Attend Thursday’s Board Meeting!!
Please make every effort to attend the next two School Board meetings. On Thursday (January 7) I will be presenting projected cuts for the next three years. If we wanted to match this year’s tax levy of 2.5% it will mean 2.1 million dollars in reductions. To repeat that percentage the following year it would mean an additional 2.8 million dollars. As you might imagine, reducing our budget by 5 million dollars in two years is not easy. Moreover, the third year another 2.2 million would have to be reduced. The presentation will outline what types of programs and personnel would have to be reduced to make that happen. On Thursday January 21, I will outline a scenario that will reduce our budget by the same amount by closing two schools. It is critical that you are aware of the dilemma we face and to give your input on possible solutions.
I am PROUD to send my children to the Mineola schools and have never doubted for one second about their education. I, as a taxpayer, never expect taxes to go down and in all respect, I don’t think taxes will ever decrease, especially with the rising economy. That doesn’t mean that I condone it, I just think that we have to face reality. My husband and I both work and face the difficulties like others in paying our mortgage, rent, utilities, etc. Everyone has their opinion and they are entitled to it. Just like everyone else, I don’t want to pay higher taxes, but if the budget goes down, what does that mean? Bigger class sizes, less attention to our students, less time to focus on the needs of OUR CHILDREN! Is that what we want??? No one wants to pay more, in any situation, but what are you willing to sacrifice? I’m not willing to sacrifice my kids, even though it might mean more money out of my pocket – my children come first!!! It is too easy to blame others, but I would rather hear possible solutions, as the Dr. Nagler and the Board of Education have made. That doesn’t mean I condone all of it, but I do know that something has to give. The future is unknown but in the end we want our children to succeed, and if some changes need to be made, then maybe that is what has to be done. The future cannot be predicted.
re: Save Our Town.
I commend you on your post. You are not alone. My wife and I agree with your sentiments. I hope we have a major turnout of like minded parents at tomorrow’s meeting.
As far as my screen name applies I now can say as a Hampton Street parent it is probably inevitable that this great school and excellent staff will be one of the schools closed. When my wife and I married and decided to start a family we had a choice to make. Should we stay in queens and buy a home and send our kids to parochial school or find a nice town in Nassau with good neighborhood public schools within walking distance of our home. My wife and I both have to work to give our children the benefit of the education they now receive. My elderly Mother can take the walk to Hampton St. to get the kids if they become ill at school.
I used to attend school board meetings regularly until i saw frivolous lawsuits where board members and administrators sued each other on OUR dime. I guess I’ll force myself to attend meeting tomorrow for my kids’ sake. Maybe there is a glimmer of hope that I made the right decision for my family by moving to Mineola.
Our taxes are not going down. The money i could save on taxes in Queens could afford my children a quality education in parochial school. Hence, my regret.
Corrections the article that I would like everyone to read was in Sunday’s (January 17th) Early Edition that is put out on Saturday. The article is on page A34…..
Did anyone read Saturday, January 16th Newsday, there is a nice article regarding teachers in the 70’s having a salary freeze? I think this article should be read by all board members and administrators before our board meeting on Thursday. If our seniors did not get an increase this year in Social Security and most of our parents have either seen lay-offs, salary cuts, higher costs in medical, etc. What cut backs are happening for our teachers and administators?
Also, I think our Mayor should be at this meeting, along with the Village Board. There are stores closed all over town and now Corpus Christi will be closing as of June. What is this saying about our town and the future of our town. Why as a young couple starting a family would I want to move to mineola??? Is the mayor our school board thinking of this question? Enrollment is down, let’s get people to move to mineola. With stores closed and schools closed, it will be like a ghost town!!!
I agree with the concerned parent who posted a message on Jan 8th. We have to remain positive when selling the budget. I would rather see my taxes go up than to cut programming – or close a school. In my opinion, closing a school is a horrible idea. I urge the Board of Education and the Superintendent’s office to come up with a more creative alternative than closing a elementary school building. You were elected/appointed/hired for these positions because of your ability think creatively and intelligently in challenging circumstances. Now is the time…Please do not make our children…your students… bear the burden of this difficult problem. It is our children who will be most affected by the closing of a school. Please..please…please…come up with a better alternative.
I don’t ever believe the estimate in how much my school taxes will go up. There are many variables that go into that figure and my taxes have always gone up way more than the estimate. In addition to ever increasing school taxes, people are faced with increasing town taxes, village taxes, etc., etc., etc. On top of this, many people are without jobs right here in our neighborhood. There are homes in foreclosures and empty stores up and down Hillside and Jericho and Willis. Seniors who are already strapped are not even getting an increase in their social security. Yes, education of our children is the top priority but EVERYONE who lives here must pay all these taxes and we cannot turn our backs on the seriousness of the financial crisis happening everywhere to everyone. We can’t just look at this year. We have to look down the road because the problem is not going to go away.I don’t know if you have ever been through a contingency budget. A 0% contingency budget would be disasterous especially since it would be implemented for this September. Our parents do not have a strong history of even voting. Let’s see what plan is laid out at the next meeting. I, for one, am glad to see that the Board realizes how dire things are. I would like to see the buildings remain open but if we can’t afford it and a good educational plan with less buildings is an option then I say it is one that we must look at.
The difference between a 2.5% tax levy increase and a 4% tax levy increase is an average of $80 a year or less than $7 a month to homeowners. A tax levy increase of 4.5% (in order to keep all existing programs) would cost homeowners an average $243 more per year or slightly over $20 per month. Most people know about anticipated state fund reductions and are expecting that property owners may be asked to make up the difference. So why not present the numbers in a positive light in order to sell the budget? Why not show how wasteful spending has been eliminated and all funds are being put to efficient and necessary use? So far the budget process seems to be primarily motivated by fear of a contingency budget. Please review the school district mission statement, strategic plan for school excellence, core values and delimiters. These should be your guiding principles in preparing the budget.