Adam Haber’s “All Things Political” column of March 3, makes several suggestions as to how New York State and local governments can save money for the over-burdened taxpayers.
I would submit the following; without addressing the major tax we face that being local school district taxes which account for 65 percent of our total property tax obligation we are never going to accomplish any significant tax relief.
Mr. Haber who I respect highly, talks about saving $100,000 on busing which represents less than 1 percent of the Roslyn budget.
He is not in favor of combining districts not mentioning that Long Island has 124 school districts all with highly paid superintendents, staff etc.
He does not mention the unsustainable pension obligations with the average New York State teacher. Long Island teachers pension are at or near $90,000.
He does not mention that the New York State School Boards Association has advocated for many years now the reform of the Triborough Amendment.
They state “Reform the Triborough Amendment to eliminate automatic step increase and lane increases for school employees during expired contractual periods.
This will support school district efforts to obtain savings and greater instructional effectiveness during the collective bargaining process.”
Mr. Haber does not address classroom innovation including online education which would require unconventional ideas, foresight, thoughtfulness, and dedication to student learning.
Long term, this innovation can greatly expand student achievement and at the same time create impressive cost savings.
Hank Ratner
Port Washington
