Clarence BOE pass budget

[NY The Vampire State]

whine whine whine....

Have that super of yours boot out every teacher with more than 20 years experience. Budget problem solved.

He won't do it. Whose side do you think he works for?

[buffalopundit]

Task Force Recommendations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3-hpVpKzoc

The Rationale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7WFaQNXETI

Audience Q and A- (90% of the audience is teachers, district employees, and of course our wisearce blogger friend. Tell your kid to sit still, the chair noise is distracting and annoying.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqalL3g8pwY

You could fire four people in that room and easily save the district half a million in salaries alone. Tack on extra for all the benefits. There's your money to fix the roof.


Hey Alan, can you tell me how many "citizens" on this task force are employed or were employed by the Clarence School District?


Citizens’ Task Force
•  Vic Martucci, Chair
•  Jim Powers
•  Mark Layer
•  Scott Bylewski
•  Barry Chubb
•  Tom Burns
•  Jim Callahan
•  Melissa Boglioli
•  Keith Parwulski
•  Jim Dentinger
•  Elizabeth Dunne

Are you a pedophile?

[buffalopundit]

Hey Alan, can you tell me how many "citizens" on this task force are employed or were employed by the Clarence School District?


Citizens’ Task Force
•  Vic Martucci, Chair
•  Jim Powers
•  Mark Layer
•  Scott Bylewski
•  Barry Chubb
•  Tom Burns
•  Jim Callahan
•  Melissa Boglioli
•  Keith Parwulski
•  Jim Dentinger
•  Elizabeth Dunne

Two are current or former teachers, to the best of my knowledge.

[NY The Vampire State]

Two are current or former teachers, to the best of my knowledge.

Bit of a conflict of interest to have them represented as "citizens" of this committee.

[NY The Vampire State]

The vote is November 18th, 7am- 9 pm in the High School Gym.

Approximately $25.1 million of the proposed total investment
of $35.9 million - or 70% - will be reimbursed to local
taxpayers by New York State

Someone needs to tell these people that State money is still tax money. We are not getting any deals here.

Maintenance on these buildings should be budgeted every year. Why wasn't it? The school district gets $74 million dollars to operate, where has the money gone? If the buildings are in as poor of a condition as you claim they are, shouldn't some BOE members and administrators be put into the spot light and questioned as to why they let it get so bad? Seems like other things have gotten in the way of necessities like maintenance and repair.

Voting yes to these proposals only encourages reckless and wasteful spending habits.

[buffalopundit]

Bit of a conflict of interest to have them represented as "citizens" of this committee.

Teachers who are residents of the town of Clarence aren't citizens? That's a fascinating insight.

[buffalopundit]

The vote is November 18th, 7am- 9 pm in the High School Gym.



Someone needs to tell these people that State money is still tax money. We are not getting any deals here.

Maintenance on these buildings should be budgeted every year. Why wasn't it? The school district gets $74 million dollars to operate, where has the money gone? If the buildings are in as poor of a condition as you claim they are, shouldn't some BOE members and administrators be put into the spot light and questioned as to why they let it get so bad? Seems like other things have gotten in the way of necessities like maintenance and repair.

Voting yes to these proposals only encourages reckless and wasteful spending habits.

Yes, but are you a pedophile?

[NY The Vampire State]

yes, but are you a pedophile?

huh? ... No your kid is just ANNOYING!


So Alan, Why weren't these maintenance items budgeted in every year? Like fixing one school roof per year so that its not such a slam when they have to replace all of them. Now we have to borrow money and pay extra to do it. What has gotten in the way to prevent us from doing that? It's certainly a better way rather than throwing this all in one at us.

[buffalopundit]

huh? ... No your kid is just ANNOYING!


So Alan, Why weren't these maintenance items budgeted in every year? Like fixing one school roof per year so that its not such a slam when they have to replace all of them. Now we have to borrow money and pay extra to do it. What has gotten in the way to prevent us from doing that? It's certainly a better way rather than throwing this all in one at us.

Because it's a capital expense and takes a back seat to mandates and curriculum.

Yes, my kid is annoying, but at least she has the stones to use her real name. She's not a coward.

[NY The Vampire State]

It shouldn't take a back seat. Maintaining the buildings should be a top priority for the district. Without the buildings there is no school district.

We really have some mismanagement going on.

They get $74 MILLION to run 6 schools with declining enrollment. At this point they should be able to downsize and save money.

[buffalopundit]

It shouldn't take a back seat. Maintaining the buildings should be a top priority for the district. Without the buildings there is no school district.

We really have some mismanagement going on.

Oh, please.

If they budgeted for capital repairs and upgrades, people like you would be the first to howl and vote no. What is this fresh nonsense where you're suddenly concern-trolling the school district?

Also,

Q: Is there a cheaper way to get this work done?

A: No. The District’s annual budget cannot cover the cost of major repairs and maintenance, and the District would not receive any state aid back for work that is completed with general budget funds. In order to qualify for the 70% state aid reimbursement, voters in a school district must approve the borrowing of funds for the capital project, which are then paid back over 15 years. The historically low interest rates for borrowing makes the local share of a capital project smaller. Clarence has not had a major “fix-it’ project for over 40 years and some systems in the school buildings are past their useful life. Preventative maintenance issues

So, you'd rather the district pay 100% out of its operating budget instead of issuing a bond - at historically low interest rates and 70% reimbursed by a state entity (much of the work is to help pay for state mandated upgrades). You'd rather that the school district allocates 100% local money from school taxpayers' pockets to fund major capital repairs and upgrades, including health and safety concerns like asbestos remediation, security upgrades, etc.

In the end, when you vote no, you're not only being fiscally dumb, you're inviting harm on the students, faculty, and administration.

My kid is infinitely less annoying than people like you.

[WNYresident]

The vote is November 18th, 7am- 9 pm in the High School Gym.



Someone needs to tell these people that State money is still tax money. We are not getting any deals here.

Maintenance on these buildings should be budgeted every year. Why wasn't it? The school district gets $74 million dollars to operate, where has the money gone? If the buildings are in as poor of a condition as you claim they are, shouldn't some BOE members and administrators be put into the spot light and questioned as to why they let it get so bad? Seems like other things have gotten in the way of necessities like maintenance and repair.

Voting yes to these proposals only encourages reckless and wasteful spending habits.

Maintenance and replacement costs should be part of any budget.

Can town have savings account specifically for these needs?

Plan ahead for bus replacements, roof replacements and road replacements versus issuing bonds with interest paid when these issues come up?

[NY The Vampire State]

No I'd rather the state mandates end completely, get salaries, benefits and pensions in line, and start teaching these kids some things worth value. Then the local community can levy every dime it needs for its streamlined budget. we need to stop being reliant on Albany. Control needs to remain at the local level so that EVERY person can have their voice heard and the accountability ends with the Super and the BOE. Enough of this crap passing the buck to Albany, its dysfunctional. The idea of the Clarence School district paying interest is outrageous and a waste when the appropriations for the buildings should of been made over the years.

And again, You need to learn what state money is. Do you really think Clarence is getting some one-of-a-kind deal here? Its happening all over the state, thus contributing to our high tax burden.

[buffalopundit]

Maintenance and replacement costs should be part of any budget.

Can town have savings account specifically for these needs?

Plan ahead for bus replacements, roof replacements and road replacements versus issuing bonds with interest paid when these issues come up?

The town budget has nothing to do with the district budget. They do budget for maintenance, but under state law a facilities survey must be done every 5 years. This was done, and these are the upgrades and repairs that need to be done.

[buffalopundit]

No I'd rather the state mandates end completely, get salaries, benefits and pensions in line, and start teaching these kids some things worth value. Then the local community can levy every dime it needs for its streamlined budget. we need to stop being reliant on Albany. Control needs to remain at the local level so that EVERY person can have their voice heard and the accountability ends with the Super and the BOE. Enough of this crap passing the buck to Albany, its dysfunctional. The idea of the Clarence School district paying interest is outrageous and a waste when the appropriations for the buildings should of been made over the years.

And again, You need to learn what state money is. Do you really think Clarence is getting some one-of-a-kind deal here? Its happening all over the state, thus contributing to our high tax burden.

It's happening all over the state, and local districts should just forego money that is already allocated and budgeted-for by a state that has a constitutional balanced budget requirement? That seems stupid. Why should Scarsdale and Wappinger's get an allocation of state money to modernize its school facilities, and Clarence or Tonawanda shouldn't?

So, you're one of those guys who likes to complain about unfunded state mandates. Here, the state is funding 70% of a lot of mandates. Seems like 70% is better than 0%.

Of course, you also spout on about how teachers' salaries aren't "in line", but you fail to write what they're not "in line" with. You say that they're not "teaching these kids some things worth value", and you offer no specifics (because you have no clue what you're talking about, but that's beside the point).

Stop pretending you care. You don't care. You'd vote no if this was the district bonding 30% of the cost just as soon as you'd vote no if this was the district budgeting for 100% of the cost.