Letter: Bad school budget trend
Voters head to the polls at Spring Valley High School to vote on the East Ramapo Central School District's 2012-13 budget. (May 15, 2012) Credit: Angela Gaul
Newsday's headline "Islandwide, tax-cap backers liked the results" [News, May 17] is a misrepresentation of what took place on school Election Day. Of the nine out of 124 school districts whose budgets were defeated, four would have passed if they were not saddled by the 60 percent majority rule. School districts are now made to be as impotent as the U.S. Senate.
By your account, in four of the last five years before the tax cap, more budgets were passed than this year. Yes, people want lower taxes, but they also want local control. School boards and unions work hard to offer their constituents realistic budgets. They provide ample opportunity for the public to attend meetings and voice concerns.
The new Tier 6 revision to public employee compensation will assure that once our economy recovers, the more proficient college graduates will not choose to teach.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo should have our wealthiest citizens pay their fair share; the money is there. Business groups support him with radio and TV ads, while the governor makes proposals that will reduce staffing statewide, forcing hundreds, and maybe thousands, to go on unemployment insurance (who pays for that?), and requiring school districts to reduce programs (who is affected there?). We know who.
This is not education reform. Often a group of parents must get together to raise money for a particular sport or other activity. It still costs money.
Through the years, it is a little miracle that so many school budgets are passed, even with the persistent negative press that your newspaper provides for several days before each year's vote.
Gil Blum, North Hills
Editor's note: The writer is a retired Long Island educator.
