Comments

Why do you think the budget was voted down?

No one wishes to vote because no one wants to pay the administration's salary.

It is blatantly obvious that it must be the case when the budget for the bus wins while everything else gets turned down.
 

People are trying to send a message to Dr. McCarthy. However, they are doing so at the expense of children. He will receive his paycheck regardless of whether the budget passes or not. In the end, it is the children who will pay the price for a defeated budget.
 

I think the budget was voted down b/c of the games certain individuals on the BOE (Dalaba & Philo) "stacking the votes" and trying to bully others into voting their way. These individuals have and have had personal agendas and power trips which have the voters wondering how some of these projects are being funded and where the actual money is going. I think it's a way to keep a better watch on the spending to hold McCarthy and the BOE accountable. Anyonymous letters, sign stealing, running individuals against those just elected, PHilo and Dalaba have stated the public doesn't know what's going on, well , Philo and Dalaba's ignorance is what's been bringing this board, school and community down. Anything w/ their names attached to it will never be voted on by the public. Let's see what tricks they come up w/ next vote.
 

The spending plan is NOT reflective of the economic conditions we are experiencing. All the indicators were there when this budget was prepared. No empathy for people who are now struggling. Always a never ending wish list. Lots of things need to be cut from the budget. No new spending, just like our households. We need a hiring freeze. Just like at other places of employment. Those with jobs, just get more to do. No new hands on deck. We are cutting corners and that is exactly what the school needs to do. Redo this budget, make it reflective of our households.

I do not really know how the money will be spent and what are they sneaking in to pay for things that they don't want the public to know. I do not trust that the money will be spent wisely. An example, the lights for the football field. $430,000!! Did we really NEED the lights or did we WANT them.

The community was sending a message to the Supervisor & Board that they need to trim the fat. Don't keep asking for money to purchase items that were approved in the last budget but never obtained, what happened to that money? Also, they are tired of the arrogance of some board members and will cooperate much more when certain members (three to be exact) are removed or voted out. We will be a much better community when that happens.

Why does the budget include a cut of $500 in the Honor Society Program, yet an increase in funding of $1000 for Sports Awards? The BOE needs to stop putting sports before education!

I voted for the budget, but some people I spoke to said they voted it down because their kids were out of school. Perhaps a public campain or forum on the benefits of education to society (everyone)would help.

Budget:
-The school budget of 4.9% continues to exceed the Cost of living Index. The Tax Reduction that was presented is the result of additional State aid funds and not from any cost cutting/ cost avoidance programs and projects.
- State Aid comes from the taxpayers of NYS. It is not “free money” as implied. As the economy grinds down it will be interesting what dollars the state will be passing out in the form of state aid, Star and Enhanced Star in the coming year.
-Lack of Trust in the Superintendent and Majority of the school board: Meetings that I have attended questions I have asked and written communication that I have received shows the lack of “straight Talk” and efforts to knowingly mislead the taxpayers of this district.
-Communications: The most recent budget review meeting, although advertised in the “classified” section of the post star and “meeting notice” section of the same paper (everyone reads those sections of the paper) No extra effort was demonstrated to inform the public. Additionally the Newsletter (available the evening of the meeting) was received a few days after the presentation. As no mention of the budget meeting was in the mailing one could conclude that the “administration “ and “Board” did not want to answer any questions on the budget, Sections “D” and “E” of the summary report and the establishment of the Capital reserve fund. On the other hand, the administration and school board were just plain complacent because of no protery tax increase and lack of public Interest.

Capital Reserve fund:
-With “bare bones budgets” where does the money come from for this fund? “Hear and there” is not a very professional answer or maybe I did not hear the response correctly at the budget meeting.
-If I read the newsletter correctly, the “unreserved funds” which I understand might include monies left over from the previous year’s budget balances will be applied to this fund yet in a letter written to me last year when I asked this question about left over budget funds, the response was “applied towards Tax Reduction”.
-What does “budget appropriations” Mean, It sounds like to me that you want to increase the budget for the purpose of putting a fixed amount of dollars from the taxpayer into the fund over and above the normal operations.
-Section “D” and “E” – This is the taxpayer’s moneys’. What authorizes the school board and superintendent to collect 10 million dollars plus and hold these dollars. Are these funds or portions of these funds slated to go into this new reserve fund?
-In all cases, I feel the citizens should have the choice to spend these dollars or returned it to the taxpayers every time that you decide to tap into this proposed capital fund.
-Capital fund indicates to me, brick and mortar. With poor Facilities utilization I would hope that you would be looking at extending the school day; maybe a 4-day school week or maybe school should be operating year round or some combination of. What does a business do when it needs more capacity?
-I would have much preferred to have a proactive academic fund established to implement “Best Practices”, new teaching programs, and new inatives with out the red tape and to be immediately responsive to today and tomorrows needs. We need to “step out of the box” and remove the roadblocks to progress.

Summary:
Being retired and looking to preserving my fixed income, in this volatile economic period it is hard for me to justify supporting expenditures for 1st class athletics fields, Press Box, night lighting, Grounds keepers and specialized grounds equipment, budgets in excess of the cost of living index and other non-academic activities. You have countless opportunities to save dollars yet it appears that it’s “business as usual” That mentality is not acceptable in my view.
I seriously question the superintendent and majority of the board’s creditability in leading and managing this school academic program into the future with a high degree of excellence that is required in order to provide the future engineers, scientist etc. to solve some of the most important issues facing this country going down the road.
If you feel the need to discuss any of these points, let me know. In addition, answers to my questions will be welcomed.
In conclusion, I fully realize that there are many issues with difficult choices and decision. Lack of public participation can make one assume that you have approval for your actions, which can be very misleading. I can only ask that you be Clear, Truthful and Respectful to All the citizens of the district and never compromise these values. What direction that the superintendent and the board of education take the school district should be for the whole community, not your personal wants and likes.

Vince Sporrer May 27, 2008
 

"While the cost of living has risen, gas and food prices have
risen, we all have to tighten our belts. The school should too."

"Grow a pair and make the hard choices the the tax payers have to make. Wishful thinking!!!! But hey you never know with the new people voted in. I won't hold my breath."

"I find it unacceptable that the State has decided to provide the school with 2 million $'s in additional aid and they have a reserve of over 9 million $'s, however, the school finds a need to want more money?
This is ridiculous! If we have to live within a budget for which many families here do not even receive wage increases, then the school needs to be financially responsible as well."
Estilo Nieves

"Mccarthy and the fact that some larger schools have a smaller budget.."

"As a statement to get rid of McCarthy"

" Don't want higher taxes especially when we had a board with majority and never like a thing they did which was there own agenda. Why would we reward that"

"The School district keeps asking for more and more money when it acknowledges it has approximately $9 million in a reserve account. People are struggling just to meet their own bills without such a backup plan. The District says the tax rate is lower, but it has to increase the rate because of the Star Program. How does this benefit recipients of the Star Program? They just have to pay out more--there is no real savings."

"the bad press associated with your wacky board of education. In the past the focus has been on your fine educational programs. This has changed with now that you have board members who think they are qualified to run the school."

"It's time for the board to realize the tax payers aren't this huge pool of money that has no limit. I'm so glad we won and defeated the budget. There is a group of us who will continue to grow in numbers as long as the board thinks we are a bottomless pit of money. We have cut corners to meet our home budgets. Now it's time for the board to show they have a back bone and make the tough choices. thanks for letting me vent."

"We think the budget was voted down due to negative press and bickering! How dare you attack an innocent person just because they had a family member running for the board! Spend a day at any school in our district. See how hard the teachers work, how many after school hours they spend so YOUR children can get a decent education! Stop the insanity you are helping to create. Spend your time doing something positive for a change! You are only hurting our schools and community with your nonsense!"

"I think the the state of the economy has a lot to do with the budget's defeat. With gasoline at $4 per gallon and food prices so high, people need to save money wherever they can. If they have a choice in whether to raise their taxes or not, the choice is a no brainier."

"Teachers need to start paying thier fair share of benefits just like the rest of the working world. Teachers should be paid well and they are, but they should not be treated as untouchable."

"I do not understand how the budget can go up, but taxes would go down. Is it because of an increase in state aid, more taxpayers, or something else? I also do not recall getting as much information about the budget this year as I got last year."

"No tax increase for the taxpayers. The budget vote was a no-brainer. It would have passed in any town except ours. It's a sign of dissatisfaction with the running of our school district."

"We have a Reserve Fund with a balance of $9 million, I think people want to see a bigger cut in the tax payments & use up some of the Reserve Fund. $9 million seems VERY excessive!"

"I THINK THE COMMUNITY IS GIVING THE BOARD AND CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION A MESSAGE THAT THEY DON'T LIKE WHAT GOES ON IN THE DISTRICT. ITS THE ONLY WAY THEY FEEL THAT THEY WILL BE HEARD. I FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY MANY YEARS DID NOT VOTE AT ALL."

"I believe the unfavorable vote is because taxpayers continue to see inceases in taxes but do not see the promised improvements to offset the increase."

"Residual hatred of McCarthy, Dalaba and Philo who have consistently acted in ways to allienate the parents and voters with no regard for what is best for the children. They are still out of control!!"

"Indictment of the Administration. Folks do not seem be pleased about those in charge. How else can you justify a vote NO vote to LESS taxes."

"Personally, I feel the newest members of the Board are pushing their own agenda, and their sole motive is NOT the best interests of the children, but their own. I think some Board members only goal is to have Dr. McCarthy removed from his position as Superintendent. The small number of people that came out to vote doesn't represent a large enough portion of our community that made an informed decision. The perfect example of these statements was the letter to the editor in The Post Star supporting Rob Fitzgerals, Jeff Riggi and Bethney Lorti-Deno.
One of the items in the letter indicated that Mr. Coffeey was friendly with Dr. McCarthy and had coffee/lunch with him once a week. It really doesn't matter, SGFCC seems to be pushing their own personal agenda -- something they are claiming the other board members are trying to do.
The results of the election only indicated that the three successful candidates had more friends go out and vote than the others."

"Not a responsible spending plan for the economic times"