Readers Write: Teachers cross line in backing budget

The Island Now

Editor’s Note: Three sentences of this letter were deleted because they contained factually incorrect statements about free speech law as it applies to teachers.

I came across a letter from a retired teacher, stating that we all have to go and vote in favor of the new bond and the budget on May 16.

She is a retiree of the of the Great Neck schools and currently advocating to vote yes to the bond and yes to the proposed budget stating that she had tears when people voted no to the bond.

It is quite easy for a retiree receiving unparalleled pension and retirement benefits to be callous of others pain.

The school taxes broke the camels back long ago and let many lose their homes to the union-dictated salaries and benefits such as yours.

Those individuals had the real reason for tears.

It is not right that she as a school employee take a position and formally tell people to vote yes to the bond and the budget.

The demonstration of state agencies campaigning for or against propositions or proposed constitutional amendments to be voted on by the public, perhaps well-motivated, can only demean the democratic process.

As a state agency supported by public funds the school employees cannot advocate their favored position on any issue or for any candidates, as such.

So long as they are an arm of the state government they must maintain a position of total neutrality and impartiality.

It would be establishing a dangerous and untenable precedent to permit the government or any agency to use public to disseminate propaganda in favor of or against any issue or candidate.

This may be done by dictatorial governments but cannot be tolerated, directly or indirectly, in our democratic United States of America.

This is true even if the position advocated is believed to be in the best interests of our district.

So far as the academic criteria, the public schools in Great Neck are far from being the best statewide and nationwide.

In fact, the Great Neck Public Schools are not the best even in Great Neck, as North Shore Hebrew Academy is outperforming them in standardized tests such as the SAT scores with lower cost per student.

JFK and Baker elementary schools recently were on watch list of Board of Education for underperforming.

Another myth preached by advocates of the public school is that the property values increase as a result of paying more taxes to the Great Neck Public Schools.

It is correct that the presence of a decent school district improves the property values, but paying almost 80% school tax in Great Neck takes its tolls and has a negative impact on the property values.

If the school board was not under the influence of the unions, as it’s been observed that the unions screen the candidates and endorse the most complacent individuals, the board would not bend down on their knees in front of the unions, the $220 million for school budget would have been more than sufficient for Great Neck underperforming schools to operate smoothly and do the needed repairs utilizing the budget and so they would not need a bond.

I cannot sympathize with her crocodile tears.

Almost 80% of the budget goes to teachers salaries, benefits, dental, vision, health and life insurances, pensions, etc.

The median salary of the teachers is $107,000 the principals get $200,000.

The median pension is $90,000.

(After all, not much is left for repairs. But look, only $3 million are allocated for maintenance.

So, when the teachers tell people to vote yes, they do not care about us, taxpayers and their children, they only care about their salaries, benefits and pensions.

The more, the better for them.

But people who vote yes to taxes should understand that they will shoot themselves in the foot.

In last three years, the Great Neck Public School budget grew $10 million more.

In 10 more years the taxes will grow so much, that all of us will be evicted from our houses.

Think of it.

Wendy S. Roth 

Great  Neck

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