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Sachem went thru 3 years in the past few where tax increases were 0.00, -0.20, and 0.20
Admirable. Too bad this year they are proposing a 4.5% increase and threatening programs if it doesn't pass. Welcome back to the real world. Living on reserves was good politics (and smart finance to be fair) but it doesn't stop the mandates. Gravy train keeps a rollin'! Sachem is a good example of the problem. Even with smart fiscal management, the mandated costs go up regardless. Nothing to do but cut programs or raise the tax levy? Is this best for the students/schools?! Or just best for the union(s)?! Multiply this problem by the entire Island.
Admirable. Too bad this year they are proposing a 4.5% increase and threatening programs if it doesn't pass. Welcome back to the real world. Living on reserves was good politics (and smart finance to be fair) but it doesn't stop the mandates. Gravy train keeps a rollin'! Sachem is a good example of the problem. Even with smart fiscal management, the mandated costs go up regardless. Nothing to do but cut programs or raise the tax levy? Is this best for the students/schools?! Or just best for the union(s)?! Multiply this problem by the entire Island.
Well since mandated means they HAVE TO DO IT, they have to pay for it. Blame the state and feds on unfunded mandates. If you cant cut the mandated, the only left to try and cut are unmandated or raise taxes.
I've gone to every meeting this year over this and studied the budget up and down, the proposal on the table for vote is fair considering what we have to work with. I will be voting yes because punishing the kids for the failings of the state is wrong.
I've gone to every meeting this year over this and studied the budget up and down, the proposal on the table for vote is fair considering what we have to work with.
Whats fair in the Sachem's teacher's contract? It took me less than 2 minutes to find the teacher's contract and to calculate that Sachem teachers are still getting substantial raises. As an example, in 2009-2010 a 10-year with an MA made $73,811, for 2012-2013 that same individual is making $86,705. Close to a 20% raise!
Don't say the budget up for a vote is fair until teachers share in the pain by taking a cut in salary or at the least receive no raises.
The teacher's unions, the BOE's and the superintendents have left you no choice but to vote the budget down if you want to regain control of the budget.
Well since mandated means they HAVE TO DO IT, they have to pay for it. Blame the state and feds on unfunded mandates. If you cant cut the mandated, the only left to try and cut are unmandated or raise taxes.
I've gone to every meeting this year over this and studied the budget up and down, the proposal on the table for vote is fair considering what we have to work with. I will be voting yes because punishing the kids for the failings of the state is wrong.
I'm not arguing. I say burn the state constitution. It's a political patronage contract not worth the toilet paper it's been written on. I voted yes in Levittown. I also could not argue the numerical facts that they did everything to trim that budget to the bare bones while causing as little pain to programs as possible and ended up (last year) at about 1.7%. I hate the system, but what could I do? They did the absolute best anyone could do or expect under the current rules of the game. An austerity budget would have probably cost even more. That's how tight the numbers were.
But it's hardly "in town" - it's on 25A, which is going to have a lot of traffic no matter what. Manhasset also has a thriving downtown.
Not just the traffic on 25A, but both north & south on Port Washington Blvd & Searingtown Road. It took me 3 cycles of a single light before I finally got through that intersection on a Saturday afternoon. Just wanted to hit the LIE. Do people want that when they're just trying to get out of their own town? Guess what color google maps traffic is showing that north/south area as right this moment on a Tuesday? Yellow & red.
Syosset has been battling that mall proposal on Robbins Lane for decades for a reason. I'd love for my taxes here to be lower, but if you throw that much traffic on Old Country Road when it's already congested at rush hour, it'd be unbearable.
Not just the traffic on 25A, but both north & south on Port Washington Blvd & Searingtown Road. It took me 3 cycles of a single light before I finally got through that intersection on a Saturday afternoon. Just wanted to hit the LIE. Do people want that when they're just trying to get out of their own town? Guess what color google maps traffic is showing that north/south area as right this moment on a Tuesday? Yellow & red.
Syosset has been battling that mall proposal on Robbins Lane for decades for a reason.
This is a really excellent post and so true! I love Port Washington and my husband and I like to go there for dinner sometimes (my husband is there every day) and we started looking at houses there a few weeks ago but the traffic getting in and out of PW is a total nightmare! Glen Cove is another town which has the same issue...Sure, you can take side streets to avoid Port Wash Blvd and Searingtown Road, but during winter and icy road conditions, it's just not that feasible. This is my only hesitation with buying a home in PW..the traffic on that main road..so it's like you are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Whats fair in the Sachem's teacher's contract? It took me less than 2 minutes to find the teacher's contract and to calculate that Sachem teachers are still getting substantial raises. As an example, in 2009-2010 a 10-year with an MA made $73,811, for 2012-2013 that same individual is making $86,705. Close to a 20% raise!
Don't say the budget up for a vote is fair until teachers share in the pain by taking a cut in salary or at the least receive no raises.
The teacher's unions, the BOE's and the superintendents have left you no choice but to vote the budget down if you want to regain control of the budget.
There are no raises for teachers in the budget. They are all on freezes, and have been for the last 2 years.
Step increases are still there however. Also 26 of them are retiring and will not be replaced. Also another 23 will be layed off.
Oh that Robbins Lane thing is ridiculous! There's houses RIGHTTHERE.
Yes, all traffic going into north shore towns can be crazy, but locals know back roads. I couldn't tell you how to get into PW because my DH used to live there and goes some crazy back way. Same with Huntington - when I hear people complaining about driving in to town up Route 110 I just shake my head. No one who lives in Huntington uses 110!
quote=rh71;29458277]Not just the traffic on 25A, but both north & south on Port Washington Blvd & Searingtown Road. It took me 3 cycles of a single light before I finally got through that intersection on a Saturday afternoon. Just wanted to hit the LIE. Do people want that when they're just trying to get out of their own town? Guess what color google maps traffic is showing that north/south area as right this moment on a Tuesday? Yellow & red.
Syosset has been battling that mall proposal on Robbins Lane for decades for a reason. I'd love for my taxes here to be lower, but if you throw that much traffic on Old Country Road when it's already congested at rush hour, it'd be unbearable.[/quote]
And just about everyone would like to be in that S.D.
They will pay reguardless of the increases. Anything for little Johnny & to keep the home values.
Does anyone have an option not to pay? We HAVE to pay -- increases or not. Our puppet Board of Ed and strong arm teachers union know this. Somewhere along the line the taxpayers went from being the employer to being the flunkie. No one is sharing the pain. It's passed along to the taxpayers. People are starting to cry, "Uncle!"
The most affluent portion of the district has the most 'no' budget votes. These folks realize that the direction things are going in is unsustainable. Like the rest of us, they don't want to pay more than they have to either; they aren't there for the schools to suck dry.
It's those who echo what you've written -- who want to be in the district because of its reputation -- who keep voting yes, run up the tab, and then plotz a For Sale sign out front their house when it dawns on them that $15,000+ is a lot to pay when each year there are more and more cuts to programs. As the For Sale signs increase in quantity and values drop, our taxes continue to rise. Who in their right mind would spend $350K for a development house (built on a slab) knowing that $12K in taxes will be $15K in a few short years?
One thing many people outside the district fail to see is that there is a lot of property plunk in the middle of the district which does not pay school taxes. Imagine the position we could be in if SBU and UHSB had to pay school taxes? We have two religious-based schools which don't pay taxes, a number of churches and temples, and very little commercial real estate when compared to other districts. A lot of the burden falls on the taxpayers.
Add in the fact that the entire district is not wealthy. Plenty of people south of 25A who have two income families because they have to, not out of choice. A friend just told me that she's selling her house because she can no longer afford the $13K tax bill. She had lost her job and found a new one quickly (lucky for her) but the salary was lower. Her husband's hours were cut back by his employer. Another friend moved out-of-state several years ago. She never had children and could no longer afford her tax bill on the little cottage on a postage stamp. All of which brings us back to the subject of the thread.
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The grass is always greener.
