Dear Editor,
There are several reasons taxpayers should vote NO on the school budget. First amongst these is that no benefit shall accrue to students. It shall only sustain the current unsustainable status quote.
Since 2006 the BOE has prioritized District employees exclusively. In 2006 we had 183 teachers and in 2013 there were 168, or 11 percent less. During this same period our BOE ratcheted up teachers’ salaries from the 17th to the highest in the Southern Tier (about 70 reporting Districts).
The Superintendent, without consent of the BOE, unilaterally and substantially increased healthcare benefits, while formally advising the BOE and taxpayers “Employees [OA Employees Association] have agreed to greater contributions to the costs of their health care benefits.”
False, benefits were greatly increased.
Additionally, the Superintendent advised taxpayers and the BOE that these [teacher’s union contract] terms were very favorable to the district, with modest salary increases.
At the same time, 2011, OACSD had the 2nd highest teachers’ salaries of 67 reporting Districts in the Southern Tier. This won’t be outrageous if offset by a less generous fringe benefits package, however only the opposite is true.
In August 2014 the NYS Comptroller issued a blistering report on the budgeting and financial planning practices of OACSD. It made special effort to tell the BOE that prior year tax increases were unnecessary and placed OACSD on a Corrective Action Plan. To date the Superintendent has refused to adhere to the Comptroller’s Budgeting and Financial planning rules and regulations.
Since 2007 District management has ratcheted up employee compensation faster than any other District in the Southern Tier and most likely all of NYS.
Prior year budgets and the refusal to comply with the Comptroller’s rules and regulations remove all credibility to this year’s budget. Vote NO to send the District back to do the job right.
OACSD needs to strive for academic and financial objectives, which benefit students and taxpayers. Truly, the more money the District has the lower is academic performance.
Highest salaries and lowest performance is not stewardship of the public trust.
Sincerely,
Haig McNamee
Owego, N.Y.
