Congressman Norman Lent's 4th Congres­sional
District have received nominations from him for
acceptance by two of the nation's military academies.
John Lalonde of 145 Miriam Street, graduated from
Island Trees high school last June and is now a student
at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. At Island
Trees High, he had been a member of the National
Honor Society, Astronomy and Varsity Clubs, and
captained the tennis team.
Tom Ferguson is a current senior at Island Trees
who has excelled both athletically and academically,
as a member of the school's football and baseball
teams and a member of the Varsity Club and (Junior)
National Honor Society. Lalonde has been nominated
for the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs and
Feguson for the Military Academy at West Point. .
. Their selection for the honor followed review of their
academic and athletic records in school, preliminary
physical^ tests by the armed services and individual
interviews with members of Lent's Military Academy-
Selection Committee, which sought to determine the
extent of their motivation for academy educations and
service careers.
Actual appointment to each academy will follow
reviews of each nominees' records and Lent's
recommendations by the academy to which each has
applied.
Teen Dems Endorse
On Saturday night, March 10,
rmhauanrn ctuilioieetvyh emds ifdait wwa nhbeeinnt myyoooruue busnouuuuggghulytt tDl em« „C„a„ujjcju„sf ^v, o*t„e„d Ttnoa me nndfofirwse
A panel discussion sponsored
by the Bethpage Council of PTA's
concerning the Pleischmann
Report was hcki<«m Thursday,
March 8, 1973 in the Bethpage
High School Little Theater. The
guest speakers included Dr.
Roper Larsen, Superintendent of
Schools, Mr. Jack Murphy, Beth­page
Congress of Teachers and
Mr. Herman Slavin, President of
die Board of Education. Mrs.
Levy, Nassau PTA Legislation
Chairman was panel moderator
and Mrs. French, Bethpage PTA
Council, served as program
chairman. ^
Preceeding discussion, an
informative film from the
. BOCES resources was shown
covering the first five chapters of
were: recommeding full state
funding of the public education
system with no aid to non public
schools; racial and ethnic in­tegration;
desegregation,
starting on the elementary level -
- possibly consisting of revisions
of school zones, transportation of
pupils, closing of some schools
and building of others.
In discussing the Fleischmann
Report, Dr. Larsen explained
that the State now carries ap­proximately
4 per cent of the tax
burden. Under the Fleischmann
Report recommendations, it
would increase to 25 per cent or 30
per cent. The state would then set
a $2.04 assessed valuation local
property-taxntMSUlghdul the
entire state to be supplemented*
by other state tax sources. Dr.
Larsen pointed out several ad­vantages
and disadvantages
concerning the implementation
of the Fleischmann recom­mendations.
Among the ad­vantages,
the recommendations
would provide equal fiscal
provisions in education; property
tax relief and improved property
tax administration; district
reorganization Ml funding
would have better utilization;
accountability - state would
iibility on nee*
ing one district to another);,
poorer districts could keep up
with the suburban educational
system; with a different tax
structure, the Boards of
Education could give more time
to educational programs.
Dr. Larsen noted the following
disadvantages: possibility of
statewide strikes (when dealing
with statewide salary
schedules); a move to mediocrity1
- many districts do provide
educational programs about their
financial levels, there would be
an acuteleveling, down; locaL
control versus big government
control; losing the lighthouse
school concept, where local
communities make their own
decisions on how to spend their
tax funds. Many districts have
spent money to develop new and
better programs, in turn, other
districts have been able to in­corporate
the best of these
programs into their own districts.
Mr. Jack Murphy took issue
with the Fleischmann Report
concentrating on the financial
area. He said.. .according to the
report, an expenditure of %\wxi
per pupil would be set by the state
. . . Any district close to or
meeting this level would then
iod of
poorer
hew level of $1037. Mr. Murpby
questioned the logic of district
employees salaries remaining
frozen over a 5 year period of
time while an approximate 30 per
cent cost of living increase could
take place. He questioned the
assessed valuation of $2.04 when
assessing two houses at $40,000 -
one home 25 years old and the
other a years old - wouldn't this
become a hardship on the owner
of the older home. Mr. Murphy
commented that . . . the richer
school districts get a larger
{Continued on Page 7)
Plainedge
The Teachers vs. The Board
By Richard Wood
Post Has Diet Strategy
If vou've noticed lately that on saturoay nigm, warcn «i,
rlSShe^fiU^moresnugly * • Town of Oyster Bay Teen
them, or if the walk from the house
to the car feels like a mile run,
you might be interested in at­tending
a lecture on dieting and
excercise to be held at C. W. Post
College on Tuesday, March 20>
The lecture will be given by a
representative of the Elaine
three candidates for Town Office.
They are: for Supervisor, Lewis
J. Yevoli; for Council, Mrs.
Patricia J. (Toby) Kennedy; and
for Town Clerk, Mrs. Eleanor
Behrik. The group is expected to
meet again before the March 19
convention of the County
POWPPS Kiflure Salons who will Democratic party to endorse
for the warm weather. The talk
will include tips on how to
combine proper diet and exercise
to achieve a slimmed down and
toned up appearance.
Sponsored by the C. W. Post
Resident Students Association,
thetocture will be held in the Post
councilmanic posts.
The endorsement of the Caucus
carries behind it a work-force of
about 100 young people.
Chapel at 8 p.m. Admission is
free and the public is invited
Further information may be
obtained by calling (516) 299-2470.
-"Resolvedthat "the Plainedge"
Board of Education support
Senate Bill 2040 repealing those
sections of the Education Law
that provide for life-time tenure
of teachers...Be it further
resolved that the Plainedge
Board of Education make its
views known to the legislators,
encourage community support of
S-2040, and request Boards of
Education throughout New York
State to join us in support of this
bill."
The resolution, calling for
support of the anti-tenure bill
originally introduced into the
New York State Senate by
Senator Smith of Elmira, was
initiated by Plainedge School
Board President, Mrs. Terri
Babnken at the March 8th
meeting of the Plainedge School
Board.
"Mrs. Bahnken and her group
of anti-teacher board members
evidently feel that they can
continue their course of
destruction of the public
education system without con­cern
about our reactions,"
reacted Harold Ewen, President
of the Plainedge Federation of
Teachers in a leaflet distributed
at the meeting.^ ,
A standing-room-only crowd of
nearly 150, comprised largely of
teachers, had filled the Plainedge
High School cafeteria.: The
debate was centering almost
exclusively on the emotionally-
:loaded anti-tenur bill, which, by
the way, was given little chance
of Senate passage by practically
all in attendance.
Yet despite the fact that the
tenure debate was a moot point,
the discussion certainly brought
out the attitudes of all sides in the
controversy. At times the board
acted with beligerence, and at
times the teachers reacted with
hostility. But in between were
tempered voices of calm, com­mon
sense, understanding and
sympathy.
All in all, despite the fire and
rain, arguments running the
entire gamut were brought up.
And that in itself was a good and
worthwhile thing. For the first
time, each of the board members
individually ' went on record
expressing their feelings and
positions.
ROUND ONE
"We are here," said Harold
Ewen addressing the board, "to
express the feelings of the
teachers of this district, a thing
which we so seldom get to do.
This seems to be a very one-sided
thing. Seldom do we get a chance
to share our views and discuss
things with toe board. This is a
serious matter, relating directly
to us, the teachers. We are deeply
upset. This entire thing deals
exclusively with the board' of
education and its effect upon the
teachers of the district*"
Mr. Ewen was summarily
ruled out of order by School
Board President, Mrs. Bahnken.
"Direct your remarks to the
issue," said Mrs. Bahnken, "And
please cut out all the falderal in
between."
"I don't need your criticism,"
retorted Ewen, "What's falderal
to you isn't necessarily falderal
to others."
"Your performance," Mrs.
Bahnken struck back sar­castically,
"is wonderful, Mr.
Ewen. Now please continue, and
address your remarks to the
issue at hand."
"Our teachers," said Ewen,
"are the most supervised of all
employees. It's the school board
that goes unsupervised. The
(Continued on Peg* 7)
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