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Its both local and state. The state doles out aid and has been cutting the aid to local school districts forcing school taxes to rise. Where does all the lottery money go? Wasn't that for education? Why does only .78 cents of every dollar actually get back to our district? Why does my money go to help out poorer districts? What about too much unfunded mandates. The whole thing is a mess from the bottom up.
The schools have become dependent on increases in state and federal aid, a better question would be why do they need to go outside the real estate tax. School districts need to budget within their means rather than looking outside for help without controlling costs. There needs to be a balance and districts with little wealth need support but agree with you on the lottery, I don’t think we are getting much back in the school districts and a healthy portion goes to fund college scholarships.
The schools have become dependent on increases in state and federal aid, a better question would be why do they need to go outside the real estate tax. School districts need to budget within their means rather than looking outside for help without controlling costs. There needs to be a balance and districts with little wealth need support but agree with you on the lottery, I don’t think we are getting much back in the school districts and a healthy portion goes to fund college scholarships.
Because really bad neighborhoods have little tax base, relying entirely on local taxes would doom students throughout NY to a very bad education.
The schools have become dependent on increases in state and federal aid, a better question would be why do they need to go outside the real estate tax. School districts need to budget within their means rather than looking outside for help without controlling costs. There needs to be a balance and districts with little wealth need support but agree with you on the lottery, I don’t think we are getting much back in the school districts and a healthy portion goes to fund college scholarships.
I believe historically the state funded over 75% of all school funding but as time went on they reduced it to its current state. But the state still raises its taxes on us and find new ways and things to tax. So now we pay mores taxes on both ends and everyone blames each other.
Just wondering if you'd be singing that tune if they ever decided to go to the "full-time" work schedule that the vast majority of those around you are working, but they kept your salary the same as it is now. Would you then call that new work schedule "full-time +"?
The State can mandate that at any time. Similarly, your employer can change you to "half-time" employee and pay you 50% of your current pay. Would you like that?
Unlike you/teachers, I don't need to deal with any hypotheticals, as I've actually donated blood, so to speak.
The state spared non-union employees from the proposed (and since shelved) 20% furlough because we haven't had a salary increase of any kind since the beginning of 2008, with that trend likely to continue for the foreseeable future. In other words, they thought we had "suffered" enough, at least for the time being.
I've seen my mandated work week increase and the salary didn't budge one penny. Depending on what area of the company you were in, that turned out to be an additional 3-6 weeks of work each year. Mind you, this is at a company that has had its treasury pillaged by the state to the tune of nearly $1.5 billion over the last decade or so in a futile attempt to plug the holes on the sinking ship known as the NYS economy. The teachers would be squawking all over the place if those things ever happened to them. Generally speaking, most teachers on LI have been insulated from the real (economic) world that is around them, particularly so since things really began to unravel in the last few years. My advice would be to enjoy it now, because I think the gravy train is finally coming to an end in the very near future.
And what's the excuse for the school districts that don't have " really bad neighborhoods" ?
Perhaps those districts "need to budget within their means rather than looking outside for help without controlling costs"
How's that "hope and change" nonsense working out for you Pool?
When the majority of the sales and corporate tax revenue is drawn from just several counties, it makes sense in the context of New York state that the wealth of New York would be distributed as it is. It also makes good political sense because there are very many people who earn their money in NYC, but send their kids to schools in the suburbs.
who are proponents of education. Just because they support the system, doesn't mean they are happy about their property taxes going up all the time.
I'd say most people understand the inevitable road that our school's salaries and benefits are taking us down. However, they'd like to find a new way perhaps to deal with the financials of our districts in how they collect the money needed to pay for the education provided. We really need Albany to step up to the plate, an idea they have refused to address for many years now. Instead of thinking about their personal elections, they need to think about why we elected them to an office. Just like our school boards on a smaller scale - they have to wake up to the fact that they represent the taxpayers too, not just the students and staff. People must remind them of this fact constantly.
Status quo isn't what anyone wants. People are just confused and unsure about which route to take to change, and thus Albany does nothing to fix it.
I believe people need to get off the bandwagon that always attacks the teachers and administrators alone. I believe that Albany needs to be held accountable here. We know that not all teachers and admins receive bloated salaries and benefits, some do, but certainly not all. I once even thought that the state, along with the state union, should negotiate and set salaries and benefits for teachers and administrators so they all made the same - or perhaps we'd need a regional cost differential for expensive parts of the state like LI and Westchester. Point being, it would take the excesses out of the hands of the local boards and let them concentrate on policy and budget for everything else. No wealthy district could grab good teachers from poor districts by offering them a lot more money.
Always attacking just teachers and administrators simply causes the obvious reaction, attacking back. Doesn't get anyone anywhere, as evidenced in this now way too long thread! 95% of teachers and admins didn't cause this runaway freight train of salaries and benefits, their unions did along with your school boards and Albany. Most teachers aren't very involved with their unions, they pay their dues and receive the bonus of a good paying contract from whoever negotiated for them.
Actually, there are school districts in non-wealthy counties of NYS that pay teachers quite well. There is a poster on here (fastrudy) who used to be a teacher upstate and said his district paid better than most on LI and he got a real sweetheart deal to take early retirement. Property taxes are even more horrendous up there when you consider the lower value of the homes. It all has to do with the UNIONS, not the location, as to how teachers and admins get compensated.
Albany is full of clowns. When we get a new governor, perhaps this can be addressed. Gov. Paterson is TRYING to do something, but he is a lame duck, as we all know. Plus, look at how people hate him primarily because he is being blunt about how NYS is going broke!
In addition to decreasing state aid, Albany has MANDATED that the school districts pay more for: teacher and admin. benefits and pay more to make sure the teachers' pensions reach a minimum 8% gain. On my school budget, that was a low eight figure ($$,$$$,$$$) line all by itself. Do you have any investments guaranteed to earn 8%? In this economy? That is really just another rip-off of the taxpayers.
You can "blame" the unions all you want, but I don't see many teachers trying to stop them either. Teachers of only 2 school districts stepped up to the plate out of over 120 and refused pay increases, but that was for a very limited amount of time (6 months, 1 year).
RE:
I believe people need to get off the bandwagon that always attacks the teachers and administrators alone. I believe that Albany needs to be held accountable here[LEFT]
Where do you think Albany gets the money to hand to the school districts? Lets be honest, the problem is teachers & administrators salaries and benefits. Many Superintendents make more than the Governor. Many teachers simply make too much. The benefits are too generous. It really is that simple.
[/LEFT]
You totally missed my point here. First off, I said attacking teachers ALONE isn't going to solve the problem. Albany can change the rules the districts have to live by. Albany can get the courage to go up against the union on some issues and try to get the funding of education straightened out. Albany can either fully fund it's education mandates or drop them altogether - would save districts tons of money.
There are many prongs to this issue, and teachers/admins salaries are only one of them.
I would not look to Albany to fix this problem as the solution is local. If you want real change it starts with your local school board, they approve the salaries and benefits for the teachers. If you don’t have a school board candidate then at least attend some of the budget meetings and voice your opinion.
The UFTA has tremendous clout with the Albany and donate money to Silver, Skelos and the other delegates, that is why they had the final word in getting NY state income tax and federal grants and had the final say on capping charter schools.
If you want real change get involved and get some of your neighbors involved, find out when the next contract comes up and find out the guidance your local school board provided to the negotiator. Don’t expect any miracles from Albany, you are the solution.
I'm well aware of the responsibilities of school boards. HOWEVER, you aren't going to see ONE board on LI change the way they do business when it comes to negotiations because every one of them looks to the advice of their lawyer who also negotiates for several other districts. If one is giving out 3% increases, then you can bet most of the others will. If one has a great idea for changing a benefit or asking for a giveback in a particular area, you can bet most of the others will do the same. Nobody wants to be viewed as the lowest paying district in the area, in the county, or on LI.
For across the board changes, one must hope that Albany does some new mandating in favor of the taxpayer for change. Give the school boards the power or ability to actually create sustainable salary/benefit change because all of the state is going to do it!
Sure, local solutions to smaller problems are do-able with pressure from enough residents. Unfortunately, there are still some boards who either won't answer resident's questions in public or who hide behind their own little rules about what they will and won't say in public. Believe me, there is a lot more they can legally say then they let on. I've been involved with this stuff for almost 30 years now, I know!
Its both local and state. The state doles out aid and has been cutting the aid to local school districts forcing school taxes to rise. Where does all the lottery money go? Wasn't that for education? Why does only .78 cents of every dollar actually get back to our district? Why does my money go to help out poorer districts? What about too much unfunded mandates. The whole thing is a mess from the bottom up.
The schools do get their assigned amount from the state from the lottery money. Problem is, and most people aren't aware of this, the lottery money has REPLACED other state aid dollars that we already had. It was not added on top of what we got!
The schools do get their assigned amount from the state from the lottery money. Problem is, and most people aren't aware of this, the lottery money has REPLACED other state aid dollars that we already had. It was not added on top of what we got!
That's correct. Has been for years. In effect, the Lottery money does not go towards education, but rather into the general fund. Reminds me of the Social Security "Trust Fund".
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