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The only way to lower taxes without affecting quality is to increase contributions toward benefits or freeze pay increases.
The other way is for the legislature to abolish all existing districts, which would negate all existing labor contracts, and create new districts that had to create new and more realistic labor contracts. But, with the influence of the NYSUT, this is not very likely.
During your brainstorm, did you not question why Elwood was rejecting some partners and wanted in with others?
So I'm going to assume you are in Oyster Bay and want to merge with Syosset? Alright, how about Oyster Bay merges with Westbury SD instead?
I'm sure Babylon is dying to save $20 to merge with Wyandanch and Amityville as well. Either way whatever is saved will go to increasing teacher/admin salaries.
The only way to lower taxes without affecting quality is to increase contributions toward benefits or freeze pay increases.
Funny enough I did. Harborfields was too crowded already. Elwood did not want either of the Huntingtons or Northport.
Consolidating districts have to share a border.
You forgot Massapequa and Freeport
It is OK to lower taxes by consolidating the wasteful and duplicative central offices. Freezing pay does not LOWER taxes. Cutting positions lowers taxes.
I do not believe we need to merge districts. I do believe that we need to bring teacher benefits in line with the rest of the USA. IMO the bottom line is that the state mandated pensions are the real problem. Until new teachers entering the system switch to a 401K-like plan and away from a pension format, school budgets will only get worse. If you look at what school districts pay, the pension program is a HUGE weight on the school districts' shoulders. This system was created when there were few teachers to support in retirement and many teachers working putting into the program. This system does not work and needs to change. We can't change it for teachers who have already entered into this system, nor IMO should we, as they have been promised and planned their retirement based on this system. New teachers entering the system is a different story. Unfortunately, these kind of changes can only be made on the state level. Pensions for police and fire officials make sense as they can get hurt serving the public and provide a high risk service to the public. After 20 years on the police force, mentally, many people are not prepared to go on to a second career. Teachers do not fall into this category. I am happy to pay good salaries to teachers. I am happy to pay for good medical and dental benefits. Pensions are no longer a viable option for school districts. No merges needed if we would change what really needs to be fixed.
We should just create Town school districts, that way we can have some consolidation and still have some degree of local control as well. Reduce 127 school districts to 15, one for each of the 13 towns and 2 cities in Nassau & Suffolk counties.
I also favor abolishing county governments except for the community colleges, the health departments, and the sheriff's departments as Long Island moves towards it's ultimate political status - statehood. This way we will only have a sort of regional government that would become the state government upon Long Island statehood, the towns, and the villages. This would obviously mean the end of the county legislatures, the county police forces, the county planning boards, and all those other useless things.
Nassau County at this moment has 125 school districts and Suffolk county 70. The national average of school districts per county is 5!! So it is a huge difference. Also you have to think not only on the union, teacher, staff, but the students. In Nassau county the school that are close to affluent neighborhoods (north of the county) have a very high budget to opperate, giving those students the right resources. But the schoold districts that are in low income neighborhood (south of the county) are suffering because they don't have enought budget. Because of an invisible line, a lot of people is suffering. Many people would like to live in Nassau county, but they are leaving.... So as an Long Islander what can you do?? What can of changes you can promote in your community. What kind of change in your everyday life you can do to save your island?
Nassau County at this moment has 125 school districts and Suffolk county 70. The national average of school districts per county is 5!! So it is a huge difference. Also you have to think not only on the union, teacher, staff, but the students. In Nassau county the school that are close to affluent neighborhoods (north of the county) have a very high budget to opperate, giving those students the right resources. But the schoold districts that are in low income neighborhood (south of the county) are suffering because they don't have enought budget. Because of an invisible line, a lot of people is suffering. Many people would like to live in Nassau county, but they are leaving.... So as an Long Islander what can you do?? What can of changes you can promote in your community. What kind of change in your everyday life you can do to save your island?
If you see this hack heading anywhere near your neighborhood schools, run him out of town:
We should just create Town school districts, that way we can have some consolidation and still have some degree of local control as well. Reduce 127 school districts to 15, one for each of the 13 towns and 2 cities in Nassau & Suffolk counties.
I also favor abolishing county governments except for the community colleges, the health departments, and the sheriff's departments as Long Island moves towards it's ultimate political status - statehood. This way we will only have a sort of regional government that would become the state government upon Long Island statehood, the towns, and the villages. This would obviously mean the end of the county legislatures, the county police forces, the county planning boards, and all those other useless things.
Town of Brookhaven is the size of Nassau County (or darn close) there's no way it should be 1 district; 3 or 4 perhaps.
Well that would be political suicide that I am sure most elected officials would avoid...
Well yeah, that's also why the elderly aren't re-tested for driving either... who votes the most?
Gotta love the way systems [don't] work. Then you have a crusader finally elected and changing things and everyone else on here plays armchair quarterback. Bah politics.
I do not believe we need to merge districts. I do believe that we need to bring teacher benefits in line with the rest of the USA. IMO the bottom line is that the state mandated pensions are the real problem. Until new teachers entering the system switch to a 401K-like plan and away from a pension format, school budgets will only get worse. If you look at what school districts pay, the pension program is a HUGE weight on the school districts' shoulders. This system was created when there were few teachers to support in retirement and many teachers working putting into the program. This system does not work and needs to change. We can't change it for teachers who have already entered into this system, nor IMO should we, as they have been promised and planned their retirement based on this system. New teachers entering the system is a different story. Unfortunately, these kind of changes can only be made on the state level. Pensions for police and fire officials make sense as they can get hurt serving the public and provide a high risk service to the public. After 20 years on the police force, mentally, many people are not prepared to go on to a second career. Teachers do not fall into this category. I am happy to pay good salaries to teachers. I am happy to pay for good medical and dental benefits. Pensions are no longer a viable option for school districts. No merges needed if we would change what really needs to be fixed.
Flowergarden hit the nail on the head..its not too many school districts or administrators or even teacher salaries which are the problems--even if thats what we talk about...its the pensions.
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