Like Superintendent of Schools Charles Cardillo, we too are disappointed that voters failed to give the Manhasset School District the supermajority consensus it needed to exceed the 2 percent-tax cap set by Albany.
In the first vote the final tally was 2,053 in favor and 1,797 against. Cardillo clearly had the majority of the votes but not the 60 percent he needed.
“We had anticipated that there would be support for the supermajority vote from our community because of years of excellence that had been evidenced in the academics, the arts, the athletics and after-school activities,” Cardillo said.
We’re hoping that many people didn’t vote because they thought this was in the bag. They were confident that the district would have no trouble getting the support of 60 percent of the voters.
And why not? Cardillo and his team manage a school district that is among the best in the nation.
The well-organized opposition to Cardillo’s budget was led by Laurie Pandelakis, a representative of the Manhasset Proponents for School Accountability. She said her organization was pleased with the election’s result, as it now forces the district to continue its efforts to decrease the tax levy.
“Accountability” is an interesting choice of words. Cardillo has made it clear what’s at risk if the tax levy isn’t increased. He has made the numbers public for everyone to see. Athletics, performing arts and other extracurricular activities could be canceled. Only the bare-bones classes would be left. The things that make the schools in Manhasset exceptional would all be gone.
We wonder what Pandelakis and her organization would cut to keep the tax levy under the 2 percent cap? Accountability is a two-way street. It’s not enough to just say no. We have seen the budget put forth by Cardillo, we have not seen a serious proposal from the Manhasset Proponents for School Accountability.
This should be a wake-up call for the residents of Manhasset. If the budget is not passed by a supermajority in the second vote, the district would have to cut approximately $4.5 million from its final adopted budget, a figure roughly $2.3 million less than the 2012-13 budget. Or make cuts to the budget before the next budget vote.
Pandelakis thinks cutting $4.5 million is “fair, it’s reasonable, and it gives seniors a relief from the relentless tax increases.”
Maybe. But we wonder if these same seniors would think differently if they thought the opposition from Pandelakis’ group would result in their grandchildren attending a second-rate school system without football, orchestra, drama, art and other after-school activities.
“We believe that the 2 percent tax cap is the standard, and we expect that in fact the district comes within the cap,” Pandelakis said. “We’re hoping they do the right thing and honor the spirit of the tax-cap law,”
We have no idea what the “spirit of the tax-cap law” is. This was a law passed by legislators in Albany under pressure from the Tea Party, most of whom couldn’t find Manhasset on a map of Long Island. Like Pandelakis they will not be held accountable for the harm their tax cap may cause here.
Fortunately the law gives voters a chance to override the Albany tax cap. In the first vote they came close. We urge voters, even seniors, to show that they appreciate the work that Cardillo, the administrators, teachers and coaches are doing in Manhasset.
In the next vote, Manhasset voters must give Cardillo the supermajority he needs to maintain a high quality school system.
