The Times Herald-Record reports that in the Valley Central School District parents and community members received printed information about proposed cuts, and parents and eductors were asked to help prioritize them.
Valley Central parents asked to prioritize
By Meghan E. Murphy
Times Herald-Record
Posted: March 02, 2010 - 2:00 AMMONTGOMERY -- Parents and community members got a list they've been waiting for Monday that detailed possible cuts to Valley Central schools.
The district needs to find about $5.2 million in savings to compensate for state aid reductions and contractual budget increases. The district already held meetings in Maybrook to inform parents about the possibility of closing the community school or restructuring elementary schools, which could save about $1.6 million.
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The six-page list included more cuts than the district needs to make but Hooley asked parents to prioritize. In a roundtable, educators and parents listed things they want to keep: full-day kindergarten, small class sizes, middle school teachers and a balance of extra-curricular activities such as music.
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WHERE ARE THE PRIORITIES IN THIS DISTRICT?
What is being cut? What stays? Does anyone outside the sealed bubble of the administration and BOE have any idea? What deals are being made now that transcend educational priorities balanced against budget cuts and taxpayers' economic losses?
NY requires that each student graduate with a regents diploma after earning 22 credits, but many students graduate with 28...30 and more credits. All of those credits cost taxpayers more money. Typically a teacher is paid $70,000+ plus benefits and materials to teach these nonmandated classes; Acting, Dance, AP cources, Ceramics, Child Development, Criminal Procedures, Digital Photography, Entrepreneurship, Fashion design, Foreign Language levels 4&5, Independent Study, Media Production, Photograhy, Principles of Accounting, Marketing,Sculpture, Sociology, Visual Communications and more.
All of these extra, unmandated courses, cost taxpayers MILLIONS of tax $$$$. NECSD offers nearly 300 different courses in the HIGH SCHOOL. Many with enrollment under 20 employing dnearly 100 teachers and support staff. These courses, need to be the first ones cut.
If parents want their child to go off to college with extra credits then the parents pay, in full. The dirty secret is that these parents are saving tens of thousands of $$$ in college costs by having the taxpayers foot the bill for their child's college level courses taught in our high school. Parents get a free ride at the taxpayer's expense.
Arlington sets school budget forums - where are NECSD forums
Another district makes the effort to get public input at a rational time - From the Poughkeepsie Journal
"The Arlington School District will hold a series of town hall style budget meeting forums, beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday at Union Vale Middle School.The district wants to hear from residents as it works hard to retain critical education programs and services while balancing the needs and concerns of taxpayers."
Congrats to Arlington!
Stilll waiting for NECSD to get on board with more transparency...more open public forums....More listening to the taxpayers!
The real lesson on budgets comes from making choices
A THRecord editorial says it all -
"The board and administration of Valley Central Schools are making sure that this most difficult school budget will be constructed with the kind of transparency that is necessary to build community support.... it is never too late to include the public in this important business."( are you listening NSD BOE?)
"Too often, budget decisions are portrayed as win-lose with nothing in between.... it is very easy to ask for more, it is much harder to figure out how to do with less."
The editorial is at - http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100303/OPINION/...
So why aren;t these NSD budget meetings covered in the printed news? Why do other districts have their budget details and plans written up in the press, but not NSD? Who is influening who?
VC is trying, BUT NOT NSD BOE
When was the last time the NSD BOE had a taxpayer committee to review a proposed line by line budget before the public presentation? When was the last time the NSD BOE allowed taxpayers to speak and question budget items at those budget workshops? When was a budget workshop held in the evening and not at 5PM when most taxpayers are just getting off from work? When did the NSD BOE ever make public all of those budget proposal sheets they shuffle back and forth among themselves? ......... It may be that you can't teach an old, worn out dog anything new.