At the last Glen Cove School Board meeting, which I attended, the new superintendent was announced, with much fanfare and praise for his previous acomplishments, his qualities and qualifications. His salary was announced to be $205,000. This is $25,500 more than we paid the last overpaid superintendent, a nearly 15 percent increase. This is tens of thousands of dollars more than we pay our county executive or governor or any other public employee in our county and probably in the state. This is why our school taxes are so high. You can add a substantial amount to that for benefits, perks and retirement expenses.

But, even more upsetting is the fact that the new superintendent has never done this job before. Though he has been an assistant superintendent for curriculum and other lesser positions, he has never been the chief administrator anywhere.

Perhaps he will be wonderful, and I hope so, but I can't imagine why the school board insists that it is necessary for the taxpayers of Glen Cove to pay one individual, with no track record as a chief administrator, in one relatively small school district, a quarter of a million dollars per year, with all expenses considered, for each of the next three years of his contract.

I am voting no to this expenditure. I am voting no on May 17 to this inflated proposed nine percent school tax increase. We all need to vote no.

Alda Levander