WPCNR SPORTS. Memoires of an Anonymous Parent.  March 31, 2009: I used to have a regular life. (Actually, many of my friends say that sentence should say, “I used to have a life”, period.) It doesn’t really seem that long ago. Then I became a Softball Dad.

White Plains Tigers 2009– Scrimmage Pearl River in 20 Degree windchill Monday. It was a nail-biter literally. Coach Ted O’Donnell praised Emily Frawley’s pitching and his team’s solid defensive play: “Emily did an excellent job mixing up her pitches and keeping the Pearl River batters off balance. The other positive was our defense which did a good job especially considering it was our 1st competition this season. Junior Christy Reina is our starting shortstop for the 2nd year.”

 

My lawn used to be like a carpet. It was green, mowed, trimmed, fertilized, and watered. Any weeds that dared to show their leaves were pulled out by their roots. Now I have two big bare spots forty feet apart. I like the bare spots.

 

I like them because they are the only places that the weeds and crab grass aren’t threatening to take over.

My car used to draw admiring looks and comments. It was clean and waxed and shined and Armor All’d. Now it only draws attention when it wins the “dirtiest car in the parking lot” prize.

My friends and I used to spend Monday mornings talking about five-iron shots, three-putts, and titanium shafts. Now I bore them to death with detailed play-by-play descriptions of five or six low-scoring ball games. Somehow, they just don’t understand the drama of a 2-0 game.

I used to think anything over $40 was an exorbitant price for a ball bat.
Now the contents of my daughter’s equipment bag are worth more than everything else in the car together – including clothes, jewelry, watches, and laptop computer.

I used to have a great wife. Still do, Thank God. But that’s a tribute to her patience and good humor. We used to sit and talk for hours. We still do – to keep each other awake when we’re headed home in the wee hours of Monday morning.  We used to wonder what the kids would do when they grew up. Now she wants to know what I’m going to do IF I ever grow up.

My summer casual wardrobe used to be made up of color-coordinated polo shirts, cool cottons in bright colors, and the occasional “aloha” shirt.

Now I have a closet full of T-shirts in gray and blue. Those that don’t have MAJESTIX on the front have a cute saying on the back, like “If You Follow Me Long Enough, You’ll End Up at a Ball Field.” or “Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Slowpitch”

 I used to glue myself to the sofa and watch the NCAA basketball tournament and the Masters from opening Ceremony through network sign off. Now, I catch the highlights on Sportscenter.

I used to be one of the tops in my field. Thank goodness, I still am.
(You have to keep a good paycheck coming in if you want to support a
Tournament Softball habit!)

I used to have sympathy for umpires. I used to think boys were tough. I used to think a double-header was a long day at the ballfield. Now we’re just getting warmed up.

We used to spend our summer vacation relaxing on the beach or visiting family. Now we hit the road with 40 of our closest friends.

I used to think the ideal woman had brains and beauty. She still does,
but now she better also be quick, courageous, and able to bunt a good rise ball.
I used to look for little restaurants that served seafood fresh off the boat.
Now I’m a connoisseur of nachos and smoked sausages.

I used to be concerned that I would fall into the trap of living my life through my daughter. Now I know that I’m privileged to live my life WITH my daughter.

 

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. March 30, 2009: The Board of Education approved a $185.8 Million budget to send to district voters May 19 Monday evening, cutting the budget from $185,9, based on a restoration of $2 Million in education aid from the state, restored over the weekend by Governor David Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate leader Malcolm Smith in their budget compromise agreement. The .74% increase in the budget results in a 2.4% property tax increase resulting in a school tax of $8,000 on the $700,000 average White Plains home.

Forty persons attended the official adoption of the White Plains City School District Budget for 2009-10 Monday evening.

This means if you own a home in the $650,000-$700,000 price range, you will see your property tax go up in July from $7,618 to $7,990, (pushing on $8,000 ) an increase of $372, (within $8 of the WPCNR/White Plains Week television program estimated two weeks ago). Combined with the White Plainsian’s average $700,000 home county tax of $2,400 and the city tax, projected at $2,800  for that $700,000 home if the city budget is the same as this year’s ($161.7M), the average Mr. and Mrs. White Plains homeowner of that $700,000 home will pay $13,200 in taxes next year. If the city runs a budget more than $161.7 Million depending on the deficit the city runs (projected at $9 Million to $11 Million), the tax for that $700,000 southend home would hit $14,000 from all three taxing authorities: the schools, the county and the city.

If the city budget drops revenues as much as $11 Million as previously projected by the city, that city tax will go up to $3,500 on the same home pushing the total property tax up to about $14,000.

Another Stealth Tax Raise included in the Three Men in a Room Budget.

WPCNR was told today by the Office of Real Property Services that another cut in the key STAR Exemptions is included in the Paterson-Silver-Smith state budget agreed upon over the weekend. The STAR Exemptions, despite what Fred Seiler said this evening, are being cut again by 11%, not 18% as was originally in Governor Patterson’s budget, but still hiking the White Plainsian’s property tax to help fund their own state aid.

The restoration in district school aid  of $2 Million to White Plains  is being partially paid for again by the White Plains taxpayer because in the final Albany budget, the STAR BASIC EXEMPTION and STAR ENHANCED EXEMPTION ( the allowance deducted off your home assessment) is being reduced another 11% lowering your exemption from $3330 to $2,964  if you’re  under 65, and from  $6,500 to $5,785 if you are over-65. Jeffrey Gloak of the New York State Office of Real Property Services confirmed to WPCNR Monday that the 11% cut in the STARs was the final version of the Patterson-Silver-Smith Budget. Proportionately the Over-65 taxpayer is hurt much more by this once-again, not-publicized (except by the CitizeNetReporter) cut.

The restoration of the aid was included in the present budget to reduce the tax levy from $519 per $1,000 of assessed value to $515.15 per assessed value instead of cutting the budget more than the $185.9 it was at last week.

Fred Seiler, the Assistant Superintendent for Business said that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority  tax of   point 33% of the district’s total salaries (.33%) looks like it is going to go through, and that was included in the approved school budget tonight, costing the district $328,510 (slight more than the salaries of two data processing executives the district hired last August).

Four persons criticized the district for adding $500,000 in a new language program, to bring foreign language to the Highlands Middle School, while laying off personnel, and not spending enough money to remove children attending the district illegally, removing a social worker from one of the schools, and four not looking harder to cut expenses.

Seiler said the district budget approved tonight is essentially the budget the district will have regardless of whether the voters approve or turn down the budget on May 20, because the $185,778,149  budget is $7,371 less than the allowed contingency budger of $193,149,841. Seiler said it was up to the board whether to cut the budget more or adopt the budget at $185.8 M after any negative vote.

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors, wrangling his last school budget for the district prior to his leaving the district June 30, said “I think we’re in good shape. We did not cut any of our wonderful programs. We’ve maintained class size. However, the largest problem we have is the continuing loss of assessibles. Our leaders are going to have to address that.”

Peter Bassano, Board member, up for reelection in May, thanked the community for their input and numerous e-mails because they helped, he said, the board make their decisions in an “unbelievably bizarre environment.” He warned, “Next year is going to be worse. This is the beginning of a roller coaster ride, and it’s not going to get better.”

Donna McLaughlin, President of the School Board, said the Board does listen to the people, “but we don’t always agree.”

Teacher Negotiations Go on to Fact-Finding Stage

Kerry Broderick, the President of the White Plains Teachers Association described last Thursday’s Teacher negations as “strikingly unproductive,” and reported that the next stage of mediations would proceed to Fact-Finding, the discoveries and positions of which would be made public after the mediator’s final report.

Broderick said that only half of White Plains 651 Teachers would receive automatic step raises next year because the other half are already earning the maximum salaries of the district.

Actual positions consolidated or eliminated not  fully clarified.

The Superintendent of Schools Connors said two administrative positions (Athletic Director and Director of Physical Education) were combined into one. Another Administrator was kept on but would teach part-time. Twenty certified positions were eliminated, but were not disclosed; Twenty Teaching Assistants were eliminated, as well as 3 Security Positions and 4 Clerical positions.