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This is in response to multiple major crisises on LI affecting everybody; ranging from the infamous LI Tax Epidemic and major quality of education issues.
Let's say both Nassau and Suffolk County were to break up into 6 school districts each. What do you think will be the effects of this on LI society as a whole?
This will drastically reduce taxes since there will be exponentially less overpaid/overpensioned upper-school management. It will also not negatively affect desirability that much b/c all of the neighboring districts would have similar adjustments
It's a real sticky situation b/c a lot of LI'ers take pride in their school district...but at the same time, there are so many children who happened to be born on the "wrong side of the tracks" who don't get access to motivated environments due to things out of their control. If the school lines are drawn very carefully, there would be minimal negative impact on each school system.
Depends how they are divided up. Generally it means more resources for poor districts with a lower tax base and less resources for wealthier areas. Now guess why it won't happen.
It'll never happen, because the current system is too entrenched, and the people with the power to actually make it happen are precisely the people who would get no benefit from it. That said, I have friends who grew up here and now teach in other places where there are county-wide school districts, and they have nothing but good things to say about the format, so I think you're right, it would be beneficial overall.
I wish this would happen. Not every school district needs their own district. There are 125 districts in Nassau and Suffolk!
Benefit: Lower taxes
Con: Some parents might feel their kid isn't getting as much attention, but hey, some might get more attention with combined districts.
I am part of a centralized high school district. The savings are minimal at best with complete loss of local control. I would take the proposed savings of centralized districts with a very large grain of salt
This is in response to multiple major crisises on LI affecting everybody; ranging from the infamous LI Tax Epidemic and major quality of education issues.
Let's say both Nassau and Suffolk County were to break up into 6 school districts each. What do you think will be the effects of this on LI society as a whole?
This will drastically reduce taxes since there will be exponentially less overpaid/overpensioned upper-school management. It will also not negatively affect desirability that much b/c all of the neighboring districts would have similar adjustments
It's a real sticky situation b/c a lot of LI'ers take pride in their school district...but at the same time, there are so many children who happened to be born on the "wrong side of the tracks" who don't get access to motivated environments due to things out of their control. If the school lines are drawn very carefully, there would be minimal negative impact on each school system.
What is your opinion?
Let's say both Nassau and Suffolk County were to break up into 6 school districts each.
-Maybe at least 3 school districts in Nassau and 10 in Suffolk as the school districts will probably be based on Towns like in parts of New England. Not sure about Long Beach or Glen Cove in Nassau.
This will drastically reduce taxes since there will be exponentially less overpaid/overpensioned upper-school management.
-I disagree with "drastically" because while the overpaid school superintendent gets the public's attention, I believe the real money is still going to teacher and other school employee salaries and benefits. Plus even if there was any savings from consolidation, I doubt the taxpayers would see it.
It will also not negatively affect desirability that much b/c all of the neighboring districts would have similar adjustments.
-Yes it would negatively affect desirability because one of the main selling points of many LI neighborhoods is that they have better school systems.
It will save a few million (maybe) in administrator salaries, that's about it. A paltry savings when spread out and as others have said, not nearly enough for entrenched interests to give up local control. Schools already purchase off state, county, coop and public bids and pay low prices for supplies. There would be no savings in "volume" purchasing as they already pay "volume" pricing. That often used argument is out the window. I'd love a county school system but on LI I am 100% certain any change will end up with any money savings falling into mysterious holes and being completely taxpayer neutral. The exorbitant costs are in whacked out teacher salaries and benefits and consolidation doesn't do anything to address that.
1) All of the teachers contracts would have to become one county contract. Would the highest paid teachers be willing to accept a decrease to match the salaries of their counterparts in equivalent positions (years/step) in the lower paid districts, or would everyone be brought up to the highest rate?
2) Some districts have higher debt burdens than others. Would this be spread about the county or would the debt remain specific to a particular area?
3) Busing issues. Would this become a matter of shifting children from a more diverse area into ones which are more segregated? Will children be stuck on the bus longer than they already are?
In Vermont we have supervisory unions. Where I am, there are four districts which fall under the aegis of a supervisory union. The SU is lead by a superintendent, associate superintendent, and one administrative assistant to the superintendent. There are 4 elementary schools, and 2 combo HS/MS. Each HS/MS has 1 elementary school which would feed into it. The other 2 elementary schools are for districts which are too small to maintain a HS/MS; these districts have choice between the existing 2 HS/MS. Given the size of the SU, most choose the HS/MS closest to them.
Within the SU, the teaching salary schedule varies from district to district as negotiated between the SU and the teachers union. The figures are very close at each step interval.
In some respects, the SU approach will save some money by eliminating duplication of services and redundant positions. However, there is a teachers union in the state which will ultimately negate any savings realized by the SU approach.
-I disagree with "drastically" because while the overpaid school superintendent gets the public's attention, I believe the real money is still going to teacher and other school employee salaries and benefits. Plus even if there was any savings from consolidation, I doubt the taxpayers would see it.
Keep in mind that by upper management, i'm not only speaking of the superintendents but the Assistant Superintendents, Executive Directors, etc. They also tend to have sky-high salaries.
However, I do agree that Teachers do have the largest expense due to the volume of them. There's nothing you can do about that due to the unions, etc.
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-Yes it would negatively affect desirability because one of the main selling points of many LI neighborhoods is that they have better school systems.
True, but if each school system has similar zoning adjustments then neither school system will have a major advantage over the other. Many areas are desirable for superior school systems but the school systems will be about equally as superior.
at the same time, there are so many children who happened to be born on the "wrong side of the tracks" who don't get access to motivated environments due to things out of their control. If the school lines are drawn very carefully, there would be minimal negative impact on each school system.
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Originally Posted by MemoryMaker
True, but if each school system has similar zoning adjustments then neither school system will have a major advantage over the other.
Does one take a small district like Port Jefferson or Mount Sinai and then merge it into one of the lesser performing districts in order to give children from 'the wrong side of the tracks access to motivated environments' or will that only serve to dilute or permanently alter the 'motivated environment' as the new district would still have to deal with the same issues the lesser performing one did?
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