State law mandates that the school district send to your home, within six days of a pending vote, a raw numbers comparison of year 2000 versus the proposed school budget for 2001 relative to the Consumer Price Index [ CPI ].

Look for the postcard to the left. You should have gotten one already. It's barely legible, an inconvenience we believe designed by the administration. If you don't like its appearance or the flowery explanations provided on the reverse side of the card - contradicting the the intent of the State law: COMPLAIN.

If you take exception to their LYING about the overall size of the TAX LEVY, which is 5.8% and not 4.6%: COMPLAIN.

The Superintendent wants to hear these things. He's been telling us so for weeks. Tell him and the school board you want only the state mandated announcement in the future and to stop wasting district money. And, tell him you didn't appreciate his lying about the size of the levy.

Instead, the Waking Bear will be contacting both the Governor and the State's Department of Education. As the "False and misleading information provided by the TVCSD" may taint the results of the coming election. For more on this subject, take a moment to read: Subject of Complaint to the Governor.

Now, just in case you didn't get the card or you can't read it, here are the points affecting your ballot:

• The BUDGET is 9.47% higher than last year's.
• The TAX LEVY is an overall 5.58% higher than last year's, NOT the 4.60% that both Sonedecker and Connors have been marketing. Only Brookhaven residents will see a 4.60% increase. Those from Smithtown will see one of 6.29%.
• If you live in Brookhaven, you will be paying $1094 for each $1000 your home has been assessed.
• If you live in Smithtown, with children in Three Village schools, you will be paying $768 for each $1000 your home is assessed.
• The Consumer Price Index [ CPI ] is 2.2%

Both the District's Superintendent and the President of the Board of Education have made the point that there is very little cost difference between their proposed budget and that of austerity. Using the salesman's approach, they explain how their proposal is "Only so much more per month for the average homeowner than austerity."

However, what they don't address is that an austerity budget will have two very important impacts of benefit to EVERY resident of the TVCSD. Austerity holds the administration's feet to the "accountability" fire, something the never-ending-spenders are not used to. Secondly, the defeat of the budget would be a message to them and to districts throughout Long Island that the voting public has had just about enough. It is an announcement that "We're mad and not going to take it anymore." That we want the cost of school administration contained.