Letters To The Editor

Vote No On Budget

To the Editor:

Here we go again, another failure to confront or even disclose the immense and growing future cost of School District employee benefits. The District's 2007-08 Final Budget Summary of April 16, on District's web site, shows (page five) that 89% of total proposed budget is contractual or fixed with the following Note:

"It must be kept in mind that although the list for fixed or statutory expenses is approximately 89% of the 2007-08 budget, this is reflective of the type of program being offered in the Garden City School District. Almost every expenditure is controllable in the sense that a decision could be made to increase class size, reduce curriculum offerings, and terminate certain contracts with the necessary time notifications. However the list being presented here is based on maintaining the program presently being offered in the District." Thank you very much.

I ask, maintaining the "program" for whom, the students or the employees. Is it necessary to continue to offer lifetime health benefits to new hires? How do health and dental insurance co-pays and coverage for current and retired District employees compare with the private sector? What are the salary scales, salary increase, paid leave and compensated absence policies? How generous is the mandated pension plan, now virtually extinct in the private sector?

It is interesting to note is that only 33% or $30 million of the $90 budget is for "direct instruction of pupils in the teaching / learning environment" (page 27 Proposed Budget 2007-08 Instruction Part One). That includes teacher, aide and monitor salaries as well as textbooks and supplies.

On the other hand, benefit expense for all employees is budgeted at $20 million, up from $15.6 million or 28% in two years (page 36 of Administrative Components). Worse, the existing liability for future employee benefits under the "program" covering active and retired employees is unknown and the subject of a planned independent actuarial study (page 28 Budget Summary of March 12).

The Board of Education is asking us to vote on a budget that represents a 36% spending increase in the last five years without ever having provided the information or projections necessary to make fair- minded judgments. The threat of increased class size or reduced curriculum offerings with a "No" budget vote is particularly galling and completely unacceptable given that only one in three dollars going to direct instruction of pupils in the teacher / learning environment.

The financial comparisons of the Garden City School District to similar Nassau Districts are meaningless. They all are on unsustainable paths that will make past spending growth pale by comparison. If the School Board disagrees, please show us your projections and please include last three years of audited financial statements on your web site.

We need disclosure, dialogue and School Board leadership now. Until then, my vote is No.

Carl Dincesen

PTA Supports Budget

To the Editor:

Each year the PTA Budget Review Committee evaluates all areas of the proposed school budget. Over the last few months, we have met with building principals to discuss the budget as it relates to program, staffing and the general operation of their schools. We have also met with administrators responsible for athletics, music and fine arts, curriculum, PPS, buildings and grounds, transportation, and technology. These discussions enabled the committee to understand and evaluate both the direction of these programs and their impact on our school budget. We have reached out to parents by surveying their thoughts and concerns on the overall quality of our school district and the "value" they feel they are receiving for their tax dollars. This was done at PTA meeting focus groups and via the e-mail chains that PTA has been using to communicate with parents this year.

As a result of this communication and feedback, it is clear that our membership believes the following elements are essential to the delivery of quality education in Garden City:

1. Reasonable class size at every grade level.

2. Effective educators in every classroom. Teaching professionals who are accountable for student learning AND supported by ongoing and meaningful supervision, mentoring, and staff development.

3. Professional and knowledgeable administrators. This includes building principals who focus on both the academic and affective needs of students. This includes administrative supervisors with expertise in both content area and teaching methods. This includes administrators who foster ongoing communication between home and school.

4. A comprehensive extracurricular program which enables our students to express themselves creatively, intellectually, and physically. There is strong support for our growing music and fine arts programs, as well as our well-established athletic program.

5. Well designed, systematic, and cost effective capital improvement and facilities maintenance plans. Parents want school buildings that visibly reflect the quality of education we aspire to.

6. Earning a place of distinction in the larger academic community, and certainly among the "lighthouse" districts of Long Island.

7. A science program K-12 that reflects the level of learning and competition that our students are capable of achieving. The district has begun the review process, but clearly this is an area which needs attention.

8. State of the art technology that not only meets the district's internal record keeping and reporting needs, but also enhances student learning and improves communication between parents, students, teachers, and administrators.

9. Full development of our FLES program.

10. A physically safe and secure environment. Parents need to know that their children are well protected and supervised while under the care of their school district.

11. Maintaining our district owned and operated transportation system. Our ability to maintain our own bus fleet and to know our drivers is important to parents.

12. And last, but certainly not least, an educational program that is challenging to ALL students regardless of grade or ability level. Parents expect excellence and equity for ALL of our students and our students deserve nothing less.

Last year our budget provided for the hiring of grade 6-12 curriculum coordinators. PTA supported this investment and continues to do so. Our hope was that the installation of these content area specialists/instructional leaders would address existing problem areas in student learning. First, I would like to discuss areas where we have seen progress:

1. The review of curriculum in math and science, with planning for this process in other content areas.

2. Increased quantity and quality of staff supervision. This includes classroom observations of teachers.

3. The expansion, refinement and restructuring of our science research program.

4. The selection of a new math text series to be used at the elementary level.

5. Improved articulation in the transition process from grades 5 into 6, and 8 into 9.

6. The review of departmental testing and grading policies.

7. Improved evaluation and criteria for existing and proposed course offerings. It is crucial to determine the relevance and purpose of offering a course within any given department on an ongoing basis.

These are examples of what has begun to be accomplished. PTA acknowledges that this is a work in progress. We urge the Board of Education and the Administration to continue on this path in addition to emphasizing a greater commitment to:

1. Providing parents with a clear delineation of the role of these content area specialists.

2. Improving direct communication between parents and coordinators.

3. Proactive identification of problem areas within their departments.

4. Continuous curriculum review, supervision and support of teachers, clear and consistent articulation among individual departments, grade levels, and buildings.

Like all other school districts across Long Island, Garden City struggles with the financial pressures associated with the operation of a highly regulated, labor intensive organization. Approximately 78% of the proposed $90 million budget relates to personnel services and employee benefits. Medical and retirement benefits concern us all. The burdening cost of medical insurance and retirement plans rears its ugly head for taxpayers on many levels. As individuals, we are faced with rising premiums and a greater demand for monetary contributions to our own programs. These very same factors drive our taxes. It is time for all employees of the school district to explore and consider additional fiscal responsibility in this area. We realize that this is a process that will evolve over time. We also realize that particularly in the area of retirement benefits, there are significant State mandates to which the district must adhere. However, it is time for all parties to acknowledge that the taxpayer is overwhelmed.

We congratulate the district on the pursuit of and the continued hiring of quality educators. We hold a high regard for our teachers and recognize them for the dedicated professionals that they are; they support, guide and challenge our students every day. We urge the Board, the Administration and our teachers to maintain a high level of professional expectation, and require and support the continued professional growth that is the foundation of quality education.

In closing, it is imperative to address the issue of the District's surplus fund balance. We believe it is prudent for the District to maintain a reasonable fund balance (additional undesignated monies) which can be used in the event of an unforeseen need or other emergency. However, it is not fair to expect taxpayers to grant custody of an abundance of their money without certainty as to how these funds will be used. Therefore, we appreciate the Administration's review and disclosure of their estimate of the amount of the surplus for the current fiscal year. We further appreciate the Board of Education's recommendation to use an additional $750,000 to reduce the 2007-08 tax levy.

The GC PTA supports the District's proposed 2007-2008 school budget.

The PTA would like to thank the Board of Education and the Administration for continuing to explore what is cutting edge in education while remaining mindful of the taxpayer. We urge all registered voters to get out and VOTE on Tuesday, May 15th. Continue to let your voices be heard.

Jeanine Swartz

President, GC PTA

Third Track Debacle

To the Editor:

We have been closely following the third track debacle, and have yet to figure out why the LIRR needs to add a third track unless it is to transport garbage. Yes, not "freight," but garbage.

The LIRR admits that the third track will be used to move "freight." The cross country railroad tracks end in New Jersey. Freight containers cannot be moved by rail at that point. The containers must be moved by truck from New Jersey. In order to have freight containers continue by rail the route would need to go north to Albany where the cross country railroad continues and freight containers could be shifted. So, if the LIRR will be using the third track to move freight, and the line ends with trucks in New Jersey, realistically, the "freight" being moved is garbage.

Second, the LIRR alleges that the third track will provide more trains for reverse commuters. Fine. Now, when the commuters get off the LIRR, if they do not work within walking distance of the train, will there be bus to meet them? Is the LI Bus schedule also being adjusted? There was no mention of any other public transit infrastructure changes.

If the third track is allowed, Tannerspond and Edgemere Road, as well as Main and Merillon Avenues will become main corridors for traffic. Emissions from the increased traffic will affect the homes along and near those corridors, as well as the schools and Bird Sanctuary.

What about the Denton Avenue/Tannerspond Road LIRR Bridge? Doesn't that one lane access route have historical significance, much like the Long Island Motor Parkway bridges? Can you imagine the traffic backups when a light is installed at the location?

Vehicular traffic will be increased by our primary school on Homestead Avenue. Those drivers wishing to avoid the light at Stewart Avenue could easily make a right turn onto Homestead or Stratford Avenues.

Lastly, we cannot forget the homes and property that lie closest to the proposed third track. It is unimaginable how those properties will suffer in quality of life.

In conclusion, it seems that the LIRR's strongest reason for adding the third track is to haul garbage. Will that affect our village? To a home, yes. Instead of being known as a bucolic village of trees, birds and the history of A.T. Stewart, we could become the known as "Garbage City." Once the LIRR publishes the results of its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), let's be sure to comment on what is and isn't covered in the EIS. Is it self serving? Does it address the concerns of our villagers? Until then, we can show a united front and contact the politicians and LIRR and make a stink, before our village does.

J. Maloney

Lets Start Thinking Green

To The Editor:

I have always been a firm believer in leaving things as good as or better than they were, a philosophy that should be applied to our environment as well. In recent years there has been increased concern and documentation pertaining to global warming. It has also been reported that the residents of Long Island, in general, have a disproportionate number of cancers and respiratory related diseases which studies have shown can be linked to the pollution of the air we breathe, the food we consume, the water we drink, and an increase in the harmful UV rays from the sun.

I believe that the residents of Garden City may not be able to affect great changes regarding global warming but we can make some effort to start and set an example for the next generation. I have recommended at recent meetings of the Village Board of Trustees and the Garden City School Board that we strongly consider capital improvement projects by which all municipal and school buildings will be equipped with non polluting, renewable green technology.

Solar energy, for example, has made some great advances over the past few years. With generous rebates from LIPA and Federal incentives towards the installation of green technology, I believe that its time has come. We have all witnessed the sky rocketing cost of energy over the past few years, and our dependence on fossil polluting fuels. We live in the most technologically advanced country on the planet and yet we are still using long outdated methods to heat and light our homes, and to run our cars. we must start thinking smarter and cleaner.

Some of our neighbors have already taken steps toward changing the future of our environment. In April, 2005 the Town of Hempstead dedicated the first roof-top solar installation on a municipally owned and operated building at Point Lookout. The 10kW solar system will provide nearly 10% of the building's electrical needs resulting in an estimated savings to the town of $1,300 per year on energy costs alone. During the life-span of the solar panels some 187 tons of nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide will not be released into our environment. Over the 25 year life expectancy of the solar panels, they will have produced enough electricity to power 345 average Long Island homes for 25 years. Through the Clean Energy Initiative (CEI) Program, LIPA was able to present Hempstead Town Supervisor, Kate Murray, with a LIPA Solar Pioneer rebate check of $49,200 for the installation.

In May, 2006 the Malverne Union Free School District with the help of Honeywell announced a $2.4 million performance contract directed towards energy-savings, conservation and modernization. Honeywell will provide the technical support to help the district cut energy consumption by replacing boilers with efficient dual-fuel models, upgrading lighting and installing building management systems to better control the school's environment. Solar panels will also be installed reducing carbon dioxide emissions by almost 460,000 pounds or the equivalent of th environmental impact of planting more than 60 acres of trees. LIPA will provide a $45,000 rebate check which coupled with the estimated $135,000 in annual energy and operational saving solar the next 15 years will help fund the project.

In Jan., 2007 the Carle Place School District announced plans to install solar panels under LIPA's Solar Pioneer Program. The Carle Place School District estimates that this project can provide savings to its taxpayers of about $10,177 in electricity costs per year and reduce harmful pollutants over the next 20 years by approximately 6,062 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 1,984 pounds of nitrous oxide and 1.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide. The school district will also receive a LIPA rebate check of $198,500 to help offset expenses. W. Michael Mahoney, Superintendent of the Carle Place School District, said, "The solar system installation represents the district's effort to save money by attracting LIPA rebates, cushioning the cost to taxpayers and reducing fossil fuel usage. When you include the opportunity to educate children about he benefits of alternative energy, the solar installation is a great example of a win-win circumstance."

Some individuals and communities are also advocating the use of geothermal heat pumps. The New York state Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) explain that, "A geothermal heat pump system exchanges thermal energy between a building and the ground. When the building needs heating, the system extracts heat energy from ground, and pumps it into the building where it is boosted by the heat pump to a comfortable warm temperature. Conversely, when the building needs cooling, the heat from the building is collected by the heat pumps and sent into the ground, much like a refrigerator's compressor transfers heat from inside the refrigerator to the outside." This exchange is made through a series of looping pipes, which contain water or water and antifreeze buried in the ground below the frost line at a year round temperature of about 55 degrees. Simply stated, the underground loops absorb the earth's heat in the winter, while reversing the process in the summer capturing the relative coolness of the earth for air-conditioning.

The U.S. Environmental Protection agency has stated that a properly installed high efficiency geothermal heat pump system is the most efficient technology with lowest Co2 emissions. They also found that for heating and cooling systems the geothermal system had the lowest environmental cost of all technologies.

I know that the residents of Garden City can rally around issues, so I am asking that you make your voices heard when it comes to our environment. Let the Village Trustees, School Board and your POA know that you are behind capital improvement projects that help cleanup our environment, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and maybe even put some green back into our pockets.

Bob Orosz

Member of the Eastern Properties Association

No Flood Insurance

To The Editor:

Approximately eighteen months ago, the Village was contacted and advised that my insurance company informed me, it could not sell me flood insurance for my home in Garden City; the reason given was the Village had not done all the necessary improvements to make the Village reasonably flood free.

Later, when nothing happened I raised the question WPOA. Subsequently I contacted our former trustee and requested that he use his good office to request the necessary action. He has now been replaced and nothing has happened.

We are aware that the probability of flooding in the central part of the island is not great. However, it should be your and our decision not that of the Village to determine the risk and whether flood insurance should be bought. When it rained heavily in Garden City earlier this month, we noticed that water was accumulating at Fenimore Avenue and some parts of Colvin Drive and Hathway Drive where there are no sewers such as we have on Glen and Hudson Roads.

Since our daughter had run into a flood on Fenimore Avenue years ago and our car had to be towed, I called the Water Department and Public Works who advised that the water carry off system on these avenues and roads was of the 1903 vintage, probably catch basins. Isn't it time that these systems be updated like the one on Glen Road? We are expecting severs hurricanes this year many of which we are told will hit Northeast. The Village should determine what it would cost to meet FEMA requirements and then determine whether it is worth it. What do you think?

Joseph A. Calaman

P.S. We receive the FEMA publication Watermark, on a regular basis. Class 1 Communities can buy flood insurance at a 45% reduction in price. According to my Insurance Company, we can't even buy it because our village has not made application to FEMA and complied with its requirements. According to Watermark, the Northeast is now vulnerable.

P.PS. The Names of the Board of Ethics of Garden City are not important enough to make the yearly Village Garden City Publication. Why Not? I am sure we would all like to know, who they are, without using the Freedom of Information Law.

Madness

To The Editor:

We live in the midst of madness unwilling to deal with problems for fear of offending. If you think not just look back at the last five years, just five years. I wish I could write soulful prose to memorialize the Virginia shooting victims. I cannot but I will pray for them.

At every level of society we have turned to mob rule. The mob need not be a majority we also yield to the minority in society whether it be to the media, politicians, corporations, religious hierarchy or to ethnic and gender sensitive groups. The one with the loudest mouth and best hook wins. All others must accept, and do accept, the new loser standard. It is the path to oblivion and we are well on the road to the dead end.

You would not allow your dog to dump on your neighbors lawn, well maybe you would, but please tell me why you allow segments of our country to dump on you day after day. It can be richman, poorman but at every level of our lives we are being dragged downward morally, spiritually, and economically. To our disgrace we say and do little to protect ourselves and our families. We need a clean out job, the Aegean stables are full. Will no one pick up the shovel?

We are responsible for those whom we elect, they are responsible to us. In a few words that is how the political system in our republic was meant to work. Presently, we lack competent leadership across the political spectrum. We are content with convincing, spineless creatures, who allow us to do pretty much as we wish and in return we do the same for them. We pander with the brainless belief that eventually we may need that guy to fix a ticket. The name dropper at the Club will say "I know Joe", or maybe Al, George or Tom. It goes on and on.

At this point I ask you to read again the words of the publisher of the Garden City News, Meg Morgan Norris, in the April 6, issue, "Taxes, Taxes and then more Taxes."

We wring our hands over taxes. Blood, sweat, and tears but we do nothing but pay. Over and over, year after year, spend and tax, higher and higher, but we do nothing. The potential loss of your home to taxes may cause you to focus. Lambs to the slaughter, the Lemmings march to the sea. Do you feel my anger? Good, but so what?

Make a list of what is now rotten in our once great country. Make copies, nail one to your wall. Sign the copies, send one to your local politicians and priests. Also send copies to your local oil company, gas station, super market and pharmacy. The corporations behind these entities are killing us. If it will make you feel better compile a list of what causes you to be proud to be an American.

Consider what is being done to Senior Citizens, thought to be of little values, brutalized everyday by higher costs for everything they need but with no means to raise their income. Taxes are the major issue and can best be dealt with by starving the beast. Energy and food costs are also bleeding us white. Decent middle income families trying to keep their heads above water are failing, good marriages blown apart by the high cost of living. Do you believe inflation is under control?

Certainly you recognize the name Exxon, please allow me to provide you with a few figures. for the fiscal year 2006 Exxon netted $39 Billion Five Hundred Million, earnings were $6.68 per share. For 2003 Exxon netted $21 Billion, earnings were $3.24 per share.

This summer we will pay $4.00 a gallon for regular. Why? There is no shortage, you can buy all the gas you want at a price. O.K., politicians where are you?

And, of course, through it all we love the children. When as a younger man I read Roe v Wade I failed to understand its' implications, now I understand.

"Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan. He was only partially correct. We, the people, are the problem. With age come wisdom and awareness, I will not soften the words I have written.

We fight endless wars, perhaps with some purpose. We maintain a huge, costly war machine but will not use it to being about peace. Weakness on our part prolongs the carnage. If we will not fight then surrender and get it over with.

I intended to close with the ringing phrase "The American People," but those are just words, we have ceased to exist. Such is the state of our democracy.

Edward J. Heaney

Wear A Poppy

To The Editor:

During the month of May you will again see the members of the American Legion Post #265, and its auxiliary, distributing Poppies throughout the village.

The Poppy, as the Memorial Flower for our American War dead, is a tradition which began in the years following the first World War. Our returning veterans remembered the wild poppies that lined the devastated battlefields of France and Flanders. The soldiers of all nations came to look upon the flower as a living symbol of their dead comrades' sacrifice.

All of the poppies being distributed by the American Legion have been made by hospitalized veterans who are paid per poppy; and the program is managed entirely by volunteers, without compensation. There never has been a fixed price for the poppy. Your donations of any amount are accepted because the basic purpose of the poppy is to offer our citizens the privilege to wear the poppy as a tribute to our war dead, and to assist our surviving veterans and their families.

Clorinda Burdi,

Chairlady Poppy Program