Letter: State laws often burden schools
Members of the State Senate work in the Senate Chamber as the legislative session winds down at the Capitol in Albany. (June 20, 2012) Credit: AP
We have heard from Albany for years about the need for mandate relief, yet in the waning days of the legislative session, the Albany tradition of proposing and passing unfunded mandates continued ["Autism bill pushed," News, June 21].
While there may be merit to some proposals, it all comes down to cost and who pays the bill. New York State is one of the worst in the nation for shifting costs to local schools. Federal and state unfunded or underfunded mandates cost my local taxpayers more than $20 million annually.
In a time when revenues have been cut back and or capped, Albany does not see the need to cap itself on passing more expenses on to the local taxpayer.
Whether it is requiring nebulizers or screening for eating disorders, mandating Indo-Caribbean studies or sex education for first- through 12th-graders, all of these come with a price tag -- none of which is funded by Albany.
I find it disingenuous when some of the bills state there is no financial impact. While this may be true for Albany's budget, it is far from the truth for the local taxpayer. It is time to stop the mandate madness. We need mandate relief; instead we receive more mandates.
The next time you hear state officials complain about education spending, ask how much they have contributed to that bill, and more important, what they have done to provide relief.
Robert J. Vecchio, Shirley
Editor's note: The writer is the president of the William Floyd school board.
