As state and federal mandates, salaries, energy costs and other factors drive up school budgets, taxpayers are asking their state and local officials for solutions. Decades ago, when large numbers of families moved from New York City and other urban areas to Nassau and Suffolk counties, one of their priorities was to provide their children with quality schools. And, they were willing to make the financial investment necessary to ensure that, paying property taxes that were among the highest in the state. As suburban Long Island grew, so did its school districts. New buildings were constructed, and residents approved funding not only for a comprehensive, basic education but also for enrichment programs and extensive athletic and extra-curricular activities.

Over the decades, taxpayers got what they paid for. Long Island became a shining example of education excellence throughout New York, and Long Island students continue to rank among the highest in the state.

But some things have changed. Long Island's population has aged and the growth of young families with school-aged children has slowed down and dropped off. Today, homeowners who have no children in school make up a higher percentage of those supporting the schools than ever in the recent past.

The cost of education has also increased dramatically. Through a combination of state and federal legislation, schools have been called upon to do much more than simply educate students. They have become a social center for the care and well-being of children, providing before and after-school programs, psychological and health services and more. Efforts to elevate educational standards nationwide have mandated layers of testing, monitoring, evaluations and remediation in every district.

As teachers and administrators were being asked to do more, their salaries were increased, and today's educator on Long Island is among the highest paid in the nation. The average U.S. public school teacher in the country earns just under $50,000 a year according to a report by the National Educational Association. In New York, teachers do better with an average of $57,354, and better yet on Long Island where the average teacher's salary with 12 years experience in Nassau is $75,284 and with ten years of experience in Suffolk, at $66,087.

Fast forward, 2008. Despite marked increases in state aid to education, largely due to the heavy lobbying of Long Island lawmakers in Albany every year, the cost of educating Long Island children has far outpaced the revenue generated at the state and local level. As a result, property owners are seeing historical increases in their real property taxes in an effort by help their schools to keep up the pace. Simply put, taxpayers are hurting, and many of them are frightened and angry.

In Massapequa, for example, an effort is underway to pressure the school board in that community to freeze teachers' salaries, which make up the largest portion of the annual school budget, for the next two years.

"The taxpayer needs a break," said James Stubenrauch who is circulating the petition in Massapequa and hopes to present it to the school board as it begins negotiations with the teachers for a new contract this year. "People can't afford to stay in their homes and they're scared."

New York State lawmakers, running for reelection this year, discussed the issue, responding to specific questions about education and what can be done to rein in costs and bring some property tax relief to their constituents.

One effort, which passed the Senate but not the Assembly, was a property tax cap and relief bills designed to reduce costs for schools and ensure adequate resources for every district.

"The legislation passed by the Senate would cap the school property tax levy growth at 4 percent or 120 percent of the inflation rate, whichever was less," said Sen. Kemp Hannon, (R-6th District). "I know the burden people are facing. The economic downturn and high gas prices have affected everyone on Long Island and we need to limit any more tax increases."

Sens. Charles Fuschillo, (R-8th District) and Owen Johnson (R-4th District) also supported the measure, which never made it out of committee in the Assembly but had the support of Republican Assemblymen Joseph Saladino (R-12th District), Andrew Raia (R-9th District) and Philip Boyle, (R-8th District.)

Democrats in the Assembly, meanwhile, point to some of the concerns raised by the Nassau- Suffolk School Board Association and others. In the Suffolk School Superintendents As sociat ion sai d the proposed tax c ap would l imi t spending increases, Long Island-wide, to as little as 2 percent, which would not even cover the increased costs for health insurance and energy.

"Any legislation establishing a property tax cap should clearly outline the state's commitment to providing appropriate levels of state support in the future, and clearly identify the expenses rooted in mandates that the state will assume in the future," said a spokesman for the group.

Saying that they recognize the impact of the downturn in the economy, and its impact on families, the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association issued a position paper saying a cap would be "devastating."

"To assume that the State of New York can impose its criteria onto what should be local decision making is an insult to school boards and their constituents," the association wrote.

One Democrat who does support a cap on the school tax rate is Kristen McElroy who is running against Sen. Kemp Hannon. "We need to not only cap the annual growth of school property taxes but also provide targeted tax rebate relief to middle and fixedincome families," said McElroy, who also supports legislation in Albany to restrict unfunded mandates to counties and localities.

Hannon goes even further, suggesting establishment of a Blue Ribbon Commission on mandates to determine costs and establish alternative solutions, with a target report date of March, 2009.

Democrats in the state said other measures to bring tax relief can and should be implemented.

"One thing that the state can do is re-evaluate all unfunded mandates and cut back or eliminate some that are not absolutely essential," said Elizabeth Bloom, who is running against Assemblyman Boyle on the Democratic and Working Families lines.

"School boards must scrutinize their budgets and the state must provide a greater percentage of the cost of education, especially in high tax-low wealth districts," said Assemblyman Robert Sweeney (D-11th District) who faces no real opposition this year.

Democrat Carol Gordon, who is running against Fuschillo this year, said she believes that cutting and consolidating administrative costs is the way districts should go to achieve efficiency. "Not every county or school district is the same," she said. "The difference in needs creates the perception of inequitable distribution and a new system needs to be created."

Assemblyman Raia said that Long Island lawmakers have and will continue to fight hard to ensure that education does not suffer under the current financial crisis. "My priority is to bring more state funding to school districts," he said.

One way to address the problem of funding for education, and other state services, is to stimulate growth industries such as energy technology, said Democrat Karen Kerr-Ozimek, who faces Assemblyman Raia next month. "We must ensure that businesses that promise to provide jobs and capital growth in return for millions of dollars in tax credits are held accountable and deliver on their promises," she said.

Moving away from the controversial issue of a tax cap, state lawmakers do find areas of agreement. A recent study by Suffolk County that looked at how school districts on Long Island can save money, offered several suggestions, short of school district consolidation. One was to establish a county-wide purchasing agreement.

"This will greatly reduce the cost of such things as benefits, including health care for school district employees," said Saladino, who also supports passage of a regional cost index that would take into account the cost of living in the statewide school aid formula. "The bill will force the state to bring more aid to our schools and municipalities (on Long Island) by virtue of the formula rather than through a political fight," he said.

Other suggestions included rewriting the Wick's law that adds millions of dollars to school construction across the state, and establishing a regional transit system and allowing districts to enter into multidistrict transportation contracts, and a pilot program to demonstrate the feasibility and impact of creating an investment pool, both of which would require state approval.

"The 2008-2009 state budget raised the school district and municipal construction project thresholds (for the Wick's Law) from $500,000 to $1.5 million in Nassau and Suffolk counties," said Fuschillo, a supporter of the measure. "This reform is a major first step toward reducing construction costs, which will save taxpayers money."

Election day is Tues., Nov. 4. The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.