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Think about what you've written. If the people you're accusing of driving things up by wanting more, [b]don't show up at the polls[b] it tells me that the original local people are voting for the things which drive up taxes.
BS, because with over 30K registered voters in our school district alone, the MAX we ever get is maybe 5K. It's bull. And we've had austerity budgets because of it. I've watched our budget go from 34 million to now we are up to 115 million. Lazy people. And even if it doesn't pass our budget goes up. There IS no excuse. People who suck our system-and yes they do when they move here. It's pathetic. But God forbid we put a turf field up to vote-they ALL come out of the woodwork to vote it down. Yet got to LI or lower counties, they are ALL over the place. No team wants to come here and home games because of it at our high schools get played at venues with turf. But yet we spend out a ridiculous amount of transportation to schools for special ed. Why? Because their child went to such in such in Yonkers, Millwood,Blythedale, etc because they moved here they KNOW they are entitled to drive their special needs child back to where they moved from, hence the high cost to transportation in your school systems. We transport to only 11 in district schools and 52 out of districts schools daily. The longest is over 1 3/4 hours each way for a special needs school. That's what drives up your costs.
Location: Westchester County, NY -> Pinellas County, FL -> Dutchess County, NY -> Denver?
348 posts, read 535,741 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by manekeniko
People vote on a tiny fraction of the actual budget, making voter "control" an illusion. The bulk of the costs, salaries and pensions, were grandfathered in decades ago and benefits are protected by law. The budget could fail every year everywhere, but staff and pensioners still get paid.
Taxes will never go down here. Only a total housing collapse like Detroit's would have an effect on tax rates.
I don't think so. It's enough to look at Mount Vernon. Terrible taxes along with terrible schools and below mediocre area.
I have yet to have a school budget fail in the 12 years I have been here. But yet everyone I talk to complains of their taxes. Maybe they are scared the sports will be cut so they check yes on the voting card.
Sports continue when budgets fail. Austerity budgets went out over 10 years ago.
The very simple and alternative explanation that a large majority of the voting public support their local district budgets remains a distinct possibility.
(I know there is another poster who claims that teachers and their minions replicate fantastically on voting day and stuff the ballot boxes to the tune of the overwhelming [and record-setting] passing rates and margins we have seen the last few years. That seems a far-fetched explanation for the current - and record-setting budget passing trend).
I had the distinct impression that the rate of increase for school taxes has decreased over the last five years or so. That might contribute to the increasing popularity of the school district budgets.
BS, because with over 30K registered voters in our school district alone, the MAX we ever get is maybe 5K. It's bull. And we've had austerity budgets because of it. I've watched our budget go from 34 million to now we are up to 115 million. Lazy people. And even if it doesn't pass our budget goes up. There IS no excuse. People who suck our system-and yes they do when they move here. It's pathetic. But God forbid we put a turf field up to vote-they ALL come out of the woodwork to vote it down. Yet got to LI or lower counties, they are ALL over the place. No team wants to come here and home games because of it at our high schools get played at venues with turf. But yet we spend out a ridiculous amount of transportation to schools for special ed. Why? Because their child went to such in such in Yonkers, Millwood,Blythedale, etc because they moved here they KNOW they are entitled to drive their special needs child back to where they moved from, hence the high cost to transportation in your school systems. We transport to only 11 in district schools and 52 out of districts schools daily. The longest is over 1 3/4 hours each way for a special needs school. That's what drives up your costs.
All of it drives up costs. What you leave out is that special ed trans and such are usually mandated by the Feds and/or state in return for AID/grant (MONEY). Without the aid, the schools wouldn't have a fart in a stiff breeze of balancing these budgets contending with those contractual raises and pension increases. There is not enough revenue, not even from bleeding the taxpayers. Cuomo's tax cap (though manipulated) has forced control out of the insane LI districts in small measure back to the state, to the total angst of the local schools...until that aid money comes!!
Also, as I've mentioned many times here, after the teachers union, civil service and their families vote, well....there's most of your 5k voters. How can they lose?
For another thread...but... we had open house at my sons middle school last night. 6 teachers in a moderate middle class neighborhood (rhymes with Shmevittown)...$126k (6th grade art, ?!?!), $129k, $111k, $136k, $132k, 125k. Most of the parents crowding the rooms make far less and are killing themselves to sustain this insanity. Also, we (not ME, WE, a number of us sucker parents) noticed most of the parents were fat and pasty. Most of the teachers were thin and relaxed. Nice to have summer's off I guess.
For another thread...but... we had open house at my sons middle school last night. 6 teachers in a moderate middle class neighborhood (rhymes with Shmevittown)...$126k (6th grade art, ?!?!), $129k, $111k, $136k, $132k, 125k. Most of the parents crowding the rooms make far less and are killing themselves to sustain this insanity. Also, we (not ME, WE, a number of us sucker parents) noticed most of the parents were fat and pasty. Most of the teachers were thin and relaxed. Nice to have summer's off I guess.
lol. How long were all of those teachers there? I'm guessing quite a long time. Nice to pass judgement on everyone too, my wife actually does work all summer doing summer school and will lose weight because of the stress. but keep telling yourself whatever you want to believe to make yourself feel better.
BS, because with over 30K registered voters in our school district alone, the MAX we ever get is maybe 5K. It's bull. And we've had austerity budgets because of it. I've watched our budget go from 34 million to now we are up to 115 million. Lazy people. And even if it doesn't pass our budget goes up. There IS no excuse. People who suck our system-and yes they do when they move here. It's pathetic. But God forbid we put a turf field up to vote-they ALL come out of the woodwork to vote it down. Yet got to LI or lower counties, they are ALL over the place. No team wants to come here and home games because of it at our high schools get played at venues with turf. But yet we spend out a ridiculous amount of transportation to schools for special ed. Why? Because their child went to such in such in Yonkers, Millwood,Blythedale, etc because they moved here they KNOW they are entitled to drive their special needs child back to where they moved from, hence the high cost to transportation in your school systems. We transport to only 11 in district schools and 52 out of districts schools daily. The longest is over 1 3/4 hours each way for a special needs school. That's what drives up your costs.
Still, you accused LIers of moving there driving up costs and not voting. Then you say they are coming out and voting down budgets. Then you mentioned those driving up costs moved from districts which are clearly not on LI. Next you show a very obvious bias against special needs children who have a right to transport to receive an education. You're not driving them back to LI, but districts elsewhere in yourcounty or districts surrounding your county. Special education mandates at both the state and federal level have to be followed despite not receiving funding.
You mention how much your budget has risen but don't give any indication how long it took to get from $34m to $115m. How much of the budget is offset by state aid? You don't discuss whether staffing has increased, contracts, benefits. No mention of new construction, maintenance, upgrades and bonds.
You're frustrated, aggravated, getting taxed to death, seeing costs rise around you. I get it. You can't blame LI for this when you acknowledge that people from elsewhere in your region are moving to your community.
I don't think so. It's enough to look at Mount Vernon. Terrible taxes along with terrible schools and below mediocre area.
It's an area which once (a long while back) had decent schools and was a nice place to live. As the social ills of the Bronx crept up into the area with new residents who did not have the same values, things started to head downward. Really sad, because it is an easy commute into NYC. Unless the Bronx undergoes some major gentrification I don't see MV bouncing back.
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