Letter: Schools change for wrong reasons

Recently Newsday published a story focusing on possible adoption of the Princeton Plan by four Long Island school districts [" 'Clustering' students has advantages," Editorial, Oct. 20]. This plan assigns elementary-aged children to schools based on grade, rather than by neighborhoods. The genesis of this model was to racially integrate school districts -- a noble goal. These days, however, the Princeton Plan is usually adopted to reduce the number of classes and therefore, eliminate teaching positions.

Although cost-saving is certainly necessary in our schools, it is ludicrous to consider drastic changes to organizational structure without first addressing teacher and administrator salaries and benefits. Each year, taxpayers vote only on the non-salary and benefit portions of the budget, because those items have long since been agreed to by each district's school board and unions. Residents rightly question why teachers are guaranteed raises, when the general taxpaying population is facing stagnant or reduced salaries, or even unemployment. Until personnel costs are brought under control, taxes will continue to skyrocket.

The next critical battle for any school board looking to avoid draconian cuts will be to win voter approval for an override of the 2 percent limit on property tax increases. Taxpayers no doubt will be told that the only way to preserve programs such as art, music and athletics will be a significant increase in our property taxes. However, any school board that gives teachers a new contract with step increases, salary increases and no significant increase in health benefit contributions, cannot reasonably tell voters that the choice is between children's programs and a tax increase.

The choice is actually between giving teachers what no one else in America has right now -- guaranteed raises and approximately 85 percent of health contributions covered for a 180-day work schedule -- or preserving our educational programs without an enormous tax increase.

Laura Valente, Sayville