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032803 School budget increases beyond what many taxpayers can afford
To the Editor:
I think it is time for the Bedford Central Board of Education to adopt some common fiscal responsibility. Year after year it's the same story, large budget increases, and the citizens of this community have to bear the burden, even though many cannot afford it.
Of course there are contractual issues that have to be met, but when a new teachers' contract comes up, did the board ever hear about givebacks (salary freezes or reductions, etc.). And to give exorbitant salary increases to administrators for fear of losing them is ludicrous. For every overpaid administrator that would be lost, there are probably 50 qualified candidates to do the job at half the salary. And there is a lot of redundancy in positions that could be shared by neighboring school districts.
In these difficult economic times, if the administration feels there is such a great need for a program like "summer academy" or other extracurricular programs, maybe it's time to start charging the families of those students. All of the community wants the best education for our children, but this is not a private school, and the citizens are only obligated to provide good basic: education.
Maybe it's time to ask our representatives in Albany if all the proceeds from the lottery are going to local school districts and not in the general fund where it gets lumped in with other income. And why has no one challenged the fact that per-student state school aid varies from district to district so greatly. If we all pay income taxes, sales taxes, etc, then all state aid per student should be equal, but it's not. It may come to a point where the school taxes are so high in the Bedford Central School District that very few people will be able to afford to live here; then we'll see real estate prices coming down
Neil V deLuca
Pound Ridge