WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. May 13, 2008: The White Plains Board of Education considers itself to be “mindful” of the $184.4 Million school budget pressure on White Plains taxpayers, but offered no assurances or plans to rein in district costs next year. The Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors, entering the last year of his current contract in June said property tax relief was up to Albany legislators to have “courage” to establish a separate commercial property tax rate.
Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors, explaining a fine point of the school budget last night at the public hearing on the $184.4 Million Budget. President of Board of Education, Donna Mclaughlin, is at right.
The School District in a second public meeting opportunity to report the state STAR cuts, did not disclose the additional $200 increase in property taxes White Plains taxpayers (and taxpayers across the state) will pay automatically as a result of the state legislature quietly cutting the Basic and Enhanced Star Exemptions by 10%, the largest cut the exemptions have taken since their inception in 1997– despite having two public meetings in which to make full disclosure of this secret cut.
The unreported “cut” when figured into one’s school taxes makes the tax White Plainsians will pay, 8% more, not 5.98% as consistently proclaimed by the school district again last night, despite having the knowledge of the Basic and Enhanced STAR cuts for three weeks.
While not reporting the STAR cuts, the district last night did report that the Middle Class STAR Rebates of last fall would still be in effect.
Budget Committee Mandate
Connors and President of the Board of Education Donna Mclaughlin said the Board was carrying out the sentiments of the Annual Budget Committee in crafting the budget. Connors said the Budget Committee asked the district to maintain small class sizes ( 20 at the elementary level, 24-25 students at high school level) Pre-K indergarten programs, and minority academic improvement programs without any new programs.
A total of 7 persons came out from the public to comment on the $184.4 Million budget.
Fuming
Scathing criticism from six persons, representing two senior citizens, 3 business executives, and a former resident of Irvington – attacked the cost for educating each student in White Plains ($25,732), one describing it as “absolutely insane,” and comparable to private school tuition; attacked the new artificial turf fields as being uneducational; expressed shock at the average teacher’s salary ($94,000) as being “big bucks;” chided the high salaries of administrators ($149,000 for the Coordinator of Technology was criticized as too high by a technology executive, “it’s crazy,” was the comment).
The Superintendent of Schools defended the district as being 5th in the county in spending per student, and less than Scarsdale ($27,000 per student), and when a speaker compared White Plains to the New Rochelle District ($17,000 per student), Donna McLaughlin pointed out that New Rochelle had larger class sizes and no All Day Kindergarten.
Staff Cutting
Connors defended administrative staff numbers, saying the district had 1,200 employees, of whom there were 800 teachers and assistants, 45 administrators, 110 support staff, and 100 custodial staff and that the number of teaching assistants had been cut in recent years.
In response to a question on whether more administrators were going to be added this year, Mr. Connors said, none.
In an accounting last month, as reported by WPCNR, Mr. Connors described the staff in more detail:
For 2008-2009, there are 47 Administrators (down by 2).
The district plans to hire two new data processing executives, a Manager of Information Systems ($150,000) and a Data Base Manager ($100,000) plus benefits, plus acquire a new district software package for $200,000, while retaining the present Coordinator of Technology, earning $149,502, and the present Coordinator, Research, Testing & Evaluations, earning $149,502. Another criticized the Coordinator for Physical Education and Health being paid $149,502, wanting to know what the person did.
New Administrative Positions
The new positions and software are being, added , as reported by WPCNR previously, because BOCES has been unable to provide the data tracking of student performance on tests that the district has long desired.
A new Manager of Information Systems being sought is expected to redesign the data system to customize the data to the district reporting wish list. It should be observed that for eight years the Board of Education has requested longitudinal studies of student and class performances on tests year to year through the grades, and the present data configuration of the district administered by the present coordinators has been unable to execute these studies due to technical limitations of the software and input process.
There would also be a new part-time Coordinator of Private Schools Placement (to coordinate placement of Special Education students) for $80,000; a new Science Teacher at the high school for $70,000 .
The Detail on Staff 2008-2009
Adminstrators: 47 (down 2, with 2 to be added)
Clerical Staff: 113
Certified Teachers: 659 (down 2)
Teaching Assistants: 238 (down by 5)
Custodial: 90
Part-time: 106
Total: 1,253
Connors defended the school budget as “the cost of doing business in this area.” The resident of the Board of Education, Donna McLaughlin, defended the district cost per student, criticized as being comparable to private school tuition, by noting that the district paid the cost of Special Education services and transit to students going to Private School (77 such students exist, she said).
The synthetic turf fields came under attack.
Asked what the cost of Parker Stadium and Loucks Field was, the Assistant Superintendent for Business said the cost was $6.2 Million, (which WPCNR points out, does not include the architect commission of about $2 Million more for designing the two structures). The Superintendent of Schools noted that the community passed the referendum authorizing $66 Million in bonds for the construction of the fields, “representing an investment for all students," in effect dismissing the fields as a moot issue, though payment for the fields and the rehabilation of individual schools takes up $1.7 Million of the budget debt service increase (up about $3 Million). $1.5 million in certiorari payments is being borrowed for in addition tothe $1.7 Million debt for Post Road School and Mamaroneck Avenue School.)
Ms. McLaughlin defended the new stadia as being part of the complete educational experience, when two disgruntled citizens criticized the fields as having nothing to do with education.
In another exchange, a citizen decried the certiorari problem the district is dealing with perpetually. Connors made clear that certioraris had to be paid, that they could not be issued as credits towards future taxes.
One of the critics tempered the cantankerous tone of the questions being flung at the Board, saying White Plains students “were getting a good education for dollars spent. They do a good job.”
55 or 65 Which Is it?
There was also criticism from one senior citizen that school was harder in his day at Brooklyn Poly Tech where he went to school. He criticized the 55 passing grade for regents examinations. There was not a definitive answer from the Board of Education as to whether the passing grade for Regents exams was now 65 at White Plains or remained at 55. The Board noted that they had moved in advance of the State of New York policy to advance passing grades to 65 on the Regents examinations
WPCNR notes that when the Board first wanted to move passing grades to 65 three years ago, faculty leaders urged the Board to go slowly and not raise the grades due to the possibility that many borderline students would fail the Regents with less than 65.
In 2005-2006, WPCNR believes the Board voted to require graduating students to have to have 2 Regents examinations (of 5) passed with grades of 65 in the 07 year, increasing to three exams with passing over 65 by 08, 4 exams in 2009, to all 5 Regents exams passed with 65s by 2010, ahead of the State schedule for when Regents passing grades would move to 65.
WPCNR awaits the Guidance Department confirmation of this sequence and what the present policy is. The Board of Education did not provide a definitive answer to that question last night.
Seniors Have to Go Out and Get Jobs
A senior citizen lamented his present $800 a month property tax bill that has been going up and up over the last several years, while his and his friends’ income has remained the same. He reported 75 year olds out looking for jobs to make their tax expenses. Connors, in response said, “Without some help from legislators on the equalization rate, we need help on the revenue side.They have to do something about that (the equalization rate),” and later, this comment, “They (the legislators) have to have the will to do that, and show real political courage.”
Bill Pollak, School Board member said the answer was revaluation, but he cautioned that would raise taxes on White Plains homeowners substantially if it were undertaken.
A Criticism of the Illegal Immigrant problem
One of the senior citizens, somewhat apologetic, and in the context of the district being forced to provide education for children born in this country of illegal immigrants, asked the district to take a position with national school boards on the necessity of dealing with the increase in children of illegals, said of the ever-growing budget simply “This is killing us.”
Future: More of Same
One citizen asked what could be done about future budgets. To this Mr. Connors said it was up to Albany to change the property tax laws. Connors also said the district attempts to trim personnel each year and was currently negotiating with the teachers’ union for givebacks, pointing to such givebacks (on benefits) negotiated last year where teachers agreed to pay 5% of their health care benefits. Previously all benefits were fully paid by the district.
WPCNR estimates that if this year's year-to-year increase is duplicated next year, the school budget will rise to $195 Million. Should increased energy costs and inflationary pressures and the new teacher contract drive expenses higher, the district could hit $200 Million.
