Dear Editor,
The debate over the Tioga Central School District (TCSD) budget has been very emotional. At this point, it seems as if feelings have largely obscured the facts. The facts, not emotions, are at the heart of the issue, and they need to be uncovered again in order to understand the implications of the vote. Our main purpose in writing is to objectively reveal the facts behind the discussion, and allow people to come to an informed decision.
What if the Budget Fails? According to a school administrator, if the budget fails again, TCSD will survive on a contingency budget and retain the same tax rate as the previous year. This poses a problem for many school functions. In particular, there will be no funding for sports, extracurricular activities, or the pool. There will also be cuts to the transportation, custodial, and teaching staff.
After one year under the contingency budget, another budget will be proposed. The tax increase in this proposal will be much higher than the increase in the current proposal because TCSD will have to make up for the failed budget of the previous year plus the increase that is needed for the new year. If this budget fails, Tioga will enter into another year under the contingency budget.
The second year of a failed budget could go one of two ways. One option is that there will be no second year. In the last school board meeting, one of the board members stated that he/she would immediately make a motion for a school merger if the current budget proposal fails. The merger investigation takes one year and the merger would occur after the investigation. As a result, there is a strong possibility that TCSD will not have a second year after a failed budget.
Another option is that TCSD survives another starving year on the contingency budget. The most significant cuts in this year would be in academics. Tioga would not have enough money to fund dual credit courses, such as College Calculus and College English, or any other courses that are not mandated by the state including technology, art, and some math and science courses. Many teachers would either be cut or reduced to part time employment. Another futile budget would be proposed after this year, and if this one fails, there will not be enough money to run TCSD. As a result, TCSD will have to merge with another school after two years of failed budget proposals.
What Happens to Taxes with a Merger? As stated in a NYSSBA Merger Report, in most cases of school district mergers, the district with the lower tax rate increases its taxes while the district with the higher rate decreases its taxes. Tioga has the lowest tax rate in the area, even if it adopted the new proposed budget. The tax rates of surrounding schools are $20.54, $13.67, $21.49, $19.41, and $18.23 per thousand dollars of true property value, as referenced in a recent school board presentation. Tioga’s current rate is $9.31 and the proposed new rate is $10.91. This means that taxpayers will suffer an increase in taxes regardless of whom Tioga merges with. The NYSSBA Merger Report also mentions that the state gives aid to consolidating schools for the first 14 years of the merger in order to provide financial relief; however, according to a TCSD Administrator, tax rates within one year after the merger will still significantly increase.
Given that four out of the five surrounding schools have a tax rate of approximately $20, the school administrator stated that an increase of the school tax rate to $15 is a highly likely scenario for the first year of the merger, which will occur in one to two years. The tax rate would then steadily increase until the state aid runs out in 14 years. By that time, the tax rate will very likely be much higher than $20. In short, taxes will increase regardless of a yes or no vote on the budget. The question that individuals need to ask themselves is which one will end up costing more: $10.91 now or $15.00 in a year?
How efficient is Tioga’s spending? According to an ERS study conducted by NYSED, Tioga’s per pupil spending is very low, meaning that Tioga’s spending efficiency is very high. Also, according to Buffalo Business First, a business journal which gives annual school rankings, Tioga has the lowest per pupil spending of all of the school districts in Tioga County by more than $1,500. Buffalo Business First also tells us that Tioga has the most efficient administration in Tioga County, ranking 61st out of 432 schools in New York State. The next best school in Tioga County is Owego-Apalachin, which ranks 138th. Tioga is very fiscally responsible and the most efficient school around. Crocodiles? Some ideas are best told through a story. Given the school budget debate, the story of two French tourists on a safari trip in Africa comes to mind. On the first day of the tour, the travelers stayed in a camp fenced in from the dangers of the outside. As the tourists stared at the lions in the distance, the safari guide walked up and spoke: “Lions are threatening animals, fast and strong, but not as dangerous as crocodiles – they attack with no warning.” The guide pointed to the thick mud in a different area of the savannah, which the lions seemed to avoid. “Crocodiles live there,” he said. The tourists, seeing no evidence of crocodiles, scoffed in disbelief and forgot the warning. The next morning, the tourists awoke before the guide. Feeling adventurous, they climbed over the camp fence to explore the savannah. Because they feared the lions, the travelers chose a route through the thick mud. The guide awoke an hour later. He was surprised not to see the tourists in camp; as he searched scouring the camp and the savannah, he saw no tourists and no lions, only two crocodiles sliding back into the mud.
It seems that the community is the tourists. The days of $9.00 school tax rates are over; we are outside the fence. We have a choice to make; will we walk through the grass or the thick mud? Do we fear the lions or the crocodiles? The obvious immediate future or the hidden long-term future? Whether you plan to vote yes or no, we encourage you to rethink your decision, base it on the facts, and think long term. Consider everything, listen to the safari guide (the experts), and do not let your fear of lions steer you to the crocodiles. We deeply care about this community and only want to see it make the right decision.
Sincerely,
Luke Hoose
Nichols, N.Y.
Zack Baker
Owego, N.Y.
