Budget Votes

SACHEM VOTED DOWN

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so did S. Huntington

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Northport Budget failed.

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I must admit I voted "no" for Sachem eventhough our friend's girlfriend was being let go because of budget cuts in the same district...I can't afford to have my taxes go up 18%!

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i might not have a job anymore because my district's budget was voted down too...

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Yeaahhhhh!! I'm also in Sachem. That is TOO high of an increase. I feel bad for the retired people living on a set income. We get raises every year and they go to taxes!! Ugghhh!

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The district I work in was voted down, and it makes me really upset. I cant even tell you how much our students are losing next year. I am heartbroken and I hope our board finds away to reinstate some of the programs for these children.

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Posted by Redhead

SACHEM VOTED DOWN

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Actually there is A LOT of misinformation out there. The massive increases are not due to increases in teacher's salaries.

I teach in Seaford. We are third from the bottom in pay in Nassau. Next year, I will get a 2.5% raise. It does not keep up with inflation and technically I'm losing money staying there. Hey my taxes went up too.

The budgets are increasing so much because our Gov. Pataki is severely cutting the percentage of state aid to school districts. Legally, Medicare/Medicaid are state mandated programs (state must pay no matter what the increase is) and the percentage they take up of the total budget is increasing. That means he must cut other areas so he is cutting state aid to public school districts and shifting the burden on the individual homeowners.

Second, he has cut commercial real estate tax in order to keep business and industry from moving out of the state. Again, shifting more of the burden on individual homeowners.

Third, he views LIers as a bunch of rich fat cats and he is shifting money away from us and pumping it into the NYC schools. We all know that while NYC schools need more money they also need better overall societal values to turn them around.

These are the real reasons why taxes have gone up. If you read the literature from your district despite the increase each and every one of them have made SEVERE cuts.

The irony in all of this is that contingency budgets are only a few percentage points less than budgets that are put up for a vote.

Seaford voted the budget down. Do you know what the average savings to the tax payer is between budget #1 and budget #2? $60. a year. They spend more than that at Starbucks in a two week period.

I don't disagree that the budget increases are out of control but I wish more residents were informed about the real facts as to why they are so high.

Don't be angry at your superintendent or teachers. We should all be angry at Gov. Pataki.

If anyone wants the real facts on their home districts budget feel free to FM me and I'll get them for you.
Go to the local budget hearings in your district where you can listen and SPEAK your opinion. What does it say to our kids when people don't attend those meetings and just vote based on what they hear in the media?

P.S. Don't believe everything you read in Newsday. They are very anti-cop, anti-fire-fighters and anti-teachers.

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anything on Comsewogue SD??

my aunt says it passed the vote, and taxes will be going up 6.15%...??? or something like that...

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Theresa...
to be honest with you...i really don't care WHY or WHAT or HOW.....
and 18% increase is RIDICULOUS.

I think that these tax increases are out of control. Is that because of Pataki well fine.. But in all honesty i am STILL going to vote a budget down with a proposed increase like that.

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Posted by MrsERod

anything on Comsewogue SD??

my aunt says it passed the vote, and taxes will be going up 6.15%...??? or something like that...

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Message edited 5/22/2005 8:07:33 AM.

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Posted by kelly4

Posted by Tah-wee-ZAH

Actually there is A LOT of misinformation out there. The massive increases are not due to increases in teacher's salaries.

I teach in Seaford. We are third from the bottom in pay in Nassau. Next year, I will get a 2.5% raise. It does not keep up with inflation and technically I'm losing money staying there. Hey my taxes went up too.

The budgets are increasing so much because our Gov. Pataki is severely cutting the percentage of state aid to school districts. Legally, Medicare/Medicaid are state mandated programs (state must pay no matter what the increase is) and the percentage they take up of the total budget is increasing. That means he must cut other areas so he is cutting state aid to public school districts and shifting the burden on the individual homeowners.

Second, he has cut commercial real estate tax in order to keep business and industry from moving out of the state. Again, shifting more of the burden on individual homeowners.

Third, he views LIers as a bunch of rich fat cats and he is shifting money away from us and pumping it into the NYC schools. We all know that while NYC schools need more money they also need better overall societal values to turn them around.

These are the real reasons why taxes have gone up. If you read the literature from your district despite the increase each and every one of them have made SEVERE cuts.

The irony in all of this is that contingency budgets are only a few percentage points less than budgets that are put up for a vote.

Seaford voted the budget down. Do you know what the average savings to the tax payer is between budget #1 and budget #2? $60. a year. They spend more than that at Starbucks in a two week period.

I don't disagree that the budget increases are out of control but I wish more residents were informed about the real facts as to why they are so high.

Don't be angry at your superintendent or teachers. We should all be angry at Gov. Pataki.

If anyone wants the real facts on their home districts budget feel free to FM me and I'll get them for you.
Go to the local budget hearings in your district where you can listen and SPEAK your opinion. What does it say to our kids when people don't attend those meetings and just vote based on what they hear in the media?

P.S. Don't believe everything you read in Newsday. They are very anti-cop, anti-fire-fighters and anti-teachers.

I agree with you 100%! People are SO misinformed! The budget where I live and the SD I teach in went down . They were both very reasonable percentages too. I am sick of people thinking it's the teacher's salaries and health care. I am sick of people thinking that I work for them b/c they pay taxes that pay my salary. People don't realize that to have a good education you need $$$ in the schools for funding of programs. The kids loose out BIG time when the budget is voted down. (I do have to admit, an 18% increase is WAY out of line and I think I might have taken a second look at that one before making my usual decision to vote yes.) People also don't realize that the reason their house value is so good or not so good is GREATLY effected by their school district. Any desirable areas have the best districts. Keep voting down reasonable budgets or any budget for that matter and you are inevitably decreasing the value of your house. I don't have kids yet. I will support my SD's budget so that my neighbor's kids can get the best education they deserve and in turn my kids will too.

I do think think that seniors still living in the homes that they raised their families in do need a break. Most of them are living on a fixed income and it's not fair for them to carry the same burden of taxes that everyone else has. I'm not saying they shouldn't be responsible for the school tax, but perhaps are able to pay less.

I also have a problem with families who have a lot of kids paying the same amount of taxes as families who have only one kid. Normally I never thought of this but I have a family in my SD that has 7 kids and always complains about the budget and openly admits to voting NO each time. 3 of this families kids are in special ed and the others receive speech services. This family constantly complains that they don't receive enough services for her kids and that programs have been cut. Well wake UP! It's all b/c of the budget going down!

Grrrrrrr!

Thanks for letting me vent. I needed to get this out!

PS- if you are sick of the budget and wnt to do something about it- get involved with Patacki and other higher ups and tell them what you think! The school districts all have pre-written letters that you can get from them (they are also sent home throughout the year if you have kids in your class) and all you have to do is sign it and either return it to your school to mail or you mail it out..... This is the only way to get through to them and get the money back into our schools!

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This is my problem - I am all for teachers getting raises and for the students to get everything they need but I'm not for all the extras taxpayers are forced to provide.

I know of one district that included travel services for state competitions and another for airfare for nationals. Whatever happened to bake sales and car washes and the kids actually RAISING the money????? Back in the day I know the team I was on would have busted our butts to raise the money to go to nationals - why should people who don't have children in the district have to pay????? Like my grandparents could really care less about a sports team winning a national championship?

I also believe that there needs to be better budget management - do we really need all that upper managment????? Cuts need to begin at the top b/c that is where the money is being used inefficiently. I'm sorry to say that a superintendent doesn't need to make $200,000 a year with a million perks. Its not that they don't work hard and deserve a good salary but there needs to be a limit so that the children can reap the benefits of our tax money - children are worth the investment!!!!

Message edited 5/22/2005 9:34:15 AM.

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Ours passed and we received a break down of where the money would go. Most went to teachers increase. Which I have to say, I don't agree with.

And I only get a 2% raise every year. 2.5% is bad but it could be worse


I'm sorry to hear that you feel teachers don't desserve that 2.5% increase. Teachers don't have the opportunity to move around in jobs to increase their salaries like other professions. We are required to constantly increase our education by taking post graduate courses using our own money- and these classes are VERY expensive. Other professions will send their employees for training and pay for it! That is unfair. We are also required to teach with a masters degree while many other higher paying positions don't. We work long and hard- not the 9-3:30 day the kids are with us. We come in on our own time early and stay well past our contractual time making sure YOUR children get the best possible education. We call you at night if it is the best time to reach you to discuss YOUR child if there are any concerns. We give up our lunches for YOUR child. We take our work home with us on weekends so we can get things done so we can spend the valuable time YOUR child is in our classroom wisely. It takes teachers YEARS to earn a good salary. We just don't walk in making $60+ a year! Teachers who make a lot of money do so after teaching in a district for 30 years and spending a lot of their own money increasing their education to keep up with the fast changing standards that ensure YOUR child is receiving the best possible education.

Now- what other working person would give up so much of thier free time and money for their job like teachers do and get slapped in the face with comments that they are making too much money? Do you think you would be able to do this?

I was at a board of ed meeting where a woman spoke up about teacher's salaries. She agreed with you that teachers make too much and that both her and her husband have to work full time to afford living in this great school district. She insisted that we all make $30k a year and that was fair! Why is it fair that I am teaching your child in a great district but make so little that I can't afford to send my own children to a good district? Because I'm a teacher I have to send my kids to a crapy school district so you can afford to stay home and send your kids to a great one?

We are very underappreciated and overblamed for too much and it has to stop!

Again, if you don't like the tax increases you have to do your part in getting the money back into the schools by writing your congress and assembly men and take a stand where the state spends it's money.

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Posted by pschica

Posted by MrsERod

anything on Comsewogue SD??

my aunt says it passed the vote, and taxes will be going up 6.15%...??? or something like that...

it did pass...but prop 2 (which i voted yes to b/c of the "propaganda" they gave outside said its to help kids get buses since i know i wouldn't want my future child to have to walk to school) failed....hinrichs (sp?) and davi got elected to the bd....do you live in comsewogue? (then we are neighbors!!)

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As a frustrated taxpayer, I'm not blaming teacher's for the increase in taxes. As time goes by, I understand costs are going to rise - along with salaries. The problem is that while Teacher's (and other staff) may be getting a 2-5% increase per year, why are the overall increases up 10-15%?

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I undersatnd this all...

BUT the way the taxes are going up and up in INSAME proportions....

I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LIVE HERE AT ALL...
So although i understand that increases are need for better education...

Well if i am not able to live here because of it...what good will it do me????

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