Voting is today until 9pm, please get out and express yourself.

The rally for the budget was last night, the rally against the budget is today.

Please vote at the HS Gym. Our youngest need you.

Will you allow this to be year three of tax increases (13% total?) or will you put your foot down and say enough?

Should we replace debt payments that are ending with more?

I guess the "rally" wasn't much fun.

From the "We love" site:


Bridget Ball Shaw --   Here's my beef with your comments, Chris. We ALL agree that the way NYS funds education is completely screwed up. And we all agree that it needs to be changed. And we all agree that we - all of us, collectively - need to fight to change this archaic manner of funding education. But to suggest that a group of enthusiastic citizens rallying to encourage a positive vote on the budget is "nothing more that a fun community event" pisses me off. Those of us who gathered endured grimaces and thumbs down and vulgar gestures as well as honks of support. Yes, we found collegiality with like minded community members, but ALL of us would have had a hell of a lot more "fun" sitting on our porches, sipping a lemonade and hanging with our families.


9 hours ago · Like · 3



Chris Holmes ---Bridget, I really thought you, of all people, would see the bigger picture here. Take a look 5 years down the road (financial advisor, long term etc....). What do you see? Please, please, please be honest with yourself and everyone around you. You are voting for the inevitable with no alternative. You are watching the erosion of our children's education right before your eyes and are still thinking superficially about a forced budget that settles for nothing less than complacency. Capitulation at its best. I am in no way demeaning your efforts. Just please look at the big picture. Have you really thought about the signs you guys are carrying? 'Vote yes for our children'. Voting yes only submits you and our children into acceptance of failure. You want to fight for something? Fight, as I have to correct the grid lock and legislation that restricts our freedoms to run our community as we see fit. Otherwise: exponential oblivion.

5 hours ago · Like

This came in, anyone else?

Administration 2013 Raises and a million dollar loan for theatre renovations? But we are cutting kindergarten hours, and oh yes, this sign is posted in the high school cafeteria (printed all in capital letters, for effect I suppose):


"IF YOU ARE NOT BUYING A LUNCH YOU MUST PAY FOR SILVERWARE. IT COSTS US MONEY! UP TO 3 PIECES FOR .05 CENTS. THANKS" This is posted on Facebook by many students also.

Bill, this type of mentality is why people leave the Averill Park School District - nickel and dime people, and at the same time, literally rob them of tax dollars, and pander to the West Sand Lake and Averill Park families only?

Someone really must make up signs with the statement above, and then say "Is this anyway to run a school district?" Sounds like Mrs. Bonesteel is still working the cafeteria line!!!!

I have had it with the entire mess - close GWS, but give out raises every year? Remove student services, cut after school busses, and educational classes for the majority, while giving to the "special minority"? This entire district is still run by the small minority, who are the only ones who benefit.

I cannot stand the mentality that parents need to be solicited by the PTA, to serve breakfast to the teachers at an appreciation event, but the "special" cheerleaders, student athletes, and acting troupe are too good to serve at the event? REALLY? These are the politically handpicked students who benefit (why some a re even children of teachers), so I think THEY should show up at 6:45am, to serve the teacher their breakfast -not the parents and taxpayers.

The "special" students of this District are so spoiled, and since they do not have to complete community service, I think THEY should show up to serve breakfast to the teachers. Why ask parents to serve? We serve enough, through our tax dollars, that only go to benefit the spoiled few.

Cutting kindergarten....... Really?

Cutting the kindergarten school day 2 hrs.
Increasing the transportation cost by a bus run? Can this be a savings?

Can the community be expected to support a $3 million + project on the HS auditorium? Would it be more cost effective to move the productions to the MS?

I am sure I will be voting "NO" on these. Are you willing to support the budget and borrowing $13 million this year?

What would you do?

You are on the BOE. You know that there is a budget defecit again and you will be cutting more from education. Well, that or pushing for another tax increase.

Do you:

Give out raises to non teaching staff?

Wait to see the full picture before raises for anyone?

Wait to see what happens with the teacher contract before anything else?

Is there any reason to rush to spend more?

Just wondering.......

What do you think?

I have spent the past few weeks with Governor Cuomo and he has some interesting proposals.

He is proposing two things that we have discussed before. These ideas are being presented as part of the overall budget presentation.

1)  A Full Day Pre K, to be paid for entirely by the State, if added to the school districts offerings.

2)  He is also proposing an increase of either the school day length (to match the work day) or the school year length. This cost would also be 100% paid by the state.

As an Averill Park parent would you be helped by either of these ideas?

Is there a down side to having your kids school day match your work day?

What would having a year round or nearly year round school schedule do for you? Help? Hurt?

TO BORROW OR NOT TO BORROW?

The BOE has begun the Budget Process and has mentioned a new financing package. A financing package  that would total in the area of $11 million. This would be spent to update and improve the remaining schools in the district. It would be done as a single borrowing.

Our reimbursement rate from the state is roughly 78% these days. It used to be 95% as a result of the merger with GW. Those days have ended.

During the next two years we see our local share of debt service decrease because we pay less in debt service than we receive from the state. For example, this year we pay $447,890.00 less than we receive in state aid. Next year it is $1.15 million less. Yes more than 1 million dollars next year.

The options to consider are these:

1)  Do we borrow the $11 million and pay it out over time and complete the projects or

2) Do the conservative thing and pay as we go? We could budget yearly projects and not borrow at all.

Either way the local share remains the same, roughly 20% of any spending comes from your pocket.

What should we do with the $448,000 this year? Add back programs? Reduce taxes? Anything else?

NEW FEDERAL TAX RATES

We avoided the fiscal cliff, so they say.

Social security rates will rise this week. I have a friend who has reported that just under $100.00 extra in SS has been removed from his 2 week paycheck. Everyone will feel the pinch eventually and the Washington battles are coming.

We will be entering the Budget season so I have a question.

 Are your child's needs being met this year with the cuts enacted by the BOE last year?