MEET THE BAUMANN SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS
SCHOOLS
Get facts straight once and for all before voting on school budget
To the Editor:
Ah the heralds of spring... daffodils, lilacs and' the Taxpayer Oversight Committee (TOC) newsletter. Once again, the newsletter's anonymous editors do an immense disservice to the community by presenting false facts and figures an attempt to discredit the Bedford Central School District's proposed budget.
For example, we are sick and tired of the trite and simplistic tactic of comparing Bedford Central's per pupil expenditures to the private Rippowam Cisqua school's tuition. Please, Let's get our facts straight
here, once and for all. Not only are private schools exempt from educating the 8.5 percent of our 'district's children who require English as a Second Language classes and from providing services to the 12 percent who experience the full range of learning, mental, emotional and physical disabilities, but the public school districts are by law required to cover private school health, textbook and transportation expenditures. Not to mention the fact that private contributions and endowments subsidize private school tuition, as well as replace the public schools' need to finance new construction through
the issuance of bonds - 'What's more, the tactic of attributing the total budget increase to grow enrollment $36,711 per-student!) is cute, yet grossly misleading. Even with no increased enrollment, the district would be forced to fund contractual wage and benefit increases of related programmatic initiatives, mandated special services and more.
So many inaccuracies. So little space. Please, get the facts before casting your vote on May 16.
Bonnie Brodnick, Pound Ridge
Alice Finger, Mount Kisco
Marian Kennedy Kelly, Mount Kisco
Rev. Paul Alcorn does not spend school district's money wisely
To the Editor:
Bedford Central School Board president, the Rev. Paul Alcorn, has said that he thought the primary job of the board members was to balance the community's needs to educate its children and spend its money wisely. On those two points his tenure has been a dismal failure.
Taxpayers need only review their tax bills to see the pattern of yearly massive hikes, with this year's increase being the most outrageous of all. They might also want to visit the New York state Department of Education's school report card on the
Web and see for themselves the district's pathetic cohort performance in math and science as well as their extremely high, dropout rate.
Two recent situations expose Rev. Alcorn's liberal educational philosophy all too clearly. His strident defense of the district's "Magic Card" appeal at the expense of more productive academic programs shows which side he supports in society's "Culture Wars."
Last year, Rev. Alcorn publicly ridiculed a local taxpayer who dared to question the district's illegal use of funds for a European jaunt for a group
of teachers. With the state commissioner of education siding with the petitioner, Rev. Alcorn has had to eat a banquet of crow. Hopefully taxpayers won't have to and shouldn't if his budget properly fails.
A vote for Joe Whelan won't change the present board's function as the superintendent's lackey, but like a good smoke detector he can alert taxpayers before the next multimillion dollar school bond fire ignites.
Joseph P. Giardina
Mount Kisco
'No'vote would force board to rethink financial practices
To the Editor:
As a taxpayer in the Bedford Central School District, I have seen my taxes escalate to such a degree that I feel this year's increase just can't be justified for a number of reasons.
First, at almost $18,000 per student, the cost is triple the national average. The more than eight percent rise this time is double the normally-high increase the school board has asked the public to support.
I believe in the importance of education, like everyone else. For that reason I fail to see why my tax dollars should go to finance the district's $200,000 appeal in the so-called "Satan Suit." How are the children benefiting from having programs cut to support the school's lawyers in this defense of the occult?
I also have an especially difficult time accepting the fact that I donated to school board president Paul Alcorn's idea to help finance European vacations for district teachers on a spring recess. As part of the many taxpayers without children in the system this year, I have to ask myself what on earth is going on over there.
I feet a "no" vote this time just might force the board to rethink some of its more dubious fiscal practices.
Roger Kellermann
League of Women Voters decision breaks the camel's back
To the Editor:
As a candidate for trustee on the Bedford School Board, I was dismayed by the decision of the League of Women Voters (LWV) to cancel Candidates Night.
The impact on the community is far-reaching. Candidates Night was a substitute for the visits by the candidates to the five elementary schools whereby people could learn about the issues as well as the candidates' positions on the issues. Also, the candidates learned about the people whose taxes they would be collecting and the concerns of those citizens.
Jo Brill, the recently retired executive director of the LWV, has stated
that the primary purpose of the 2,300 member organization is voter education. It is the duty of all who live in a free society to be informed about the issues and to vote. As Thomas Jefferson said, "The public is the fourth branch of government." The informed voter is a check and balance on the elected representatives.
The timing of the league's decision, which they stated was due to being understaffed,-wasiat'the last minute. No other community organization could try to organize a Candidates Night. Note that the cable channel broadcasts the discussion for many days so the public can learn and vote.
It is disconcerting, as a candidate
who is challenging the current president - Rev. Paul Alcorn - to note that only the incumbent benefits by the league's decision.
The school board, which could have sponsored the event, took no effective action to continue this public service. Like a salami, the information getting to citizens is sliced away until it is gone. There is a compounding effect as the board will no longer honor' requests by the public to have board of ed meeting agendas mailed to them, unless the public sends postage.
Vote the rascal out.
Joseph Whelan
Bedford Village
Residents write in support of Paul Alcorn
To the Editor:
A nearly audible sigh of relief echoed throughout the Bedford Central School District community as we learned that Paul Alcorn is running for reelection to our school board. For many of us who are concerned about the quality of education offered in the Bedford Central schools but have limited time to study and attend meetings regarding school matters, it is an enormous sense of security knowing that a man of Mr. Alcorn's intelligence, integrity and experience serves on our board of education. We know that we can trust his proven commitment to our
children, public education and to our community. He works diligently to address the needs of Bedford Central's students while respectfully considering taxpayers' concerns. His ability to balance the needs of all members of our community is rare and necessary.
Please join us on Tuesday, May 16, in casting a vote for continued fairness and outstanding leadership, a vote for Paul Alcorn.
Elyse Arnow-Brill, Pound Ridge Susan O'Brien, Mount Kisco
Linda Deitchman, Mount Kisco Fiona Mitchell, Bedford Hills
Cancellation of forum dismays resident
To the Editor:
I just learned that the traditional candidates' night for school board candidates in Bedford has been canceled by the League of Women Voters for lack of controversial issues.
Or is it by design to dismantle the very principles of our democracy? Has the dictatorship of Bedford Central extended its control to the League of Women Voters, as well as the local town boards, the district attorney, the attorney general, state and federal, the commissioner of education and so on?
With Regents test scores seven percent less in English and 11 percent less in mathematics and-per student cost up to five times that of similar schools, does it not sound fraudulent to you? If the general public cannot defend itself from such gigantic organizations of tyranny, the political and legal system can and should.
Mike Carbone Bedford Hills
Taxpayers Oversight Committee newsletter compares apples to oranges
To the Editor:
In its recently-distributed newsletter, the Taxpayers Oversight Committee (TOC) failed to point out some key facts to be presented in the May 16 Bedford Central school budget.
Rising state standards put enormous pressure on public schools. Children who fail - or even those who are expected to fail - any of these state exams (administered in the fourth grade, eighth grade or high school Regents) are required by the state to receive academic intervention services. Guess what? While making these demands, the state doesn't provide any additional funding.
TOC expressed surprise that medical benefit costs have gone up. Most of us are acutely aware of the fact that the price of medical benefits is escalating all over the country. While coping with this reality for existing employees, the school district has the additional financial burden of honoring employee contracts that provide retirees with medical benefits.
Despite TOC's claims, next year's four percent enrollment increase does not simply manifest itself in physical space demands. Nor do these extra students neatly make up additional classes in certain schools. The extra students are scattered all over the district, all over the grades. These students, combined with more rigorous state standards, mean more teachers, more books, more mandated support staff, more buses... more of everything.
TOC's comparison with Rippowam Cisqua's per pupil expenditure is a case of comparing apples to oranges. Rippowam fees do not include transportation ($4.84 million in the proposed Bedford Schools budget). indeed, by law, Bedford Schools provide transportation to students attending private school in a 15-mile radius of our district. Furthermore, parents with special needs children often choose to send them to public school because of the quality of the special education services provided in school districts such as ours. Our special education services are proposed at $7.5 million in this budget. in addition, to my knowledge, Rippowam does not have a large proportion of students requiring language support, in contrast to Bedford Central's growing and very well attended ESL program.
Finally, in the event of a budget defeat and the implementation of an austerity plan, administrators would have to cut several million dollars from the proposed budget. How TOC thinks we can "maintain sports and other popular programs" Linder such state imposed budget restrictions is hard to fathom and calls into question their entire philosophy.
Given the restrictions of state-mandated programs and commitments of existing employee contracts, it's hard to see where the board of education could further trim the budget while maintaining the recognized excellence of our schools - not to mention such essentials as transportation and librarians.
I wholly support passage of this budget and commend the board for a job well done.
Allan Cohen
Bedford Hills