Prior to the budget vote, the Administration was putting out the threat of a contingency budget totaling $56.3 million with a levy increase of 11%.
The truth was proven last night. A Contingency budget of $55 million was adopted carrying a 4.87% tax increase. If the budget had not been voted down, you would never have gotten the correct numbers. I have been saying for years that the voters don't get the actual numbers, just scare tactics to lead you to the desired outcome.
Two examples from the media follow.
The Averill Park Central School District is proposing to cut freshman sports, winter track and fall cheerleading.
"It's pretty clear there's a very good correlation between student success in school and participation in athletics," said Averill Park Superintendent Jo Moccia. "It's not something the district wanted to do. There's just not a lot of choice."
Moccia said that Averill Park's proposed $55.1 million budget would cut so deeply that it actually spends less than its $56.3 million contingency plan -- the budget that would be put forth if voters reject the one presented Tuesday.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/School-voters-to-weigh-grim-cuts-1380018.php#ixzz1NMIu2n4J
Averill Park voters defeated a $55.1 million budget Tuesday, 1,777 to 1,499. On Wednesday, they were buzzing about a contingency budget carrying an 11 percent tax hike -- twice the proposed 5.1 percent increase in the original budget.
Board President Neil Bonesteel said a tax increase would not jump into double figures.
The school board meets Tuesday to discuss whether to send the defeated budget back to the voters, produce a new spending plan for a vote or to adopt a contingency budget.
Averill Park has undergone a two-year emotional and fiscal roller coaster ride. It closed elementary schools last year and plans layoffs for next year.
"It's been very difficult, to say the least," Bonesteel said.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Schools-grapple-with-hard-choices-after-budgets-1386055.php#ixzz1NMJ8Yk4f
Perhaps we will be able to get it straight now that things are changing at the top.
3 comments:
Thank you Bill, for exposing the lies.
I have seen the lies and patterns for years now - same old song and dance - just go back and read BOE minutes, all the way back to Supertintendant Michael Johnson - Jo learned all this behavior (I'm sure she calls them professional skills) from him.
For voters to not know, going into the voting booth, what the contingency percentage number would have been, but to FLOAT MISINFORMATION TO THE MEDIA, is a travesty! We are cutting education classes, arts, music - WHY????? Losing music at the middle school? You all have NO IDEA how devastating that is going to be to the Algonquin students!
Once again, sports is left untouched? WHY? Sports serves a minority number of students. Does ANYONE have the numbers of "student athletes" compared to overall student numbers? If not, why not?
Bill, it is time this District put out a parent survey, to each and every parent in the District. Before this BOE goes one more year, THINKING they know what taxpaying parents want and STUDENTS NEED, insist a survey be conducted. You cannot know what the needs of many are, by who shows up at BOE meetings, or by who is "scared away" by the Superintendant's MEDIA LIES, each year.
That is an excellent idea. It is on my list of things to do after the change (7-1). It should be a slam dunk.
So with a contingency budget, are there programs/positions that were proposed to be cut but now are required by Law to stay in? Will the business course be eliminated? Doesn't a contingency require a reduction in admininstration funding? How does this change the Admin's original plan?
Post a Comment