Financial literacy, public utilities, gun safety, Dowling College site

Financial literacy is in economics course

The guest essay by State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa and State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli contains vital information regarding the importance of teaching our children financial literacy ["Teach financial literacy in NYS schools," Opinion, Feb. 5].

As the Long Island Council for Social Studies has pointed out, financial literacy is already part of the economics course as a requirement for graduation.

The economics course in the grades 9-12 social studies framework dedicates one of four units to "Individual Responsibility and the Economy." The course includes, among others topics, debt management, credit card choices, interest rates, borrowing and lending.

Sound personal financial practices take into account wealth and income, the present and future, and risk factors when setting goals and budgeting for anticipated saving and spending. Predatory lending practices target and affect those who are least informed and can least afford such practices.

We applaud the New York State Education Department and the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures for stressing the importance of financial literacy as a graduation requirement. Teachers are already prepared to teach it. To ensure that financial literacy is effectively learned, a summative assessment for the course should be instituted.

Gloria Sesso, Port Jefferson

The writer is LICSS president.

I agree that we should advocate for teaching financial literacy in our schools as many students seem clueless in basic necessities such as balancing checkbooks and avoiding debt. Perhaps of greater import, I propose we include our elected leaders in Washington, who apparently were never taught the basics of financial literacy.

Joe Cavallo, Deer Park

Public utilities benefit users in many ways

The Long Island Association is being disingenuous about Long Island's energy future

["Housing, child care top LIA's agenda," LI Business, Feb. 2]. It's not surprising since PSEG-Long Island is a major player in LIA as well as a political force on Long Island and in Albany.

Calling for more studies is a delaying tactic. Privatization and the public-private model have been studied to death, and all conclusions point to higher rates for Long Island Power Authority customers.

Some think the LIPA Public Power Act presents a new and experimental model. However, it is the norm for every other publicly owned utility. LIPA already is a public utility. Its public-private partnership is the experiment. Our lived experiences with KeySpan, National Grid and PSEG have shown us it is unnecessarily expensive, a failure and must end. We could save $80 million a year by eliminating PSEG's enormous corporate salaries.

Studies consistently find that public utilities benefit ratepayers in terms of efficiency, reliability, accountability and affordability. A LIPA that is totally responsible for running the grid will have these benefits as well as streamlined efficiency, more local control and lower rates.

Our energy system should work for its ratepayers, not for PSEG shareholders and those who profit from their dealings with PSEG.

Timothy Karcich, Deer Park

The writer is a member of the Reimagine LIPA Coalition.

Teach gun safety in school districts

Two pieces of negligence led to the mass shooting at Oxford High School in Pontiac, Michigan on Nov. 30 -- unsafe firearm storage and preventing a 15-year-old from harming others ["Modest step on mass shootings," Editorial, Feb. 8]. There were red flags.

Will our luck run out on Long Island? Will we become part of a growing list of communities where a mass shooting has occurred?

Law enforcement should not be left solely responsible. As concerned residents, we have a role, too. Our school districts should consider public education on gun safety laws. They should use all tools available to provide a platform where parents and other adults in the school community can have dialogues about their concerns.

They can learn what can be done to prevent gun violence here. There are no better venues than our neighborhood schools, which already work so hard to keep children safe.

Teresa De Angelis, Mineola

Expand development at Dowling campus

What a great opportunity to use some of the existing infrastructure at the old Dowling College campus in Shirley ["Plans for a public ice rink," Our Towns, Feb. 7]. While getting a sports complex and an ice rink is a plus, there are more potential uses of this campus.

As noted, there is a 70-room dormitory as well as a two-building office and classroom complex on this property. These modern buildings can be easily repurposed to provide affordable housing and social services. It would be great if the lead contractor interested in the property would include these buildings, offering Brookhaven Town a way to provide affordable housing and services. That would be an even bigger win. 

Patrick Ehmann, Ronkonkoma