Tax Cap Hardships, Wi-Fi Discussed at Lynbrook BOE Meeting

A proposed district-wide installation of Wi-Fi wireless Internet to increase the availability of information to students and concerns about next year’s budget were the main topics discussed at the very first meeting of the Lynbrook Board of Education for the 2011-2012 school year.

Discussion was held regarding the upcoming financial hardships of local learning institutions due New York State’s 2-percent tax cap for the upcoming 2012-2013 budget. The board cited cost-cutting measures other school districts have had to implement, even before the tax cap was instituted. Examples included Seaford Middle School parents holding fundraisers to restore their canceled sports program and the Brentwood School District shedding 89 teaching jobs.

Superintendent Dr. Santo Barbarino made it clear that crafting a solid budget plan that residents will pass is vitally important to the board.

“Things have changed ... if the budget is not passed, you no longer go to what we used to call a contingency budget,” he said. “Instead, you go back to the same budget you had the previous year. In other words, the tax levy we have now will be the one we’ll have next year. That would be almost impossible to operate with.”

“We are going to have to work very, very hard to be fiscally prudent, but we also have to get the kids what they need,” he added. “These kids only get one shot at this, and we’ve got to keep that in mind.”

District Director of Technology Paul J. Lynch also gave a presentation at the meeting regarding technical information of how Wi-Fi works, in addition to debunking several myths regarding health concerns over long-term exposure to wireless Internet signals voiced by Lynbrook parents.

Lynch led off on his presentation by expressing the reason why Wi-Fi can be so important in a modern classroom.

“That reason is information,” he said. “That’s were the information is, that’s where the education is. Once upon a time, to find a decent book, you had to go to a public library. Now, it’s in that access point, and it comes down to that laptop, and we have the information -- that’s the experience we want those kids to have.”

Lynch assured parents in attendance that he had done ample research into any safety issues that may be associated with omnipresent Wi-Fi signal exposure.

According to correspondence Lynch had conducted with John Howard, director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, any hazard posed by a school-wide Wi-Fi system would be negligible.

Despite Lynch’s assurances, during the visitor's section of the meeting, several parents expressed concern over the proposed widespread use of Wi-Fi in the schools, citing possible health concerns involving long-term exposure to wireless Internet signals.

Other business conducted in the meeting dealt with the board appointing various new positions throughout the district, including teaching and administrative duties.

The next regularly-scheduled meeting of the Lynbrook Board of Education will be posted on their website.