Written by Michael Moran on May 12, 2010 – 7:09 am
In a New York Post opinion column Raymond Keating says that New Yorkers should scrutinize their school budgets very closely this year.
He writes: “New Jerseyans voted down a record number of public-school-district budgets last month. New Yorkers will have a chance to do the same on May 18 — and should.
According to state Education Department data, New York’s biggest statewide rejection of school budgets in the last four decades was just 34 percent in 1978. On the other hand, the 58 percent rejection rate that Jersey logged last month was its largest in 35 years.
The Empire State’s public-school establishment is hoping it will be business as usual. The New York State School Boards Association, for example, is trying to claim that school districts are proposing spending hikes averaging “just 1.4 percent for 2010-11,” with the statewide average property-tax levy rising 3.2 percent, which is “lower than the five-year average of 4.8 percent.”
In fact, the Empire Center for New York State Policy reports, statewide spending would rise 2.1 percent on a per-pupil basis – with the average per-student tax levy jumping 4 percent.
On the same per-pupil basis, proposed spending increases average 3.2 percent in Nassau County, for an average tax hike of 4.1 percent. In Suffolk, spending would jump 2.6 percent and taxes 3.8 percent; Westchester districts want 1 percent more per pupil, for a levy increase of 2.3 percent.
But the district-to-district variation is far wider — some would actually cut the per-pupil tax levy, while four Suffolk and two Westchester districts want hikes above 10 percent. A total of 191 districts across the state want to increase spending faster than inflation.
The districts reducing taxes deserve kudos. And, since New York property-tax burdens are already too stiff, and countless taxpayers are suffering along with the economy, those districts seeking tax hikes should be ashamed.
But will West Islip voters actually turn down the request for a 10.2 percent jump in the per-pupil tax levy? Will Mt. Vernon City reject a 12.8 percent rise, or North Bellmore a 9.8 percent jump?
Both New York and New Jersey desperately need a tax rollback. For example, on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council’s “Business Tax Index 2010: Best to Worst State Tax Systems for Entrepreneurship and Small Business” (which I author), New Jersey ranked 50th among the states and New York 47th.”
We fail to control our school systems. They run out of control and threaten the loss of programs if they do not get their way.
We desperately need to eliminate the top heavy administrations that are present in most school systems.
There should be only one assistant superintendant, one assistant principal. No duplication of teacher responsibility at admistrative levels and pay. The teachers resent and dislike non teachers coordinating, telling them what and how to teach, picking text books that are poor.
There is much un-needed duplicity for no good education based reason. If it’s not need, then eliminate it. Much savings to be had.