Dear Editor,<\/p>\n
On Election Day, New York voters will be asked to let the state borrow up to $2 billion to help public schools buy computer hardware they don\u2019t urgently need and create space for pre-kindergarten programs that most districts outside New York City can\u2019t afford.\u00a0Specifically, Proposal 3, called \u201cSmart Schools Bond Act of 2014\u201d on the Nov. 4 ballot would authorize a bond to finance new interactive \u201csmart boards,\u201d servers, laptops, desktop computers and iPad-style tablets; \u201chigh-tech security features\u201d such as surveillance cameras; and broadband Internet and wireless connections.<\/p>\n
Ignore the spin. New York already subsidizes classroom technology and school construction: through annual budget appropriations.\u00a0Albany has a generous school building-aid program, which this year alone will provide $2.7 billion to underwrite up to 95 percent of eligible capital costs in districts across the state.\u00a0 Albany has earmarked $192 million in computer-hardware aid for schools, including $38 million in the current budget.<\/p>\n
The state Board of Regents seems to think this is enough money.\u00a0The annual payments on $2 billion in bonds could ultimately come to more than $130 million a year.\u00a0These figures were from the Empire Center published in a New York Post article dated Oct. 7, 2014.<\/p>\n
To justify bonding, the law implementing Proposal 3 assumes that classroom technology financed with school-bond funds will have a \u201cprobable life\u201d of eight years.\u00a0Most large corporations and government institutions assume the life span of this type of equipment is five years.\u00a0So we will be paying for this bond for many years after this equipment is even in use.<\/p>\n
PLEASE vote \u2018NO\u2019 on Nov. 4, 2014 on Proposal 3.<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
Candy Sweppenheiser<\/p>\n
Owego, N.Y.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Editor, On Election Day, New York voters will be asked to let the state borrow up to $2 billion to help public schools buy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-letters"],"yoast_head":"\n