Dear Editor,
Why the venomous and vicious tone of the comments opposing the proposed budget for Tioga Central? If you are angry, be angry with those in Albany who supposedly represent us.
A few weeks ago an editorial in the Binghamton Press-Sun Bulletin referred to the “cesspool of corruption” in Albany. A rather pointed description of a place that is paying out about $531,000 a year to 14 former state lawmakers who have been convicted of corruption. All told the retirement fund has paid out roughly $4 million dollars over the past 15 years to ex-legislators, after their convictions, according to a Gannet analysis of data provided by the state comptrollers office.
“Unbelievable,” you say! “Not at all.” Just business as usual in New York, recently voted the most corrupt state government in the country in a poll by people who live elsewhere. A few years ago N.Y.S. voted to fully fund our public schools. They broke this promise, of course, and used the funds elsewhere.
Tioga has been shorted $24 million dollars. We closed an elementary school, laid off teachers, and started using our reserve fund to stay afloat. Our teacher salaries rank in the bottom 20 percent of the 423 upstate school districts. They pay 20 percent of their health insurance, the highest percentage of any district in the county.
Even after all this, Buffalo Business First, ranks Tioga in the top 100 of the 423 upstate school districts, at 94, based on four years of N.Y.S. test results. What do you want from them? Blood? I suggest you direct your anger at those who have forgotten who they are supposed to be working for, and could fix this problem if they only would.
Sincerely,
Doug Graves
Tioga Center, N.Y.
