Dear Editor,
The vote was 621 yes to 559 no and the 60 percent majority was not met. On Tuesday, 1,180 Tioga Central residents cast their ballots on the 30 percent tax hike and voted it down.
With the bulk of the proposed budget going to retirement, health insurance and teacher’s salaries, many find the increase unacceptable in an already strained economy.
The media reports Superintendent Scot Taylor as repeatedly saying, ‘Taxpayers’ voted. No, Mr. Taylor, not all the taxpayers were allowed to vote; however children did. The school supported students over the age of 18, who do not pay taxes, to vote in the election. While taxpayers, who do not live in the area were not allowed to vote on what they would now have to pay. Additionally, the school district lobbied hard to get past students, who are now in college, to vote via absentee ballots.
School employees were told that jobs would be cut should the new budget not be approved.
Parents said their children who claimed to have been told in school, that most of their programs would be eliminated, informed them. Some parents reported their children were hearing hot lunches would no longer be served and eventually the school would have to close, leaving the children to be sent to other districts. This is viewed by many as bully tactics.
We must now maintain vigilance over the powers that be and stand strong against any repercussions.
This time, right won over might.
Sincerely,
Susan Harnett
Owego, N.Y.
