Editorials
There is no question that Lancaster residents believe they have a good school system. Residents take pride in their school system and school performance is the reason many people choose to move into the Town of Lancaster. But, at what cost to the property owner?
In today’s private sector, world, national, state and local socio-economic issues have had a devastating impact on many wage earners overall, especially on manufacturing and certain technological fields, resulting in drastic cost-cutting policies – layoffs, salary reductions, years of no salary increase, pension plan eliminations and health benefit givebacks.
Union representation in the private sector has fallen below 10 percent and their strength has been diminished where they are present.
Yet the public sector unions are thriving and when they have given up something up – like going to a single health care provider, if you call that giving something up -, they contract to get something in return that oft times offsets the giveback.
Honoring Sunshine Week and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), it is fitting that the following information be provided so that Lancaster residents have a sense of what their property and school taxes are buying them.
In turn, it will be up to the reader to decide whether they believe the school district can, or should continue to increase spending at the percentage they have been over the past several years when it appears performance has flatlined.
Budget and tax rate history
Year ----------------- Budget ------------- % Budget increase
2007-08 --------- $76.37 million --------- 6.55
2006-07 --------- $71.68 million --------- 5.61
2005-06 --------- $67.87 million --------- 7.75
2004-05 --------- $62.99 million --------- 4.05
2003-04 --------- $60.54 million --------- 3.83
2002-03 --------- $58.31 million --------- 0.87
2001-02 --------- $57.81 million --------- 3.47
2000-01 --------- $55.86 million --------- 6.18
Salaries
Business First ranked Lancaster Central School District (LCSD) as the most cost effective for the school years 2005-06 and 2006-07. LCSD was ranked second in 2006-2007.
According to Business First, “No district uses its money more efficiently than Lancaster; based on a comparison of academic performances and school expenditures.”
In the 2007-08 school year, Lancaster schoolteachers averaged 8 years in experience and $41,450 in salary. Both numbers are low in comparison to most other districts and help in lowering the budget and is the prime reason for Lancaster’s cost effective ranking by Business First.
School districts now require teachers to have a MA degree after their fifth year of teaching. If there are any teachers in LCSD that have not attained an MA degree, there would be few in number.
Teacher salaries with MA’S in Lancaster and for years of service for the 2008-09 school year:
1) $37,300
2) $37,750
3) $38,500
4) $39,270
5) $40,500
6) $42,050
7) $43,120
8) $45,000
9) $46,700
10) $48,500
11) $50,900
12) $52,750
13) $54,540
14) $56,700
15) $58,800
16) $60,900
17) $63,100
18) $68,000
19) $73,200
20) $77,900
21) $80,800
If Lancaster had an average experience staff of 14 years, like several other school districts, the average teacher salary would be $56,700.
Too often when teachers and/or other school district employees reach those high salaries buyouts are offered and the school district declares that such buyouts save the taxpayers money in that their positions will be replaced by new hires at much lower salary and benefit costs.
They neglect to mention that we are still paying for their retirement benefits.
NEXT: Part III: Benefits
© Copyright 2008 by Speakupwny.com
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