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I watched this embarrassing horror show with the sick fascination of a train wreck. God, this is where I live (not malverne, but LI)!?! We need HOW MANY of these so called "school boards?!" If this video isn't the greatest argument for consolidation of the school districts, I don't know what is!
So true Mongoose. Id like to think all boards arent like this, but im sure im fooling myself! What angers me the most is the complete stonewalling of the public. Its almost like "How dare you ask us a question Joe Taxpayer??! Dont you understand we know whats best for your kids?!" What a joke!
It's so ridiculous how obsessed people are on Long Island with teacher salaries according to this thread. Seeing paragraphs on this and that teacher salary, taxes, school boards posted during afternoon hours you have to wonder what these poster's jobs are. If you think $100K+ is too high of a salary for teachers working for at least 15 years on Long Island then your private sector jobs are paying you peanuts. Skilled workers in good private sector jobs should be making the same, if not a lot more. After I received my graduate degree the job opportunities available paid way more than the starting Long Island teacher salary. The trick is you have to have skills and/or degrees to work in the up-and-coming industries like big IT, biotechnology, nanotechnology, environmental consulting, government contracting, and other logistics. If your not in those fields then you need a certification like a CPA, auditory, or some healthcare field.
Do people in retail really think they're going to make as much money as any civil worker? Looks like here they are just going to hiss and fit when they hear about teacher salaries. Oh boo-hoo teachers and administrators make too much and the taxes are high. Please get over it, all of the Northeast has high taxes. For all you smarties that think unions have anything to do with high property taxes, think again, Texas has high property taxes and it sure isn't a haven for strong civil unions.
It's so ridiculous how obsessed people are on Long Island with teacher salaries according to this thread. Seeing paragraphs on this and that teacher salary, taxes, school boards posted during afternoon hours you have to wonder what these poster's jobs are. If you think $100K+ is too high of a salary for teachers working for at least 15 years on Long Island then your private sector jobs are paying you peanuts. Skilled workers in good private sector jobs should be making the same, if not a lot more. After I received my graduate degree the job opportunities available paid way more than the starting Long Island teacher salary. The trick is you have to have skills and/or degrees to work in the up-and-coming industries like big IT, biotechnology, nanotechnology, environmental consulting, government contracting, and other logistics. If your not in those fields then you need a certification like a CPA, auditory, or some healthcare field.
Do people in retail really think they're going to make as much money as any civil worker? Looks like here they are just going to hiss and fit when they hear about teacher salaries. Oh boo-hoo teachers and administrators make too much and the taxes are high. Please get over it, all of the Northeast has high taxes. For all you smarties that think unions have anything to do with high property taxes, think again, Texas has high property taxes and it sure isn't a haven for strong civil unions.
Such arrogance. Typical. Most private sector jobs now including IT and bio and nano pay peanuts when and if they are available on Long Island (few and far between). This isn't San Jose. I'd bet dollars to donuts (and I have a degree) that most mid to senior tech management employees on LI make less than a 15 year teacher when you factor in pension, medical, 180 day work year and total job protection regardless of performance. Clearly your smugness has blinded you to the actual median income on LI and the dearth of high tech industry. Using your advanced degree powers of reasoning do you REALLY think a kindergarden teacher SHOULD make the same (or in this case MORE) money than any of those highly skilled (and grossly undercompensated) positions on LI? Completely contrary to your argument, check out the labor statistics on the implosion of those jobs here on LI and the massive increase in #'s of professionals taking civil service exams. That tells the story in a nutshell. Most CPA's make in the low 6 figures, less than my sons KG, 1st AND 2nd grade teachers. More than that and you bet they are working mad hours under heavy stress for a big time firm in the city and commuting. The superintendent of a 5000 pupil district makes $380k. Show me the 15 yr biotech researcher making that if they aren't the CEO.
At this point I think you are just a troll looking for reactions. Either that or you are just out of touch with not only the LI economy but your own field.
Such arrogance. Typical. Most private sector jobs now including IT and bio and nano pay peanuts when and if they are available on Long Island (few and far between). This isn't San Jose. I'd bet dollars to donuts (and I have a degree) that most mid to senior tech management employees on LI make less than a 15 year teacher when you factor in pension, medical, 180 day work year and total job protection regardless of performance. Clearly your smugness has blinded you to the actual median income on LI and the dearth of high tech industry. Using your advanced degree powers of reasoning do you REALLY think a kindergarden teacher SHOULD make the same (or in this case MORE) money than any of those highly skilled (and grossly undercompensated) positions on LI? Completely contrary to your argument, check out the labor statistics on the implosion of those jobs here on LI and the massive increase in #'s of professionals taking civil service exams. That tells the story in a nutshell. Most CPA's make in the low 6 figures, less than my sons KG, 1st AND 2nd grade teachers. More than that and you bet they are working mad hours under heavy stress for a big time firm in the city and commuting. The superintendent of a 5000 pupil district makes $380k. Show me the 15 yr biotech researcher making that if they aren't the CEO.
At this point I think you are just a troll looking for reactions. Either that or you are just out of touch with not only the LI economy but your own field.
What Mongoose you didnt know about all those 200k+ Jobs just growing on trees there for the taking to those with advanced degrees??? HAHAHA! This poster is completely full of it, and that comment about Texas having high property taxes like LI destroys any credibility whatsoever.
Long Island needs school boards that will fight to reduce labor contracts. Teachers should be paid fairly, but their current pay and benefits are well beyond what they would earn in the private sector. I know of no people in private industry who work 180 days a year for a full salary and could retire at age 55 with an annual pension almost as large as their last year's salary and health benefits that are incredibly generous and require little or no contribution from the insured. However, we will never get better school boards because the people who serve don't want to disrupt the little darlings' school year over a labor dispute. Parents vote for the outrageous school budgets to keep peace while the little ones are in school and then, when the kids have graduated, they suddenly vote against the budget or move off Long Island. In the meantime, school boards negotiate contracts in secret and are so ashamed of what they allow in those contracts that they don't share them with the taxpayers until after they are signed.
Another thing that needs to happen, but never will, is school district consolidation. Nassau and Suffolk need two countywide school districts with one superintendent for each. This will never happen because: 1) parents think their kids' educations will be downgraded, 2) the racists fear that their children will have to sit next to someone with brown skin in class, and 3) residents think that their property values will go down.
Until these two things change, just be prepared for higher and higher school taxes until no one is left to pay them. One reason they will never change is because school districts, teacher unions and politicians are all in cahoots. Politicians look the other way when it comes to school reform and, in return, the school districts and teachers reliably deliver votes and/or contributions.
I'm sorry but why don't you go into an up-and-coming field or industry that can afford to pay their works high salaries and the management contributes to some of the employees retirement or the company has a pension plan? Industries like biotechnology, nanotechnology, and other logistics are paying great money these days to their workers. My boyfriend works for one of the Big Four accounting firms, he makes $200k so far and his company gives pensions. Teachers salaries are peanuts compared to the STEM research industries or big accounting firms. I think most of the people who complain on this board are not in a high paying, secure field of work.
Yeah, everyone working for a Big Four firm is making $200k, right?
I don't know where you people get your statistics from, but your post is so ridiculous, it borders on troll (a term lots of posters seem to get offended at around here).
On LI, there's not much of the 'explosive' STEM industry you mention. There are some small businesses that pay peanuts when compared to the local cost of living. The number of STEM jobs in the life sciences is really trivial when compared to number of engineering jobs that have gone the way of the dinosaurs on LI. Even in areas, like No. California, where Life Sciences is a growing industry, salaries for scientists are not all that impressive when you look at the cost of education and then the cost of living. In many of these 'up and coming' industries, such as nano-technology, credentials such as a PhD. are not only encouraged, but required. Add to this the whole guest worker program which is bringing compensation crashing down in STEM professions, and your point is useless.
Local teachers, however, are totally different story. In my district, there are very few teachers who don't make at least $100k, way, way above the national average for an educator. But it's not the salary that really hurts, it's the golden pensions and benefits packages that are the economic killers for LI. Each year, these pensions and benefits are worth more and more money, to the point there's no comparable position in private industry. Unless your a CxO-level executive. Or make $200k at a big 4 firm.
Such arrogance. Typical. Most private sector jobs now including IT and bio and nano pay peanuts when and if they are available on Long Island (few and far between). This isn't San Jose. I'd bet dollars to donuts (and I have a degree) that most mid to senior tech management employees on LI make less than a 15 year teacher when you factor in pension, medical, 180 day work year and total job protection regardless of performance. Clearly your smugness has blinded you to the actual median income on LI and the dearth of high tech industry. Using your advanced degree powers of reasoning do you REALLY think a kindergarden teacher SHOULD make the same (or in this case MORE) money than any of those highly skilled (and grossly undercompensated) positions on LI? Completely contrary to your argument, check out the labor statistics on the implosion of those jobs here on LI and the massive increase in #'s of professionals taking civil service exams. That tells the story in a nutshell. Most CPA's make in the low 6 figures, less than my sons KG, 1st AND 2nd grade teachers. More than that and you bet they are working mad hours under heavy stress for a big time firm in the city and commuting. The superintendent of a 5000 pupil district makes $380k. Show me the 15 yr biotech researcher making that if they aren't the CEO.
At this point I think you are just a troll looking for reactions. Either that or you are just out of touch with not only the LI economy but your own field.
As usual, Goose, well put. I didn't even see your response when I wrote my own... You are... spot on. Kudos...
What Mongoose you didnt know about all those 200k+ Jobs just growing on trees there for the taking to those with advanced degrees??? HAHAHA! This poster is completely full of it, and that comment about Texas having high property taxes like LI destroys any credibility whatsoever.
To be fair, Texas prop taxes have jumped up a lot but still not close to the insanity of LI. Plus, no income tax takes away much of the prop tax sting since a lot more $ stays in the paycheck.
Such arrogance. Typical. Most private sector jobs now including IT and bio and nano pay peanuts when and if they are available on Long Island (few and far between). This isn't San Jose. I'd bet dollars to donuts (and I have a degree) that most mid to senior tech management employees on LI make less than a 15 year teacher when you factor in pension, medical, 180 day work year and total job protection regardless of performance. Clearly your smugness has blinded you to the actual median income on LI and the dearth of high tech industry. Using your advanced degree powers of reasoning do you REALLY think a kindergarden teacher SHOULD make the same (or in this case MORE) money than any of those highly skilled (and grossly undercompensated) positions on LI? Completely contrary to your argument, check out the labor statistics on the implosion of those jobs here on LI and the massive increase in #'s of professionals taking civil service exams. That tells the story in a nutshell. Most CPA's make in the low 6 figures, less than my sons KG, 1st AND 2nd grade teachers. More than that and you bet they are working mad hours under heavy stress for a big time firm in the city and commuting. The superintendent of a 5000 pupil district makes $380k. Show me the 15 yr biotech researcher making that if they aren't the CEO.
At this point I think you are just a troll looking for reactions. Either that or you are just out of touch with not only the LI economy but your own field.
Seeing people's responses from stupid say actually gives me a kick. I'm not trolling and I'll give you my two cents.
I personally don't think its normal for kindergarten teachers to be making in the mid six figures even after many years and I believe there are much harder majors than education. But then again I could never have the patience to deal with that many 5-6 year olds for 7 hours, 5 days a week. I think that's a huge problem with Long Island is that the median income doesn't match up to the COL, which is why much of the public sector is making bank. Government jobs tend to adjust better for the COL than private sector jobs. I actually moved back to Long Island recently after finishing my graduate degrees and I noticed the same - lack of fine industries on Long Island. Truly baffles me why, especially since Long Island has a large population now and its so close to NYC. I'll probably be moving soon because are practically no jobs for me on Long Island. As for income in my field, depends on where you work, skills, and education (PhD vs. Bachelors). I know people working in the Global Foundries technology research outside Saratoga and are making bank. Others are undercompensated or average.
Administrator salaries are ridiculous I agree. They've become the equivalence of overcompensated CEOs here.
peconic- Texas actually has quite high property taxes, rest of the COL is fairly low though. Lower than Long Island but higher than many other states, especially comparing to other states in its proximity.
Texas has high property taxes but the civil unions are generally weak there. Makes me wonder do high property taxes and strong unions really correlate as much as we think. Maybe someone can chime in on that who has a better understanding of economics and tax policy.
Seeing people's responses from stupid say actually gives me a kick. I'm not trolling and I'll give you my two cents.
I personally don't think its normal for kindergarten teachers to be making in the mid six figures even after many years and I believe there are much harder majors than education. But then again I could never have the patience to deal with that many 5-6 year olds for 7 hours, 5 days a week. I think that's a huge problem with Long Island is that the median income doesn't match up to the COL, which is why much of the public sector is making bank. Government jobs tend to adjust better for the COL than private sector jobs. I actually moved back to Long Island recently after finishing my graduate degrees and I noticed the same - lack of fine industries on Long Island. Truly baffles me why, especially since Long Island has a large population now and its so close to NYC. I'll probably be moving soon because are practically no jobs for me on Long Island. As for income in my field, depends on where you work, skills, and education (PhD vs. Bachelors). I know people working in the Global Foundries technology research outside Saratoga and are making bank. Others are undercompensated or average.
Administrator salaries are ridiculous I agree. They've become the equivalence of overcompensated CEOs here.
peconic- Texas actually has quite high property taxes, rest of the COL is fairly low though. Lower than Long Island but higher than many other states, especially comparing to other states in its proximity.
Texas has high property taxes but the civil unions are generally weak there. Makes me wonder do high property taxes and strong unions really correlate as much as we think. Maybe someone can chime in on that who has a better understanding of economics and tax policy.
Wow, you came around pretty fast. Guess you do understand why everyone doesn't just go out and get a higher paying professional job. LI can't entice those industries because there is an inherent aversion to change and growth, development, business expansion and many older folks, public employees and politicians are happy with the distorted vision of LI as a 1950's bedroom community of NYC. The problems are that most of the previous prosperity was based on big defense and the aircraft industries which were high tech and lucrative for the time, providing high end manufacturing and skilled engineering jobs and feeder businesses like parts, accounting, business services. Those industries are gone and were never replaced. Now there is no political will to entice high tech incubation The old attitudes are still prevalent and there is an insane adversarial relationship between local govts and business. Oh yeah, and there are a gazillion layers of those local govts each bloated with useless hacks on the public payrolls who LOVE the status quo.
Taxes are high here to support the public employment trough. Most goes to contracted raises and pension obligations. Little goes to infrastructure or service improvements.
The short answer to why Texas prop taxes are high is because there is no income tax. Everything is funded by prop and sales taxes. That is why they are high. The 3 highest prop/sales tax revenue states are Washington, Florida and Texas. All 3 have 0 income tax. When you count NY and many other State's prop, sales and income taxes, the total blows Texas out of the water. I don't think unions have anything to do with that, except that union contracts and benefits drive up the overall cost of living (usually artificially) which pushes up the tax burden across the board.
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