Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak may as well kept on the student orchestra to play the third movement of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 3 as he delivered his 2011-2012 Budget Message at Tuesday night’s school board meeting held at Ward School. Organisciak proposed a “Maintenance Budget” of $229,475,484 which constitutes a reduction in the maintenance budget of $7,850,000 for an overall increase of 2.04%.
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- 100 positions will be cut
- 4.5% projected tax increase*
- Elimination of all transportation for all out of district students (except those required by law)
- Increased class sizes
- Decrease in funded projects from $17.2 to $13.5 (down $3.7mm)
A copy of the budget will be distributed at Wednesday night’s Community Budget Input Session at the New Rochelle High School Library at 7 PM.
Organisciak noted that while there would be no new Federal Stimulus funds this year, the district had set aside $1,834,536 from last year. In addition, the District received $500,003 in Race for the Top Funds. Organisciak expressed disdain for the small amount of the figure which must be spent in a highly targeted manner and spread over four years.
*The projected tax increase will certainly be higher than 4.5% because the City tax office has already indicated they are expected an even larger number of tax certioris compared to last year which was a very large increase over the previous year and one of the largest years on record.
Kurt Colucci says-“proposed cuts don’t make the cut”
Revised for typo’s
Although I commend mr. Orgasnic’s proposed cuts, it is only an attempt to put a band-aid on a broken leg. Band-aids are for paper cuts. The homeowners of new rochelle are near amputee’s in need of immediate help.
The cuts don’t even scratch the surface…they are weak.
A 4.5% increase will obviously be a low end estimation, but hardly addresses the driving issues that fuel the additional consumption of our hard earned tax dollars.
Much of the spending is required by state mandates…so why are we not at war with the state leaders? They have obviously declared a state of war with the taxpayers. Our “leaders” should use their public voice in an attempt to bring awareness to the big spending, wasteful politically poisonous programs that are cast down upon on us by the inept state representatives.
But, that is to make the flawed assumption that we actually have leaders here in New Rochelle…my mistake.
A second and much needed approach to drive down the quarter billion dollar school budget is simple and easy to achieve…increase the tax revenue base here in New Rochelle by creating an inviting atmosphere to do business. We are stuck in the middle of a hostile business district that can, if the proper legislation is enacted that will flourish and resurrect the soul of our dying community.
New Rochelle has become an economic wasteland…we don’t need another dollar store or beer and cigarette bodega…we need free flowing and vibrant commerce. We don’t even have a single bookstore in our city.
It is time to get rid of Noam Bramson and many of our lackluster council members. We need to replace them with visionaries who see our city’s best days ahead of us.
This all starts now, in the arena of public opinion…we cannot sit back and watch the systematic destruction of our city’s potential.
We can no longer bear witness to the economic genocide of the homeowners of our great city.
It is time to take a stand and rise up. It is time to stand defiant in the face of forced economic servitude and rip these unworthy “public serpents” from their seats of privilege.
November is coming…and so are we”We the People” of New Rochelle.
Kurt Colucci
Kurt Colucci says-“proposed cuts don’t make the cut”
Although I commend mr. Organic’s proposed cuts, it is only an attempt to put a band-aid on a broken leg. Band-aids are for paper cuts. The homeowners of new rochelle are near amputed’s in need of immediate help.
The cuts don’t even scratch the surface…they are weak.
A 4.5% increase will obviously be a low end estimation, but hardly addresses the driving issues that fuel the additional consumption of our hard earned tax dollars.
Much of the spending is required by state mandates…so why are we not at war with the state leaders? They have obviously declared a state of war with the taxpayers. Our “leaders” should use their public voice in an attempt to bring awareness to the big spending, wasteful politically poisonous programs that are cast down upon on us by the inept state representatives.
But, that is to make the flawed assumption that we actually have leaders here in New Rochelle…my mistake.
A second and much needed approach to drive down the quarter billion dollar school budget is simple and easy to achieve…increase the tax revenue base here in New Rochelle by creating an inviting atmosphere to do business. We are stuck in the middle of a hostile business district that can, if the proper legislation is enacted that will flourish and resurrect the soul of our dying community.
New Rochelle has become an economic wasteland…we don’t need another dollar store or beer and cigarette bodega…we need free flowing and vibrant commerce. We don’t even have a single bookstore in our city.
It is time to get rid of Noam Bramson and many of our lackluster council members. We need to replace them with visionaries who see our city’s best days ahead of us.
This all starts now, in the arena of public opinion…we cannot sit back and watch the systematic destruction of our city’s potential.
We can no longer best witness to the economic genocide of the homeowners of our great city.
It is time to take a stand and rise up. It is time to stand defiant in the face of forced economic servitude and rip these unworthy “public serpents” from their seats of privilege.
November is coming…and so are we”We the People” of New Rochelle.
Kurt Colucci