"Tax-PACkers!" she screamed with contempt, the veins at her temple clearly visible. "You think only of yourselves and of your need to slash-and-burn," she continued, "never of the children, never of education's importance, never of the positive influences teachers have in our children's lives. You stink!"

What is it that Tax-PACkers propose that causes so much fury?

At March '96 Board of Education meeting, the Three Village Teachers' Association president, Sheila MacFadyen, took to the podium. With less enthusiasm but more measured sarcasm, she derided the decision of Board members John Oliver and Eric Stubbs in breaking the timeless tradition of granting tenure, based upon a district superintendent's recommendation alone. "Such action, which I hope will not become a trend, is otherwise common to the Tax-PAC efforts in Patchogue-Medford," MacFadyen said.

Some in Three Village community, especially the never-ending-spenders and beneficiaries of Mary Barter's "University," use the reference to broad-brush stroke as evil any efforts to contain the District's lavish expenditures. To them, Tax-PAC is an apocalyptic scourge. Some have drawn the equally erroneous conclusion that The Waking Bear© is the literary wing of a local taxpayers league, "flaming" us on the internet as Tax-PACkers. Oh, my! Well...the screamers, Sheila MacFadyen, the Three Village Teachers Association, the never-ending-spenders, and those who think we have any affiliations...they can all just pack sand. In time, the Three Village Central School District will come to realize that any earlier organized efforts to bring about change will appear like those of a Barney Fan Club.

Tax-PAC's are Tax (related and alternately called) Peoples or Political Action Committees or Coalitions. They are not carriers of ebola. They are not doomsday advocates. They ARE area residents with real concerns about their futures and the bottomless pit of spending so obviously rampant in the Three Village Central School District. Tax-PACkers have EVERY right to express their distress and dissatisfaction as the District's superintendent and Board of Education give away the community's assets to make real the pipe dreams of a public administrator, a greedy teachers' union and others believing that the insanities of the past can go on forever.

The editors of The Waking Bear© support the labors of any that question the status quo of District policies. We do not, however, wish for any organization to take either the credit or the blame for things only we have expended the effort and resources to make public.

The Waking Bear© has no affiliations. The Bear© speaks for what it believes is the opinion of the majority, not that of TVCSD beneficiaries, positioned as they are on District committees and the Board of Education. We want:

• * true and not illusionary consensus, like that of the Education 2000 ruse;
• * open government and not Mary F. Barter's closed forums, where freedom of speech is denied;
• * a responsible administration, that does not break State laws and deny access to documents requested under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Law;
• * the best educational efforts possible for the greatest number of students and not a privileged or especially gifted few, as is now the case;
• * elimination of multiculturalism AND all courses and research oriented curricula best suited to college environments;
• * children that read when they get a high school diploma and not require remedial efforts when reaching Suffolk County Community College;
• * staff that recognize problems before area residents bring them to their attention, such as the case with reading disabilities;
• * a grading system reflective of merit and the greater world's competitive environment and not the "good, not so good, needs help and oops!" farce, now used through the sixth grade;
• * an effective district negotiating arm that recognizes the impacts of an unreasonable contract on this community, not one that produces settlement provisions two and three times that of annual inflation levels anywhere in the country;
• * ethics standards, denying access to Board of Education candidacy where their personal, professional or union affiliations could be even perceived as potentially clouding their judgement;
• * a system that rewards teaching excellence proven not presumed, because of accumulated degrees or seniority;
• * a system that makes it more difficult to shift children to special education programs and away from regular classroom work and a possible secreted teacher's failure, cloaked by social worker and psychologist evaluations.

We want a responsible and more community responsive teachers' union with a membership that sees professionalism as something more than advanced degrees and higher paychecks. We want teachers to teach not preach, to stay out of our family lives and areas of parental responsibilities. We want a Board of Education that controls its district administrators and represents the attitudes and needs of the entire community, not just teachers, parents, PTO/PTA and administrators but those that are paying the bill for everything, both useful and wasteful.

We concur when told "it takes an entire village to raise a child" but we also believe, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, that

"Education is far too important to leave in the hands of teachers and educrats."