Educator pay and eviction moratorium

Newsday failed to point out that education is a contract between teachers, students and parents/guardians ["Well-paid teachers must excel," Editorial, Aug. 29].

Parents must provide students with a good night’s sleep, a good breakfast, and a set of values that include respect for others, for authority and for themselves. Parents need to ensure that children complete homework assignments, develop good study habits and limit screen and cellphone use to a reasonable level. They need to attend student/teacher/parent conferences, or at least maintain communication with their child’s teachers to help ensure a successful learning experience.

In our political climate, it has become apparent that a solid educational foundation for our students is essential so they will be prepared to make intelligent decisions and to respect the diversity of our population.

Having a wife who is a retired teacher and a daughter who currently teaches, I know that our teachers are paid a fair salary for the hard work they do and for Long Island's standard of living. As in any profession, there are the few who may need additional monitoring. Taxpayers are correct to expect good quality education from our schools, but our teachers cannot be expected to achieve this entirely on their own.

— Barry Ockner, East Quogue

The writer has relatives who are or have been teachers.

Who in the private sector can accrue 15 sick days, five personal leave days and five "bedside care days" (whatever that is)? Isn’t it about time the teachers contributed to 401(k) plans with their own earnings instead of publicly funded pension plans? A larger contribution by teachers to their Cadillac health plans would also possibly reduce the exorbitant taxes all Long Island residents are paying. Fixed-income seniors are being financially strapped by high taxes for schools, and many are forced to relocate. Change is needed sooner rather than later.

— Lynn Burke, Seaford

Newsday’s editorial grudgingly accepts well-paid Long Island teachers if "they deserve it," as if they already don’t, while bemoaning that reformers "lost" the battle for higher Long Island educational standards. Missing is any reference to data such as New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s assessment of nine state regions, that found Long Island schools already excelling in standards such as graduation rates (90%), drop-out rates (only 1.2%), and graduates attending four-year colleges (60%). Interestingly, a Newsday article on the DiNapoli report  described Long Island’s schools as "topping the charts" when educational outcomes were compared with the eight other regions ["Study puts LI 2nd in school spending," News, Feb. 25, 2017].

— Richard Koubek, Dix Hills

The writer is a retired teacher.

The pay of Long Island public servants (teachers and administrators, police, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, et al.) has long been a topic of contention ["Educators’ pay draws attention," Letters, Aug. 12]. Many studies exist to determine these employees’ quantitative and qualitative values, but you can find an analysis that fits your chosen narrative. While it is often argued that public sector jobs should not be subject to the economic forces of supply and demand, there are literally upwards of 1,000 applications for public school teacher openings in Nassau County.

Harvard University boasts a higher acceptance rate than the Nassau Country Police Department. All of this begs the question — if these jobs are so rigorous, exacting, and underappreciated, how does one explain the wildly disproportionate supply-versus-demand gap?

There are literally thousands of people willing to do the same jobs and for presumably less. To chalk it up to meritocracy is charmingly delusional. To me, a sorting system that whittles a pool of 1,000 applicants to one applicant is not a sorting system, it is a lottery, a vestige of patronage.  

— Matthew McLaughlin, Carle Place

Eviction moratorium’s effect on landlords

The federal rent assistance program has a major flaw ["Eviction moratorium extension bill passes," News, Sept. 2]. When tenants do not apply or discontinue the application process, it does not help landlords. Many homeowners moved to apartments or out of state and rented their homes for income. They depend on that income. They pay thousands of dollars in mortgages, insurance and real estate taxes.

They might be unable to sell the house while it’s occupied. Now Gov. Kathy Hochul advocates that tenants cannot be evicted until next year, but they are not forced to continue with applications for relief.

Tenants often have no incentive to cooperate. Money from the rent assistance is paid to landlords. Tenants, if they don’t apply, can leave after January, rent elsewhere, and get relief from bankruptcy or long court cases. Landlords are stuck with the debt. The rent assistance bill should be amended, allowing direct relief to landlords, providing they show nonpayment and that the tenants refuse cooperation. It’s the fair and right thing to do.

— Rony Kessler, Franklin Square

Instead of making those behind in rent fill out a complicated form they may not even understand, landlords suffering from loss of rents should be the program’s focus. They are more able and willing to complete an application .

Renters sign the form to validate they are suffering from the pandemic. Landlords would recover from loss of rent, enabling renters to stay.

— Patrick Ehmann, Ronkonkoma

It is amazing that the government turns its back on landlords who contribute to the economy through mortgages, bank loans, home maintenance and taxes. The financial risk these people take provides homes for people who cannot afford to buy their own. Most of us worked through the pandemic. Many who didn’t work received extra unemployment payments and stimulus checks and still chose not to pay rent. Where did   my tax dollars go?

— Adrienne Bryant, Northport

The favoritism toward tenants and the pressure on landlords to protect tenants amazes me. Landlords are often viewed as big, mean bullies who exploit tenants. Sometimes that may be true. But often, landlords are small-time investors who bought a property for investment to rent out.

I’m a small landlord and worked hard to become one. My responsibilities continue in challenging times. It is unfair to shift the tenants’ burden to landlords. It’s time landlords get some fairness and relief.  

— Jeff Schwartzberg, Massapequa