How do we demand school elections now be held at the same time as other elections?

[WNYresident]

Dvoakly

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Let's face it the taxes in NYS are driven by the teacher's unions. Take a good look at your tax bill. Over 50% of the taxes you pay are school taxes. There is a solution but it can't be instituted because the unions won't let it. Why do you think school board elections are held off cycle? Because it's the teachers who show up to vote. The way NYS law works, they punish the taxpayers when they reject a budget. I'm not against teachers but don't forget the reason for summer vacations was agrarian in nature but not today. Today it's because we need to give the teachers and students time off to stop burn out. Everytime there is a educational problem, the answer is more money for the schools. Some where, some time it's going to come crashing down.
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How would we get that changed. I'm more than tired for paying for two elections.

[Linda_D]

Who is this "we" exactly?

[WNYresident]

Who is this "we" exactly?

"We" as a community? What's the point of paying for two elections? We can cut the cost to the community by 1/2 by holding them at the same time.

[DelawareDistrict]

And increase the voter turnout so the teachers and other special interests are not disproportionately represented.

[WNYresident]

And increase the voter turnout so the teachers and other special interests are not disproportionately represented.

Bingo,

The school district I'm in they even have like a "parents" night voting night. Had an art show setup for the parents... Think about it. Add up the amount of teachers that vote and the "art show" attendes whos children are in school. That's a lot of yes votes right off the bat.

So Linda what would you find wrong with having the elections as the same time saving the tax payer the cost of holding two elections?

[Linda_D]

* The school elections are held in the school buildings within the district while the general elections use a variety of polling place set up to accommodate political divisions like wards. School district boundaries do not follow political division boundaries.

* Residents of the school district who own their own homes or who have children in the school are eligible to vote in school elections. Only registered voters can vote in general elections, and you must be a citizen and a resident of the state and municipality to register.

Consequently, voters would still have to go to two different places and vote twice ... like that's going to happen.

Moreover, how do you know that changing the times of elections will have any impact on whether school budgets pass or not? Because DVoakly or Jim Ostrowski or some other poster says so?

The only school district in WNY with a residency requirement for teachers is Buffalo -- and they don't get to vote on their budget. Moreover, how many teachers do you think there are in each district? If you want to get a good idea, add up the number of classes of each grade, add in at least 1 phys ed, art, music, computer teacher and a librarian for each building. Even if you add in the administrators, office and custodial staff, and bus drivers, it's a lot less staff than vote in the general election -- even including spouses. Local teachers who are eligible to vote in school elections are also local taxpayers, too.

Maybe what you really need to do to get the results you want (ie, vote down school budgets) is to prohibit parents from voting in school elections.

[crabapples]

I agree with Linda. The requirements to vote in school districts and in political campaigns are completely different. School districts also overlap election districts and town lines. Therefore, it would be next to impossible to combine them onto the same election machine.

Secondly, where would the school board and budget vote go on the current machines? Most likely on the bottom because the politicians would want to be on top. Therefore, most people would miss this on the ballot. The only people who would seek it out are the same ones who come out in May.

Also, having school board elections in November would politicize the candidates for school board. Do you really want people running on the R, D, I or C lines? This also creates more people fundraising for the school board seat. Can you see the ethical dilemmas that would occur when contractors and businesses that work with schools donate money to persepective campaigns. Then when a project is bid they will expect a favor in return. This can only be bad for school districts.

If people want to vote the budget down they will. Look at what happens when a school district creates an enormously expensive project or wants to raise the local taxes double digits. People vote the budgets down. See Orchard Park a couple years back. People came out in droves to vote it down.

Some school districts have polls open from Noon-9pm. My school district has 2 voting booths and 4 election inspectors. These inspectors are senior citizens and earn a small stipend (like $8/hour.) The cost of the entire election to the district is about $300 for the inspectors. The voting machines are already at the school because a couple election districts vote at the school in November. To say moving the elections to November would save money is really unfair.

Finally, the reasons people don't vote down school elections is because:

A. Most are happy with the product they are receiving for their taxes.
B. There are few competitive races because the position is non-paying.

[WNYresident]

Then hold them the following night if it's a programming issue with a voting machine.

I'm sure though they could figure something out.

[crabapples]

Whats the difference between holding them the night after the General Election and in May? You will still pay for the elections inspectors. Plus if a General Election is too close to call, they could impound the machines and therefore you couldnt have the election the next day.

Teachers, admin, unions and their spouses will vote for the budget no matter when you have it. I think unless the district proposes something ridiculous, people generally are fine with their school's budget.

[WNYresident]

Whats the difference between holding them the night after the General Election and in May? You will still pay for the elections inspectors. Plus if a General Election is too close to call, they could impound the machines and therefore you couldnt have the election the next day.

Teachers, admin, unions and their spouses will vote for the budget no matter when you have it. I think unless the district proposes something ridiculous, people generally are fine with their school's budget.

People would be stired up at that time....

[Timmy]

I think that it should be law that candidates must declare union membership & donations.

This idea that the teachers union and other unions can secretly finance campaigns or pick out candidates from their ranks and keep this information under the radar....must stop!

Its a conflict of interest for the teachers union to use their time off benefits and seniority to run for and control school boards.

I just wish we could privatize schools via vouchers and choice instead of letting this buracracy continue to school illiterate kids for jobs that do not exist anymore and kids that cannot compete with europe, asia or illegal immigrants.

[crabapples]

Candidates must disclose where their campaign money comes from if they receive and/or spend more than $500 during the campaign. Otherwise they fill out a form saying they have not spent or taken in that amount. It is similar to what state and local candidates do during their election cycles.

[run4it]

I think that it should be law that candidates must declare union membership
This idea that the teachers union and other unions can secretly finance campaigns or pick out candidates from their ranks and keep this information under the radar....must stop!

Its a conflict of interest for the teachers union to use their time off benefits and seniority to run for and control school boards.

Uh, Timmy...there's something called 'Free Association': someone should be able to belong to a union, and it's no one else's business. That basic right lives in the Constitution.

Personal time off is just that: personal. Again, what right do you have to tell someone else what they can or can't do with their own free time?

And how is it a conflict of interest? Teachers are people, and have every right to be represented. To disallow that right would be called disenfranchisement: basically the entire reason for the American Revolution 250 years ago or so....

I realize that you're a bit idealistic here, and honestly think your ideas would help the situation. But the simple fact is, your ideas are antithetical to our Constitution.

[DelawareDistrict]

* The school elections are held in the school buildings within the district while the general elections use a variety of polling place set up to accommodate political divisions like wards. School district boundaries do not follow political division boundaries.

* Residents of the school district who own their own homes or who have children in the school are eligible to vote in school elections. Only registered voters can vote in general elections, and you must be a citizen and a resident of the state and municipality to register.

The vast majority of the districts are the same for the general and school elections. In the few districts that do have more than one school district separate machines could be set up and people would vote in the appropriate booth. A switch could be used to enable and disable the school voting for people who do not qualify, the same could be done for the general election votes.

[Linda_D]

I think that it should be law that candidates must declare union membership & donations.

This idea that the teachers union and other unions can secretly finance campaigns or pick out candidates from their ranks and keep this information under the radar....must stop!

Its a conflict of interest for the teachers union to use their time off benefits and seniority to run for and control school boards.

I just wish we could privatize schools via vouchers and choice instead of letting this buracracy continue to school illiterate kids for jobs that do not exist anymore and kids that cannot compete with europe, asia or illegal immigrants.

Obviously, Timmy, you don't know much about school board elections. First off, they are non-partisan in that the candidates' political affiliations aren't indicated anywhere. Second, the campaign "funding" for school board elections is miniscule because they are thankless jobs. As Crabapples said, these are non-paying positions. Third, there are not enough teachers in any school district to "control" the school board. Moreover, what do the teachers' time off, benefits and seniority have to do with school elections? I don't know if teachers can run for the school board of the district they teach in since that BOE would be their employer. Teachers can run for the BOE in districts where they live and don't teach, but I don't know of many who actually do.