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I understand what you're saying, but private school/Catholic school students obtain buses and other items through the public schools. Not paying into the public school system would pass a portion of that tax onto their private school bill.
If private school people weren't paying taxes on the public schools their homes were within, wouldn't that be something equivalent to the voucher/school choice system?
I'm not saying private school = no property tax.
I'm saying 50% property tax cut across the board.
Now each kid enrolled in a public school has an address right? Add 3k to the property tax of that house.
(doesnt have to be 3k, or 50% property tax cut) these are just rough numbers.
Only people I see screwed with this idea are the renters.. and families with more then 3 kids.
*based on 12k a year prop taxes*
As for Walters remark about consolidate school districts, I'm not against that either ! so long as the kid doesnt have to get on a bus at 6am to make an 8am school start.. Not sure how that would save on taxes, since if you lay off all those districts, you still have to pay all those pensions / health benefits for the longer term employees =)
Don't pay? What happens if you don't pay your prop taxes now?
Can't pay? How are they paying their prop taxes now?
This would probably only affect those who have more then 3 kids no?
As for renters ? Their rents would go up, because the homeowners property tax would go up.
Obviously it has some kinks that need to be worked out, and No I'm not rich where its just another dollar to me, I wouldn't really be able to afford what I am proposing.
But it looks fair.. Prop taxes pays for schools.. if you have no kids in schools, or choose to send your kids to private schools, why should you have to pay 12k a year?
These type of proposals are too arbitrary and would result in further assessment of what a child truly "costs". Hard to make that work. So many scenarios would have to be addressed...how about the private school student who uses public special education programs and busing versus the private school student using just the buses...autism costs versus BOCES usage. If we are starting to apply tax dollars to a particular child then you have to be ready to break down to the penny the cost of that particular child's services usage in a school system. Because there will be plenty of people protesting that their AP kid costs less than the Special Education child...as nauseating as such a comparison might be. That is nearly impossible reconcile.
The real solution is the most difficult. Go after the costs. It is a serpentine mess of unions and state systems and local control but that is one solution. First by candidate election and second by school board involvement. There have been plenty of instances of waste and abuse showcased recently. The accountability needs to return to these districts as well as an intelligent approach to centralizing purchasing, health care contributions, etc. Many say that this will never happen, but revising the current system already in place might have a better shot than submitting an entirely new tax structure. I personally do not buy that those who no longer have children in the school system get a free pass on contributing. Long Island home values, and their subsequent home valuation, is significantly impacted by the school district reputation. You can not argue that you can reap that benefit in equity but claim that you do not have to continue supporting the schools.
These type of proposals are too arbitrary and would result in further assessment of what a child truly "costs". Hard to make that work. So many scenarios would have to be addressed...how about the private school student who uses public special education programs and busing versus the private school student using just the buses...autism costs versus BOCES usage. If we are starting to apply tax dollars to a particular child then you have to be ready to break down to the penny the cost of that particular child's services usage in a school system. Because there will be plenty of people protesting that their AP kid costs less than the Special Education child...as nauseating as such a comparison might be. That is nearly impossible reconcile.
The real solution is the most difficult. Go after the costs. It is a serpentine mess of unions and state systems and local control but that is one solution. First by candidate election and second by school board involvement. There have been plenty of instances of waste and abuse showcased recently. The accountability needs to return to these districts as well as an intelligent approach to centralizing purchasing, health care contributions, etc. Many say that this will never happen, but revising the current system already in place might have a better shot than submitting an entirely new tax structure. I personally do not buy that those who no longer have children in the school system get a free pass on contributing. Long Island home values, and their subsequent home valuation, is significantly impacted by the school district reputation. You can not argue that you can reap that benefit in equity but claim that you do not have to continue supporting the schools.
To their credit, districts have been trying to do some of those things with limited sucess. But change is slow and sometimes not in the right direction that in the end, costs more. IMO merging districts where it makes sense could help alot but there is no incentive fro schools boards and adminstrations to even concider it.
As for Walters remark about consolidate school districts ...
That's eliminate, not consolidate ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by JustBored
Not sure how that would save on taxes, since if you lay off all those districts, you still have to pay all those pensions / health benefits for the longer term employees =)
Place the funds received from selling the real property (land, buildings, etc.) of the eliminated school districts into a fund that would finance these expenses, returning the surplus funds, if any, to the property owners in each district.
The real solution is the most difficult. Go after the costs. It is a serpentine mess of unions and state systems and local control but that is one solution. First by candidate election and second by school board involvement. There have been plenty of instances of waste and abuse showcased recently. The accountability needs to return to these districts as well as an intelligent approach to centralizing purchasing, health care contributions, etc. Many say that this will never happen, but revising the current system already in place might have a better shot than submitting an entirely new tax structure. I personally do not buy that those who no longer have children in the school system get a free pass on contributing. Long Island home values, and their subsequent home valuation, is significantly impacted by the school district reputation. You can not argue that you can reap that benefit in equity but claim that you do not have to continue supporting the schools.
I would vote for you. I particularly agree that in order to reap the benefits of equity that execellent school districts bring, than it's fair for all who live in that district to continue to support those schools.
Taking time to implement changes is a luxury. There's no time for that luxury of time any more. Every other corner of American commerce has had to find ways to cut costs, streamline, work leaner and meaner without sacrificing quality and without having to totally reinvent the wheel -- and they are doing it and doing it quickly if they want to stay alive and compete. Something has to be done. Just do it.
Then where would all the teachers live? I guess not on LI......What about police? Lower them too? Where wil they live? Queens?
Why don't we cut out sports, music and after school activities.....we don't "need" them.
I do agree about administrative positions....
Why couldn't the teachers live on LI? They are some of our best paid citizens. I heard at a recent school board meeting, the 2nd grade librarian got up and said she was deferring her retirement one year or she would "lose 300,000 of her hard earned money." In other words, they were offering a buy out. Sick.
That is my issue with illegal rentals (not immigrants, just apartments). How many illegal renters are enrolling their children in schools with our tax money? My district was SO strict with ensuring tht we actually did reside in the home we just purchased. The school did a drive-by (not shooting LOL), asked for our new licenses, deed to the home and utility bills. But this is NOT the norm for the Island. Illegal apartment rentals are a major problem on this island. And if people need to do so in order to pay their mortgage, then at least make the apartments legal and pay your share of the taxes, rather than have your neighbors absorb the costs.
Don't the illegal immigrants' landlords pay taxes? It's by house, not number of children. That is why I pay the same taxes as my neighbor with 6 kids, and I have none.
So if I made 75k a year for the past 30 years, Id be getting 50k or so a year for life after I retire no?
They have to fix the pension system, it is no longer affordable, sure it was great back then when it was first developed, but people are living 15+ years longer..
And if you think taxes NOW are bad, did you know in the 80's income tax was pretty much double what is was today or something like that??
The pension system for teachers was initiated when teacher salaries were very low. That's the problem. We can't afford to pay them that much now.
I've mentioned this before, but I feel I must mention this again...I think it is both tenure and pension. Some may have read my posts regarding an aunt of mine. She HATES the job, is completely burned out, but tenureship keeps her there, and she's putting in the extra couple of years to receive close to $100K/year in a pension. Outrageous!
Last edited by iluvmycuties; 05-24-2008 at 09:05 PM..
Reason: sp
I grew up in Oceanside and have lived in Raleigh, NC for 20 years.
The county schools are not bad at all. They're stressed now because of many new residents fleeing cold weather and insane taxation.
County schools can save you money but towns will have less local control.
Sounds like that's critical now for LI.
Good luck.
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Real solution
I particularly agree that in order to reap the benefits of equity that execellent school districts bring, than it's fair for all who live in that district to continue to support those schools.
