It appears that our state government has “seen the light” and is proposing various ways to lower our astronomical property taxes.
One proposal is the tax cap, which would “cap” the annual tax levy increase to the inflation rate or 4 percent, whichever is lower.
Another is a “circuit breaker” which would limit the homeowners#, tax burden to no more than, say, 6 percent of their income, with the state making up the difference.
However, it's election season and the big money from the various teachers' unions is being withheld from filling the coffers of 38 state senators if they vote “yea” on these proposals, especially the tax cap.
According to New York's powerful teachers union, NYSUT, “This is perhaps the most critical issue facing public education in a generation.”
And so the “it'll hurt the children” rhetoric begins. Never mind the fact that about 70 percent of school aid goes to salaries and benefits.
And that the average salary of a teacher in the Auburn school district is approximately $55,000 for 10 months of less than 8 hours per day of work.
And that our school taxes have increased 60 percent since 2001.
And in addition to STAR, state aid has increased $1.5 to $3 million per year.
And so with all these generous increases, in 2007, Auburn's drop-out rate increased to 18 percent from 15 percent in 2006. Throwing money at the problem doesn't work, does it?
The only thing that this tax cap may hurt is some of the already bloated salaries of teachers and administrators and not the kids. Welcome to the real world, folks.
They've basically had a blank check and the kids are still flunking, dropping out and not learning the basic 3 R's to prepare them for life in this century.
It's one thing to make a good living; it's another to milk the system dry on the backs of us taxpayers and not even provide the kids a decent education - and then cry wolf that these proposals will devastate public education. What bs!
It's time for the local taxpayer to get a break. How about it, Albany?
It's your money.
Bill Balyszak
Auburn
Another is a “circuit breaker” which would limit the homeowners#, tax burden to no more than, say, 6 percent of their income, with the state making up the difference.
However, it's election season and the big money from the various teachers' unions is being withheld from filling the coffers of 38 state senators if they vote “yea” on these proposals, especially the tax cap.
According to New York's powerful teachers union, NYSUT, “This is perhaps the most critical issue facing public education in a generation.”
And so the “it'll hurt the children” rhetoric begins. Never mind the fact that about 70 percent of school aid goes to salaries and benefits.
And that the average salary of a teacher in the Auburn school district is approximately $55,000 for 10 months of less than 8 hours per day of work.
And that our school taxes have increased 60 percent since 2001.
And in addition to STAR, state aid has increased $1.5 to $3 million per year.
And so with all these generous increases, in 2007, Auburn's drop-out rate increased to 18 percent from 15 percent in 2006. Throwing money at the problem doesn't work, does it?
The only thing that this tax cap may hurt is some of the already bloated salaries of teachers and administrators and not the kids. Welcome to the real world, folks.
They've basically had a blank check and the kids are still flunking, dropping out and not learning the basic 3 R's to prepare them for life in this century.
It's one thing to make a good living; it's another to milk the system dry on the backs of us taxpayers and not even provide the kids a decent education - and then cry wolf that these proposals will devastate public education. What bs!
It's time for the local taxpayer to get a break. How about it, Albany?
It's your money.
Bill Balyszak
Auburn
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brew1234 wrote on Aug 26, 2008 2:53 AM:
dan w wrote on Aug 26, 2008 1:36 AM: