Vote ‘No” in Candor

Dear Editor,

I would like to thank the two individuals who took time last week to point out my “errors” in not checking whether my assessment went up during the Candor revaluation as the reason my Candor school taxes have more than doubled in four years, and who called to my attention that New York State Aid for construction is different than Operational or Foundational State Aid. I am sure that you feel better for having “set me straight.”

Of course I have been tracking my assessments; and, yes, I knew there are different forms and formulae for State Aid. What you so cleverly missed or chose to ignore is that the Candor School District conveniently ignores the fact that State Aid comes from New York State taxpayers in the Candor School District. It is disingenuous at best to try to tell me that this proposed capital project will have no effect on local taxes. I reiterate: if that is true, we have been overtaxed for years.

If you believe that New York State Construction Aid cannot go down simply because it has not, then you are naive. This economy has not recovered in Tioga County. Taxes across the state continue to rise, family income remains stagnant or decreases, and the Candor School District continues to increase spending while the student population shrinks.

The Candor School District has an insatiable appetite for your and my tax dollars. You ask for proof? When Eliot Spitzer was governor and added a special, one-time $1 million State aid boost to the Candor District, the Board added another $100,000 to that million and spent every penny.

Did the budget go down the next year? Not on your life! We taxpayers have been saddled with paying for that “one-time” bump every single year since then to perpetuate District spending habits. I say it is way past time for this Board to wean itself from the Candor taxpayer.

Let’s pretend for a moment that the District does get more State Aid for 20 years than this project will cost. Who is going to pay for the increase in inevitable maintenance and repair costs to these new classrooms, IT upgrades, and other new equipment? You and I are!

Spend $21.5 million and it costs you nothing? I am not that naive. I hope you are not either.

Vote “NO” in Candor on Nov. 5.

Sincerely,

Steve Barrows

Candor, N.Y.