Many statements in Wendy S. Roth’s letter of April 14 are incorrect.
To quote Daniel Moynihan; “Everyone has a right to their opinion, but not to their own facts.” For example:
1. Roth calls Great Neck one of the costliest school districts in the nation. Great Neck spending per pupil in 2014 was ranked 45th in New York State by Syracuse.com
2. She states “The law is clear, that you are not supposed to convince people, etc”. What law is that? I am not a lawyer, but I can’t believe there is a law that contradicts the First Amendment on free speech.
3. She says many have lost their homes due to high school taxes. I have lived here for 30 years and don’t know anyone who has lost their house due to high taxes.
4. She states that “public schools in Great Neck are far from being the best statewide and nationwide.”
The Niche 2017 ranking had Great Neck first and Niche’s 2016 rating had Great Neck fifth.
Even if you want to dispute that ranking, it seems that Great Neck schools are not far from being the best statewide. By contrast, Niche has North Shore Hebrew Academy ranked 88th in the private school ratings.
I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. This information is readily found on line where I discovered it.
Incidentally, Ms. Roth, the salaries and pensions were and are determined by our elected representatives, not by the teachers.
You have every right to convince your representatives to lower them.
Fred Knauer
Great Neck
