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Mr. Coombs explores the impact of incarceration on teens from 16 to 25.
Explains how Youth Shelter of Westchester and the Eagle Academy turn youths around in the inner cities.
How the two organizations work with parents and the courts to rescue youth and have created graduates with great futures.
On This week’s PEOPLE TO HEARD, Westchester County’s Most Insightful Interview Program from White Plains TV
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Schools Open. Board of Education Returns to 2019-2020 School Budget.
WPCNR SCHOOL DAY. News & Comment By John F. Bailey. January 2, 2019:
The Board of Education returns to action Monday with a presentation of the school long range budget plan to the Board Finance Committee.
The budget plan may take into account future possibilities of construction and upgrading of district buildings, or entire new buildings, or possible expanding enrollment.
At last look, the district demographic predictions do not foresee growth beyond the present enrollment of 7,245. Nonetheless, every elementary school is virtually filled to capacity.
With the city of White Plains envisioning approximately 6,000 new apartments being added over the next five to 10 years, and despite builders’ claims the surge in apartments will not add significantly to school enrollment, the question has to be addressed:
If the enrollment goes up by 500 to a thousand new students reflecting new entry level students, should elementary schools be expanded by building additions?
Should faculty be expanded to keep class ratios 1 teacher to 22 as they stand now?
Should the district at long last establish an in-district school for the disabled, or classes for the severely disabled to alleviate the pressures of sending students to private facilities for the disabled that costs the district up well over $30,000 per student.
Will the speed of technological change, mean a sharp increase in wi-fi and tech upgrading district-wide? These are expensive and relevant issues to consider.
As long as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s tax cap remains in effect, school district budgets will be held in check.
Had the tax cap not been in effect the last 8 years, the White Plains School Board, more frugal than most districts in Westchester, would most likely have grown to over $230 Million. This year the budget is $218.9 Million.
Last year the Governor’s education tax cap was 3%, however the White Plains City School District chose to keep growth in the budget to 2%, and the commensurate school property tax increase to 2.9%.
This year the tax cap may be higher. And, the school district has to negotiate a new contract with the White Plains Teachers Union, which will probably add a 3% increase in teacher salaries to the budget. This is a key year for the new Superintendent of Schools.
If the district increases the school budget by 4%, assuming a significant teacher settlement, this will take the school budget to $ 227 Million from the present $ 218.8.
A 5% budget increase (not unreasonable considering some of the potential needs I just mentioned at the top of this article), would put the budget at $230 Million.
Now school district may also consider another strategy of creating contingency funds devoted to certain district improvements like technology upgrades, construction additions school-by-school, and significant faculty increases.
Such a significant increase is definitely possible at this time to comply with the New York Stated Education Department language other than English regulations which given the White Plains School District Dual Language strategy of growing the dual language expansion grade-by-grade each year appears a district strategy that is committed to at this time.
It is hard to believe the district will expand the budget by 5% approaching the levels of growth before the tax cap went into place. A 5% increase in the White Plains School Tax would cost the homeowner of a median homeowner approximately $500 more in taxes on the median priced $650,000 White Plains. And considerably more for homes priced over that $650,000 home.
If they keep the budget at a 2% growth rate the budget goe up $4.4 Million to $223.2 Million, a perhaps palatable 3% tax increase. If they up the budget 3%, the total goes up $6,600,000 to $225.4 Million, and perhaps roughly a 4% property tax increase.
I am doing simple baseball statistics here to illustrate how much impact even the slightest increases in the budget inflate it.
The $6.6 Million increase in the budget should take care of some contingency funds as well as the teacher contract, and the start of whatever five year “Must Do” projects that the district sees forthcoming.
This is the year to do that: to start to pay for the projects they think they need: bond issues? Construction plans? New tech? Dealing with demographic issues? Benefits?
The budget year 2019-2020 planning will be the most significant the City School District has ever done.
The creating and planning of the 2019-2020 is the most significant management, budget creativity, negotiating and marketing task any Superintendent of Schools has ever faced in White Plains.
Citizens wanting to follow the budget action closely and add input can do so on the following dates:
January 14, 2019: Presentation of the Long-Range Plan; Review of Budget Parameters.
February 11, 2019: Non-Instructional Budget for Facilities,Athletics, Technology, Transportaion
February 25, 2019: Instructional Budget Presentation (faculty)
March 11, 2019: Presentation of Preliminary Superintendent’s Budget
March 18, 2018: Budget work shop with Board of Education and Administration
April 8, 2019: Adoption of 2019-20 Budget and Property Tax Report Card
May 21, 2019: Budget Vote
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WPCNR MILESTONES. News and Comment by John F. Bailey. December 31, 2018:
1918 has been a bad year. But, but, but America has had bad years before. Much worse years.
In 1814, during the War of 1812, the British burned down the White House. Had we had today’s nation press and HNNs (Hysterical News Networks) I can imagine how commentators would say “The American nation is not going to last much longer, it’s only a matter of time before the former Tories return the colonies to England.” Well, that didn’t happen.
Prejudice, racial injustice unprecedented? 2018 compares little to 1830 when President Andrew Jackson, a known Indian-hater, upon discovery of gold in North Georgia removed the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole Indians and moved them to beyond the Mississippi on a march known as the “Trail of Tears.”
You think the federal courts and the Supreme Court is prejudiced now in 2018? The Supreme Court of 1857 took up the case of Dred Scott a slave who went to court to become a free man, having lived in Wisconsin a free state with his owner. The Court decided that, under the Constitution, Scott was his master’s property and was not a citizenof the United States. The Court also declared that the Missouri Compromise, which prohibited slavery in certain areas,unconstitutionally deprived people of property their slaves.
The Dred Scott decision was a serious blow to abolitionists, divided the country and lead to the next bad year: 1861 when the Civil War started. The Supreme Court than described as stacked with five southern judges, essentially ruled that Dred Scott was not a person, put property.
(Today’s Supreme Court has made an even more amazing decision they decided that corporations had the same rights as a person, allowing them to contribute any amount of sums to political parties and campaigns.)
1865: This was a year that started so well. The South had surrendered, ending the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln had been elected to a second term, the slaves had been freed. The stage was set for the nation to start anew eliminating the racism of the past. But Lincoln was killed. This lead to a rise of the Ku Klux Klan gangs of the south who murdered thousands Negroes in the South until President Grant prosecuted these vigilanties, jailing over a thousand Klansmen.
1894. Do you think 2018 is anti-union? There are movements to limit union-influence by our present Supreme Court and governors who should know better. But the robber barons of the 1880s and 1890s worked their employees 6 days a week, 12 hours a day.
In 1894, George Pullman hired Pinkertons to deal with striking workers who refused to work because Pullman cut their wages. A number of workers were killed by the Pinkertons and the strike spread nationally halting mail West of the Mississippi.
Federal troops were called out by President Grover Cleveland. Thirty striking workers were killed by troops and 57 injured across the nation. That was using federal troops against workers in support of a private corporation. Today, federal troops have not been used against American citizens yet.
1917: The United States abandoned isolationism and entered the First World War, which set the stage for the Second World War due to its punishments of Germany that lead to the rise of the infamous Adolf Hitler.
1929: The Great Crash started a severe 12 year Great Depression, the “recession” of 2008-2016 hardly compares. Significantly aggressive investments without merit or backing lead to both prolonged periods of misery for the every day citizen, with little punishment for the financially corrupt captains of industry.
1941: The United States was attacked by Japan and also declared war on Germany. A two front war which the U.S. had no idea they would win. But American citizens through themselves behind the war effort and pulled this conflict of all conflicts out. The present conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan hardly compare to what was at stake in World War II, but the U.S. failure to recognize the antagonism of Russia and China to our interests, influences on our elections, have to be dealt with, and the naivete of our present leader contribute to a threat to our way of life.
However, it is not the government responsibility to keep our data safe: it is the responsibility of the banks, the web giants and the networks to make sure their security is beefed up. American naivete and greed at the top continually neglect security.
1968: How bleak was it then? The Street riots in Detroit that burned down have the city. The riots outside the Chicago convention that culminated from the rising protests against the Vietnam war lead to an atmosphere of anarchy leading to a switch Richard Nixon as President, whose irresponsible compulsion to win at all costs, compromised and made him the only President to resign. Yes, 1968, a very bad time when America was against each other: Hawks vs. Doves, with the media cheering on the discord, and taking sides.
2001: A clear blue sky on a beautiful Tuesday and 9/11 happened out of the sky, entering America into two decades of conflict.
Now we enter 2019. Looking back at each of those years, we can see that America’s survival was in doubt in all of those years.
Today we live in a distracted society with a leader who is an expert at distracting us from issues we need to be thinking about. His ability to distract the public and influence them is unwittingly enabled by the media whose fragile egos are consistently pricked by his taunts, and they make the story the threats to their sovereignty as journalists.
Freedom of the press only survives if you use it. Just keep on pressing. You have to have a thick skin.
You need to simply ferret out facts and keep pursuing the dialogue. The minute you start feeling as a reporter that you know what the situation is, you’re lost. You don’t. They will lie to you.
When Drew Pearson was writing Washington Merry Go Round he was hated by every politician in Washington because he wrote what no other reporter or editor would dare write. When Walter Winchell wrote against the danger of Hitler in the 30s, he was the only one doing it. Isolationists and industrialists in America warned against antagonizing Germany. The State Department did nothing to support the Jews in Germany, even though they were informed by the ambassador to Germany of how Jews were being persecuted in the mid-1930s.
The press today has to guard against spreading too wide a tent of “experts,” and “commentators.” They have to have as good reporters as the administration has spokespersons.
Kellyann Conway, who made the rounds of talk shows this weekend was devastatingly effective in polishing up the Trump position on the shutdown; his “success” in the economy; in pointing out the Democrats have “quit,” not being willing to negotiate. You cannot treat a seasoned public relations pro like Ms Conway by saying “that’s not true,” or “saying how can you say that?”
In 30 seconds she had leveled three excellent planks for the 2020 Trump Campaign, Economy, Energy, Enterprise. The Democrats need to dishevel Ms. Conway. And simply not act bewildered.
The Democrats have been maneuvered into a corner and they are not coming out for “the bell.”
Killer Conway had the audacity to say with a straight confident voice on Bloomberg Radio that Trump was willing to compromise indicating the democrats would not. She is good. She is really good.
Trump is good. He is really good at selling the big lie. Scrapping it. And telling an exact opposite Big Lie. And the Bigger the Lie, the more you want to believe it’s true. He varies his lies with the reactions to previous lies. He plays you. Just as he plays the press.
How do we go about our daily lives against the hourly assault on our sense of well-being?
You have to keep an eye on the same tactics your local politicians are practicing. Just because they treat you nice, that does not mean they have your best interests at heart.
You should ask questions of school officials and local government officials, with the knowledge they will tell you what will ease your mind, so you have to maneuver them as they maneuver you. By trying to answer specific questions, if you are tough enough you may get them to start a task force and put you on the committee, or hold a meeting with your group
Inclusion of all stakeholders is a political technique to not change things too much.
I also think we need to concentrate on our families and bring them closer together.
Make more phone calls to relatives and you will be surprised after just a few moments how, no matter how much the person’s life style may irritate you,you will find common ground.
Estranged from a distant sister? Call her up and tell her you’re sorry for not being more supportive and in touch and that is a start.
Put your troubles in perspective. You can deal with them.
The last day of the year and the first day of the next year are good times for discussing your personal issues and figuring out what things you could do to make things better. I am going to try and put all my dates and commitments on a overall calendar, the very day I make them. (I am always forgetting appointments.)
I found an old Apple TV box my wife thought was thrown out. I found it behind the Tv where it had obviously been knocked between TV and wall by a cat. This lead to a savings of $150 on a new box.
It also shocked my wife that I found a way to move the gigundus tv without disconnecting. This lead to giving my wife a project which she loves, accessing hard-to-access protocols by punching in passwords. She loves those puzzles. And she got it working. I pointed out how this was a successful joint project we had achieved. I wa smet with the usual eyebrow roll.
I also resolve never to upgrade to a new Wordmith version again. I am currently trying to figure that out.
So keep your focus locally go to more community meetings. Watch your politician’s achievements, and how much they really make your life better.
Read a newspaper. Follow my website and have lunches with friends more often.
Sample more craft beers. Discover vintage cocktails.
Do not watch news networks.
Go shopping to the supermarket with your spouse.
Go to more museums.
Live, do not live vicariously by watching television series.
Go to the theatre.
Go to baseball games.
Walk around New York City more.
It’s the greatest City in the world.
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JOHN BAILEY AND PETER KATZ
RUN DOWN THE STORIES OF THE YEAR 2018
ON WESTCHESTER’S HARDEST-HITTING, STRAIGHTEST- TALKING, ALL-SEEING NEWS ROUNDUP. THE FUTURE AHEAD
THE TRUMP EFFECT
THE LATIMER EFFECT
THE SCHOOL BUDGET WHAT’S AHEAD
THE MARCH FOR OUR LIVES
MARCH MADNESS
HELPLESS WESTCHESTER
PLAYLAND GOES IN CIRCLES
FASNY GOES INTO YEAR 9
AIRPORT PLAN WILL NEVER COME IN FOR A LANDING
SHARED SERVICES SUCCESS
RED LIGHT CAMS/RAMP METERS THAT TURN OFF IN RUSH HOUR
NEW DEVELOPMENTS SOME OF THEM
FINANCING BLUES
TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE BLUES
COUNTY BUDGET SMOKE AND MIRRORS
30 STORIES IN 30 MINUTES
SEE IT ALL UNFOLD AND REMEMBER
ANYTIME ON
www.wpcommunitymedia.org AND www.whiteplainsweek.com
(SCROLL DOWN THE SHOW WALL TO WHITE PLAINS WEEK)
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THIS WEEK’S PEOPLE TO BE HEARD
EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING
FOR ADULTS, TEENS
FROM
THE EXPERT
WPTV Photos by Diana Das
JOHN BAILEY INTERVIEWS
MIKE WITT
of WHITE PLAINS
EXPERIENCED EFFECTIVE TEACHER OF ENGLISH TO ADULTS, TEENS, CORPORATE MANAGERS
ON
PEOPLE TO BE HEARD
ON THE PROBLEMS ADULTS HAVE LEARNING ENGLISH.
THE BEST ENVIRONMENT TO LEARN ENGLISH
ARE MIXED LANGUAGE CLASSES BETTER OR SAME LANGUAGE CLASSES MORE EFFECTIVE? OR INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION?
HOW TO BUILD CONFIDENCE IN YOUR ENGLISH.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ENGLISH LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR CHILD, PARENTS TRANSFERRING TO AMERICA.
THE FLAWS, THE PITFALLS,
INSIDE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS FROM THE EXPERT.
SEE IT ANYTIME ON
www.wpcommunitymedia.org anytime
Mike Witt in White Plains TV Control with John Bailey
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WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. An Album of Christmas Past:
These photographs of Christmas night and Christmas Days of the Past feature some of the festive lights of the city, an American parlor, a typical family dinner setting, complete with kids’ table, and a Christmas Hearth.
It is especially important that at this time of troubles in our country, that families and members of communities everywhere in America, appreciate each other as individuals and treat each other with respect and understanding and not act in ways we know are wrong. Listen to the voice in your head that always tells you what the right thing to do is and the right way to act and how to rise above hurts of past and heal. That is the message of this holiday.
Though the pictures below are from the recent past, I fondly remember when my Grandmother, Gertrude Pinneo of Pleasantville always gathered her children, their children, and all the cousins for the Christmas dinner at Grandma’s house. Attendance was mandatory.
The cocktail hour featured Ritz crackers with peanut butter, cream cheese, Ritter’s relish and a pickle on top. And of course, potato chips, dips, celery and carrots. (This was the 1950s), and there was no television set in the living room with her ornate 1930s furniture.
I still see her now at the head of the table carving a huge roast beef, with mashed potatoes, gravy creamed peas, mince pie for dessert with us all gathered round.
These dinners no longer happen as my nieces and nephews are spread around the country. But I miss them. So may you enjoy the spirit of family I was fortunate enough to experience in those years and tomorrow this holiday.
SANTA’S WORKSHOP and Reindeer, White Plains. Photo by The WPCNR Roving Photographer.
A Holiday Parlor. Photo by the WPCNR Roving Photographer.
A Holiday Hearth. Photo by the WPCNR Roving Photographer.
A HOLIDAY TABLE, Complete with “Kids’ Table” Photo by the WPCNR Roving Photographer
Christmas Morning, 2005. Photo by the WPCNR Roving Photographer
The Yule Log from White Plains Bake Shoppe. Photo, WPCNR Roving Photographer.
Christmas Treats. Photo by WPCNR Roving Photographer.
Kitten’s First Christmas. Bela The Christmas Kitten. Photo,
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County Sales Tax $$ Continue Slump White Plains Posts Anemic Numbers.
WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. Statistics Issued From the New York State Department of Tax and Finance. December 21, 2018:
Westchester County consumers continued their slow rate of spending for the fifth straight month in November.
The impact on the anticipated sales Tax Revenues expected by the county is significant since $578 Million was predicted by the County budget preparers in early November in a news conference.
Through November, County sales tax dollars are at $492 Million. Should the county receive the $53.6 Million in December they received in December 17, the county will bring in $545.6 Million. This will be the most sales tax revenues ever collected by the county. It is $20.1 Million more than last year.
The county predicted (in November when the budget was presented), they would receive $578 Million. In order for the county to hit that figure they would need $86 Million in sales tax $$ in December, $33 Millon more than they received in December of 2017. But you never can tell.
Recovery Spigot Closes to a Trickle
Through July of 2018, the county had averaged a 6% increase in spending. They slumped in July to 4.7% and started to fall steady.
In November the county went up only 1.2% over November of last years numbers. ($42,070,143 this November compared to $41,570,401 in November, 2017).
Surplus Blues
The $20.1 Million Surplus in sales tax revenues will not cover most of the $39 Million county budget deficit, (unless of course there is a 50% increase in consumer activity in December, which is highly unlikely.
The $22 Million expected from turning the County Center parking lot into a bond that would generate the $22 Million by taking out a $22 Million bond on the county owned County Center Parking lot , when added to the $20 Million sales tax surplus would cover the $39 Million for this next year.
Sales Tax Increase, please!
An increase in sales taxes effective midyear that might do. A ½% increase in the sales tax would generate $24 Million if enacted by midyear, and $48 Million in 2020 which would clearly cover the County’s contracts for 2020, too. Then there’s always the chance the real estate market someday might turn around.
But, if consumers in the nation’s wealthiest county are not spending with enthusiasm now when the economy is “growing,” when will they begin?
White Plains Does Not Do Well Either in November.
White Plains sales revenues in November were brutal, down 5.8% $3,999,814 last month, compared to $4,244,624 in November, 2017. This is the first time White Plains has dipped below the $4 Million a month benchmark in a November since 2012 and 2011.
When you take inflation of 2% into account the city has lost 15% of its economy since 2012
After 5 months of fiscal 2018-19 , this leaves White Plains down 2.7% in sales tax revenues from the first 5 months of fiscal 2017-18 when the city was at $20,934,237 compared to $20,258,107 after November of this year
We are off more than half a million. This might be attributed to the disappearance of Walmart that left town in August. But I am just guessing, since we do not get figures by individually taxed businesses.
White Plains a comeback Christmas.
If the city makes what they got last year $4,662,961, they will be at $24,821,068 for the first six months. If they gather in $5 Million or more this would be a good thing to set them up for a average second half of the year, and they will make their budget.
The City of White Plains would also benefit from a sales tax increase as would the county.
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THIS WEEK ON PEOPLE TO BE HEARD
JOHN BAILEY INTERVIEWS
DR. LATA McGINN
ON YOUTUBE AT
EXPERT RECOGNIZED WORLDWIDE
HER WORK IN OCD
OF
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL CONSULTANTS
WHITE PLAINS
0N
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
HOW IT AFFECTS TEENAGERS
THE SIGNS–HOW IT IS DIFFERENT THAN NORMAL TEEN BEHAVIOR
PARENTS WHO SUSPECT IT CAN FIND OUT ABOUT
WHO IS MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
A 4-DAY PROGRAM THAT CAN IMMEDIATELY START A CHILD ON THE WAY TO MASTERING OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
AND on www.wp communitymedia.org
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WPCNR PLAYLAND GO ROUND. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. December 19, 2018:
Westchester County has been awarded nearly $800,000 in grants from the New York State Regional Economic Development Council. The grants will go towards three projects: restoration of the Playland Carousel, Updating the Bronx River Watershed Management Plan and the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said: “This is a good day for Westchester Residents as the County has received money from New York State to work on three very important projects. I want to thank Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council for being so generous with Westchester County and recognizing the importance of our historic buildings, environment and workforce.”
The County was awarded $450,000 for the Playland Carousel Restoration. The County will reconstruct the fire damaged 1928 Carousel building at the National Historic Landmark Playland Park.
The unique octagonal building with a lamella roof houses the treasured 1915 Grand Carousel, only one of four in existence featuring hand-carved horses and chariots by famed carousel maker Charles Carmel. Fire broke out in the building in the summer of 2017, the Carousel has been closed to the public since.
“Playland Carousel has been closed for far too long, the damage was devastating. But, now I am thrilled that the Carousel will once again be an essential part of summer in Westchester County,” said Latimer.
For the update to the Bronx River Watershed Management Plan, the County was awarded $245,428 for work in partnership with the Bronx River Watershed Alliance. The dollars will be used to undertake a collaborative, multi-jurisdictional planning process to update the Bronx River Inter-municipal Watershed Plan incorporating a climate resilience strategy. The updated plan will identify critical management strategies and recommendations that will lead to a healthier and more resilient watershed for residents and wildlife.
Additionally, $100,000 has been awarded to the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board for “Westchesters Promise.” The project will provide training to individuals seeking employment as Medical Administrative Assistances, Phlebotomy Technicians, and Electrocardiography Technicians. The program will go a long way toward closing the skills gap in the healthcare field, something long focused on in the County