Time to Consolidate Long Island Districts (New York, Roosevelt: fit in, crimes, buying)

[nbres]

Originally Posted by ClarkStreetKid

Here in my county, which has a setup much like the one proposed by NBRes, I picked where my kids would go to school based on location, as even with the county wide SD model you will have good schools and bad schools. Affluence still plays a part in how good a school is as does parental involvement and safety of the students so you will still pay extra for a top school. But the county does try to bring up the lower performing schools by making them magnet schools for engineering, language and math for example.

What kind of school would Wyandanch Memorial High School be if students were trying to go there for an engineering program that counted towards college credits? What kind of attention would the richer folks, police and politicians pay to the area if their kids wanted to attend classes there?

I guess your in a good position to compare Long Island school districts to what your county wide school district in Virginia. I agree that if Wyandanch had a magnet engineering program it would attract students interested in engineering. On the flip side, some of the kids in Wyandanch with special needs could have access to programs elsewhere.

No system is perfect and there will always be better and worse schools, but at least every student would have a fair chance to get a good education despite their own socio-economic background.

I would like to hear more from ClarkStreetKid and how Virginia's county wide system compares to our multiple redundant school district system. What are the everage property taxes in Virginia? How many kids there go on to good colleges? etc...

[ClarkStreetKid]

We paid $3,300 in county taxes on a 2500 sq ft home in an excellent area. The county just opened a two story elementary school to handle the growth of the area. I'm guessing our taxes will go up some.

Here are the specialty programs that are usually placed in the less than top schools. Kids are fighting to get into these programs as they help get you into schools like William and Mary, UVa and other top schools in the state.

Henrico County Public Schools :: HCPS Curriculum :: Specialty Centers: Area of Study

About the only problem with the system is kids have to be bussed out of their neighborhoods which isn't really a big deal except socially. My son plays sports and is a top string player so if he went to one of the magnet schools he'd have to give those things up.

[nancy thereader]

Sadly, I just read an article in Newsday and Wyandanch is the only high school on LI that has NO AP programs. Not even one . And, they do pay high property taxes.

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by fopt65

Let's see what we really would save. The current administrators would just be rolled up into some beauracracy(spelling?) If you think the teachers union will stand by while members are being forced out of jobs, you are sadly mistaken. The union gives more money to politicians than any other union in NY, so NOTHING will happen to the number of employees therefore the decrease in taxes will be minimal at best.

Secondly, do you really think you will always be able to go to your local school? What dope are you smoking? Roosevelt and Hempstead will be "fixed" via an influx of white middle class students bused in to equalize the race and performance levels across all schools. All this to save 1k a year in taxes? No thanks, I'll stay with what I've got.

Nicely put. No thanks for me. I agree with Anthony and Fopt65. I don't mind the extra $2,000 in taxes to be more ensured of what I am buying into.

[fopt65]

Originally Posted by TristansMommy

It is precisely your thinking that will continue to rape us tax payers. Keep thinking that way and watch as our tax bill goes up and up and up and.. well you get the point.
Basically you're thinking is.. well snobbish at best.. really... it is precisely this attitude that it strangling the throats of the tax payers here.
Again..we all want lower taxes..but no one is willing to do what is neccesary to fix it. The "not in my neighborhood attitude"

Show me how much money we are going to save. Consolidating districts is NOT the panacea you think it is. If you don't make a mandatory cap on spending, rein in teacher's salaries, reduce pension benefits, increase teacher's payment of their health plan, nothing significant will be saved.

When your child is old enough to go to school and Hempstead High is now the bussing location for Levittown to try to fix Hempstead's problems, please let me know how you feel about that. See if the grand you saved on your taxes is worth it.

Also, you're thinking the COUNTY is going to do things right? When's the last time that happened? Suozzi can't even balance his budget without raising taxes, now he's going to be in charge? Good Luck, we'll need it.

[fopt65]

Originally Posted by ClarkStreetKid

We paid $3,300 in county taxes on a 2500 sq ft home in an excellent area. The county just opened a two story elementary school to handle the growth of the area. I'm guessing our taxes will go up some.

Here are the specialty programs that are usually placed in the less than top schools. Kids are fighting to get into these programs as they help get you into schools like William and Mary, UVa and other top schools in the state.

Henrico County Public Schools :: HCPS Curriculum :: Specialty Centers: Area of Study

About the only problem with the system is kids have to be bussed out of their neighborhoods which isn't really a big deal except socially. My son plays sports and is a top string player so if he went to one of the magnet schools he'd have to give those things up.

What is the average salary/benefits package for teachers in VA? 80% of the school budget on LI is Employee expenses. Without significant cuts in the salary/benefits of school employees, savings from consolidation will be minimal at best.

[TristansMommy]

First of all... it makes NO difference to me WHERE my child goes to school, as long as it is SAFE.. because as long as i participate, go over homework with my child and make a concious effor to help him learn at home.. the school district he goes to WILL not mean he gets a lesser education. They all teach the same curriculum mandated by the state.. IT'S THE CHILDS ATTITUDE TOWARD SCHOOL THAT HE/SHE PICKS UP AT AT HOME THAT WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE in their education.. not geography.

[fopt65]

No system is perfect and there will always be better and worse schools, but at least every student would have a fair chance to get a good education despite their own socio-economic background.

Every child does have a chance. Successful people have come from good and bad schools and from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
Smart kids going to a "worse" school district will be at the top of their class and more likely to receive a scholarship to college than if they were just middle of the pack in a more competitive district.

[fopt65]

Originally Posted by TristansMommy

First of all... it makes NO difference to me WHERE my child goes to school, as long as it is SAFE.. because as long as i participate, go over homework with my child and make a concious effor to help him learn at home.. the school district he goes to WILL not mean he gets a lesser education. They all teach the same curriculum mandated by the state.. IT'S THE CHILDS ATTITUDE TOWARD SCHOOL THAT HE/SHE PICKS UP AT AT HOME THAT WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE in their education.. not geography.

Exactly MY point. I'm not trading SAFETY for a grand a year.

[TristansMommy]

Originally Posted by fopt65

Exactly MY point. I'm not trading SAFETY for a grand a year.

We're not talking SAFETY .. we're talking education and the quality of it. If hte school itself is UNSAFE.. that IS a different story.

consolidation is only 1 of the many ways the districts need to change in order to affect changes that will make LI more affordable and our ridiculous taxes less so.