The school meeting scheduled for last night at 7:00 PM started began about 20 minutes later than expected due an impromptu meeting between Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak and the school board to discuss the latest news from Albany. Organisciak had just returned from Albany on a trip intended to push back on proposed cuts in education funding for the New Rochelle school district. The long faces on board members told the story: not only had funding not been restored but State funding is being cut further, up to an additional $1.3 million. The proposed draft budget must not be re-written to account for the loss of the anticipated funding.
3 thoughts on “More Bad News for New Rochelle School Budget: NYS Cuts Funding Another $1.3 Million”
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Who’s running for the school board this year?
Do we even know who the school board canidates are this year? I don’t think the present board really understands whats going on in the real word because if they did, their 1st budget proposal wouldn’t have had a proposed 3.8% tax increase and I’m starting to think the only way to change things is through the ballot box, but if there aren’t any qualified “reformist” canidates running then we’ll be stuck with the same thinking that we have now.
Jerome Smith – IN; Cindy Babcock-Deutsch – OUT
One incumbent has dropped out, the other told Greg Maker of the Sound Report that he would be running again (http://bit.ly/cDpgiY)
“Jerome Smith, whose term expires at the end of the school year, will be seeking reelection.”
If Mr. Smith had uttered more than 3 sentences on the board since 2008, I might have more of an opinion on him. He has what ought to be a good background for the board but he is often absent from board meetings and is always a “yes” vote for every resolution put before the board. As best I can tell he is a “rubber stamp” vote.
Given his poor attendance record and apparent lack of interest I cannot imagine why he is even going to bother running again.
state cuts
this reinforces my “open letter” blog to Sara Richmond.” The only way to address the school funding issue, in good as wel as bad times, is through fiscal management. state funding or deficit spending are not the way to go: the former is a way to build up a curricula base on core items, the latter should be employed for capital expenses only. Operating budgets must be addressed and costs brought into line.
this does not take away from the refreshing and promising beginnings shown by sara and her new colleagues. it simply means a new paradigm; one most of you use in managing your household expenses, is called for. you need to renegotiate pedagogic contracts towards a collaborative, share the pain basis — it is not possible to build upon a property tax increase that should have been zero base to begin with.
i do believe that the state and federal government will come through to some degree, maybe more than is healthy to begin the process of building a better system of expense management.
while we are thinking about this, think about the reported 66% graduation rate at our high school. this is unsustainable and no “gimmicks” like summer school or 5th year completion should rationalize the fact that, despite our considerable per student costs, we have done far less with far more over the past years.
Sara, Jeff, others in the district are dedicated stewards and want the best for our children. i am convinced of that — again, it is up to us as a community — mayor, city administrators, council men and woman, school officials, business people, parents and non-parents alike, to wake up and see what is happening around us. we are the problem and we can be the solution. There are NO free lunches.
warren gross