Dear Editor,
To find out the comparison between Tioga and other NYS schools, Google their website. Read for yourself how “Buffalo Business First” uses information provided by the NYS Department of Education to compare Tioga to 40 NYS area schools as well as all the 423 upstate schools.
There is an additional study done recently by an independent research team, from Texas, that focuses on eight selected NYS schools, including Tioga, to compare them in several areas such as academics, efficiency, cost control, etc. We scored extremely well in both studies. This should be “good news”. That, however, may not be “good enough” for some.
If not, consider this:
Thanks to Richard Ives letter in this week’s Pennysaver, we now know that we all pay taxes. Our school taxes would still be the lowest in the county even with the budget increase. A property assessed at $100,000, full market value, would have a tax increase, I believe, of $279.00. That is $5.37 a week or 77 cents per day. (Compare this to $1.39 for a “small” coffee at the “Dandy”.)
I don’t understand the argument about the pool. You have access to it, so use it. There is no charge, and it is a free “perk” for residents, graduates, students, their families and friends. It is open before school during the week, in the evening four days a week and on Saturdays. Schedules are available in the high school office and on the web site.
Neither do I understand the concern over our out-of-district students. They are drawn to Tioga for a number of reasons and we should be proud of that. The quality of our academics, athletic programs and extra curricular activities are some of those reasons and that speaks well of our teachers. Another reason is the reputation our school has as being a place where a child can “fit in” and do well. That also speaks to the quality of our staff and the type of kids that make up our student body. It helps too that our tuition is affordable, which means an average family can send their child or children if they choose to. The increase in student numbers favorably affects our financial aid package.
Our sports programs and school sponsored clubs, and other extra curricular activities are worth the money. They are very important pieces in a student’s academic experience. They help build character, strong work ethics, confidence, and inspire students to achieve in life. They can also aid in the opportunity to attend college at a greatly reduced expense. Many schools in the I.A.C. offer more sports than Tioga’s 14, some offer less. Spread out over both middle school and high school, we have by my count, about 35 teams (boys and girls). There are also clubs and other extra curricular activities that involve a multitude of students. There are a lot of options to choose from and there is likely an extensive list of all of them somewhere. A few examples are Architectural Awareness, Challenge Team and Mathalon in middle school and Drama Club, National Honor Society and Scholarship Challenge in high school. All of these activities require coaches and/or advisers. Those “appointed” to lead need to be well equipped to teach and advise and a great deal of time and commitment is expected of them.
The quality and success of any given activity will greatly depend on the dedication of these leaders and their ability to relate to and develop rapport with the students they mentor. This takes exceptional leadership skills and not every one has them. The fact that all this cost money should surprise no one. You normally get what you pay for, but in our case, I believe, we do better than that.
Maybe the real question here, is not “can we afford it”? Maybe it really is “how can we not afford to do the very best we can for those whose values and ideals may one day help shape, influence and ultimately determine our own destiny and that of our country”? Think about it.
Sincerely
Doug Graves
Tioga Center, N.Y.
