Editor, The Spotlight:
I’d like to clear up some audacious spin written by Dr. Thomas Douglas, BC Superintendent of Schools in his response to Fred DiMaggio’s fine letter asking for reasonable school budget reform.
A classic marketer’s trick is to blame higher authority, so, reluctantly; there is no choice but to implement the pay raise. Hence, “the district budgeted for only the salary increases mandated by the … NYS Legislature” is an accurate statement. However, the whole truth is that Dr. Douglas is an integral part of the special interest that lobbies hard for regular income increases which raised local taxes an average of 4% per year. It is devious to say the district was forced by law to accept pay raises which this superintendent’s cronies pressured the state legislator to pass.
The public unions are well known to threaten when their interests are at stake. Teachers unions and the administrators are leaders in intimidation.
The superintendent further mocks the 2% tax cap, as “mythical.” The legal ability exists to maneuver around the tax cap, so the education establishment feels it must, despite the public outcry.
Hard-heartedness is the label tenured teachers and administrators deserve for not backing a pay cut so that newer teachers are not laid off, so that our kids can have a better educational experience, and so that taxpayers, particularly older taxpayers on fixed incomes, do not have to choose between eating and paying obscenely high school taxes.
Question: in this supposed equitable society, how many teachers’ raises are equal to how many widows, on fixed incomes, who must sell their home because they can’t afford to stay in the town they helped build? It’s sad, leaving family and friends, now, at the very time of life when they need the help from those they nurtured. Widows, moving away from the church they baked pies for and the children they brought to Little League. When does the school board start representing taxpayers and stop collaborating with those endlessly feeding at the public trough?
Our school systems are no better than 24th in the industrial world. Johnny can’t read. Educators have had a monopoly on the educational process for many decades and produce a failing product. Should not teachers and administrators be paid at the rate commensurate with the product they produce? Teachers at private schools are paid about 40% less and produce better students. Justify the difference in compensation.
Our school competition is not Arkansas or Mississippi, but Korea, who passed a law limiting how much students can study – because they study too much. What we teach and how we teach plus high motivation are the keys to better education, not more money.
The Bethlehem School system is dysfunctional and represents the education special interests to the tune of 70% of our town tax dollars. We deserve better and I ask the Bethlehem School Board to serve taxpayers by emulating school districts that create good students at much lower cost.
Vote “NO,” against the school budget May 15th.
Mitchell Goldstein
Glenmont
