Vote ‘no’ on May 20 to proposed increase in Schoharie school budget

For years we have been faced with ever increasing school taxes. There are many reasons for this, some of which are:

u School boards that have been overly generous in budgeting.

u Outrageously generous contracts for the Schoharie teachers Association.

u Failed instruction and administration of students to bring the district into compliance with performance standards set by the New York State Department of Eduction.

According to the Web site of the Department of Education, our school district was “in need of improvement” as it was an underperforming and failed school system for a few years. The 2005-2006 state Department of Education Accountability Status Report stated that our school district didn’t make adequate yearly progress in English language and math and was not taken off that list until this year.

This has happened in spite of the fact that our district has 1,020 enrolled students with 100 full-time teaching staff and 17 teaching assistants. This equates to a ratio of one teacher for every 10.2 students.

These are the actual salaries paid to the teaching staff in the Schoharie Central School District for full-time teachers:

17 in the $30,000-$40,000 salary range, with an average salary of $37,436;

28 in the $40,000-$50,000 salary range, with an average salary of $46,105;

26 in the $50,000-$60,000 salary range, with an average salary of $54,504;

8 in the $60,000-$70,000 salary range, with an average salary of $65,767;

6 in the $70,000-$80,000 salary range, with an average salary of $75,501;

13 in the $80,000-$90,000 salary range, with an average salary of $85,468;

1 with a salary of $92,229;

1 with a salary of $98,509.

The teachers’ present contract provides for the following:

u The workday shall not exceed 7.5 hours, including a 30-minute lunch period for teachers in grades K-6 and the length of one instructional period for teachers in grades 7-12.

u The requirement for only a 185-day work year. The Department of Eduction requires every school district to provide 180 days of school per year.

u The district pays 100 percent of health care premiums for teachers.

u The teachers’ prescription co-pays are $5 minimum and $10 maximum.

u Teachers receive 15 days for sick leave per year, three days per year for family illness or death, three days’ leave per year for personal business, two days’ leave per year for religious observance, six days’ leave per year for teacher association meetings, court leave, sabbatical leave, etc. It should be noted that teachers can now accumulate a total of 300 days in sick leave.

I think you would agree with me that Schoharie teachers have, over the years and with the help of various school boards, been provided with a “golden parachute” type of employment. Then there’s that nasty condition called tenure, attainable after three years’ employment, further guaranteeing employment for their work life, barring the commission of a crime or some extremely egregious act.

Again this year we have an increase in spending by the district of 5.56 percent over last year. I urge every property owner and renter in the Schoharie school district to vote May 20, and to vote no on the budget, and send a clear message that these increases in our taxes are not acceptable. Renters should also be concerned, as any increase in property taxes will result in an increase in rents.

Jerome E. Snider

Schoharie

Congress can reduce oil prices by auctioning off coastal plots

The people of New York should recognize that the U.S. Congress isn’t performing its duty to stem oil price increases and inflation. Congress could take action to auction off blocks of oil-developable plots off the East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico and the California Coast. This action would have an immediate market action to reduce the traders’ increasing price for crude and reduce the dollars sent to the oil-producing countries, and also reduce the inflationary threat.

Why can’t the people of the United States demand this action be taken through their representatives? This would be a direct benefit to all of us by reducing the price of gasoline, through competition, as well as increasing the value of the dollar through the same channel. In my opinion, this line of action would far surpass the small savings from the summer tax holiday that many of our elected officials propose. It’s the responsibility of each U.S. consumer to contact their representatives and urge them to implement this action.

Richard M. Tentor

Niskayuna