Coffee Hour last night 3/23

[Go Plainedge!]

Did anyone attend this meeting. Please share any information that was discussed last night.

Thanks!

[gopybl]

I just wanted to share with you some interesting items brought to light at the Budget Coffee Hour held on 03/23.

1) The BOE has decided to utilize $1,000,000 dollars of our Fund Balance from last year’s budget to offset the tax increases to our community.

2) Thus the projected budget increase of 10.7% will have a net tax impact of 9.13% after the fund balance is utilized

3) Not all programs are being re-instated.

4) Estimated Tax Impact to the Community per average household



Factors outside of Plainedge’s Control $449 / year

General Operating Costs $180 / Year

Restoration of Programs 05/06 Budget $139 / Year

Estimated Impact of Fund Balance Contribution ($139 / Year)



Estimated Average Tax Increase per Household $629 / Year



The estimated Average Tax increase of $629 / year is the equivalent of



1) $52.42 / Month

2) $1.72 / Day



This is the information I retained from the coffee hour. If anyone else has a different take on the info please let me know. I think we can all say that we can invest a $1.72 / day to ensure the Plainedge Community Thrives. In addition, If we really want to look at it better, the $449 increase is outside of our control. The Restoration of programs is offset by the fund balance usage. What we are really voting on is the $180 / year which amounts to $0.49 / day. I think our community is worth $0.49 / day to prevent the resale value of your homes from plummeting. Going forward the only real way to make head way into these budget figures is to give it C_P_R_..... Let me know your thoughts.

[delilah]

Thank you very much Gopybl for the update:

Thus the projected budget increase of 10.7% will have a net tax impact of 9.13% after the fund balance is utilized

Estimated Average Tax Increase per Household $629 / Year

I get a higher number for a 9.13 % increase (Not $629/year) Based on my tax worksheet of last year. any one want to give me a math lesson?


I have to say $629 is something I can stomach if it goes to the kids .

I am counting on C_P_R... to make sure the kids get their share first!!

[justfacts]

delila

Shame, shame, shame! Doing your own math and questioning the numbers from the experts at the District who are giving them to you!

Don't you know that a 10.7% increase from our past Budget of $57,492,449 gives a dollar increase of $6,149,591 to a total budget of $63,642,040? That's right from their latest paper.

Now if I take $1,000,000 off that increase I get $5,149,591. That's simple math!

And if I divide that up equally among the 6242 houses in the District that the Assessor says there are in Plainedge then I get . . .

Let's see now that's $5,149,591 / 6242 which is $824.99!

No!, Can't be! That's not what they said it'd be!

Let's take their $629 per house and multiply it by the 6242 houses. That comes to $3,926,210. That plus the $1,000,000 from the Fund Balance comes to $4,926,210!

Say! That doesn't equal the $6,149,591 increase either!

Oh Hell! It must be that "new math" coming into play. [/i]

Let's just take their word for all the numbers! After all, they're making the cuts - and they still have enough left over to give themselves their $600,000 in Raises, Bonuses and Benefit increases. They must know what their doing, why question them?[/i]

They are the "PROFESSIONALS" getting the Big Bucks! Who are we? Just the ones giving them the Bucks![/i]

After all - I found that the entire budget $63,642,040 comes to about 2 cents a second - and that's hardly anything at all! Why all the upset? Give them anything they want at those rates!

And for the $63,642,040 total budget that comes to spending $10,196 per house in Plainedge for education, or for the 3645 students enrolled that comes to $17,460 per student. Doesn't that fit well with the other numbers the District experts have been telling us?[/i]

Aren't they the ones that are telling me - its all going for the kids! There's no excess increases set aside for their own pockets, Bankers, Lawyers and Caterers and - - - you figure out the rest!

Breathe new life into the BOE! Give them C_P_R !

Make sure the children get their fair share! - First!

Ed

[gopybl]

Delilah,

Your correct...Depending upon the assessed value of your home the increase would be more or less than the $629 they are claiming. For those people who have homes with assessed values higher than $422,000 the increase will be more. However, there are some homes that are assessed at less than the $422,000 value used in there equation. Those homes will be impacted less. Personally, I am not that lucky and I suppose neither are you based on your reply. The point I wanted to make though is that the amount of tax burden which we will actually be voting on is an extremely small part of the budget. Whether that issue is right, wrong or indifferent is a different subject matter.

My feelings are that even if the tax burden was double what they are claiming...As a homeowner you have to vote the budget in to ensure your property value doesn't decline by $50,000 or more because we reside in a school district with NO PROGRAMS (Academic or Athletic) for the children.

The other battles need to be fought with the BOE members. They either need to begin representing the COMMUNITIES wants and desires or we replace them when they are due for re-election. Hopefully by giving the BOE a little C_P_R_ they will finally realize that we are going to HOLD THEM accountable for not representing our interests as tax payers.

[gopybl]

Ed,

Your correct in most of your assumptions but aren't the School Taxes allocated based on assessed value and not an equal distribution. Personally I would say that based on the numbers provided I am gonna be hit with an increase of $1,350.19 since my house is not valued at $422,000. This amounts to $112.52 / month or $3.75 / day in my specific case. Some people will wind up paying more than the average others will pay less.

I do agree with you that we should question the numbers the school district places in front of us. However, I also feel that the BOE, as presently constituted, will not force the hard cuts to be made in areas of administration which the community is clamoring for. So if we do not cut admin...the only cuts that will be made will impact the programs and the kids.

In my Personal situation if the budget fails I will be sending my kids to Private school which will cost me far more than $1350.19 for the year. Thus economically speaking I would be stupid not to pay the $1350.19. But you can rest assure that you will see me at the future meetings to try and get this lowered even more.

[thewildrover]

Gopybl,
You were right on with your report from the coffee hour, thanks for reporting on this one!

And I agree with you and Delilah that $629 can be lived with if it means that a majority of the programs and sports are restored this year.

Facts, your C.P.R call for change should guarantee that it will be for only one more year we will have to stomach these accounting miscues.

Now, that doesn't mean we should stand idly by and let them add us up incorrectly time and again, but, I'll scream this from the mountain top:

THIS BUDGET MUST PASS!!!!!!

It must pass if we want our kids to have more than the bare bones minimum educational experience in austerity.

It must pass if we want this community to continue to be someplace families look to move. It wont be in austerity

It must pass if we don't want our home values falling through the roof, in austerity.

It must pass if we don't want our kids walking the streets after 3 PM, with no extra curriculars available for them to take advantage of, in austerity .

Here is the call to action, go to the remaining budget meetings, have your voice heard, demand fiscal accuracy and accountability, demand to know if there are any administrative bonuses included in this budget and demand to have them removed, demand they put forth the most fiscally responsible budget that they are capable of.

And then, seeing you were part of the process in its formation, SUPPORT IT!!!!

This budget must pass, or as was so aptly put in the NY Times article, there WILL be a headline:

"PLAINEDGE: THE DEATH OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT"

ITS ABOUT THE KIDS, ITS ABOUT CHANGE, ITS ABOUT TIME!!!

Breathe new life into the BOE! Give them C_P_R !

[gopybl]

Wild --- Woooooooo, way to go man. I agree 1000% !!!

[patriot2415]

To all, Ed may be right in his math review and that is the reason why months ago I wrote into different forums that we needed financial experts at the BOE meetings to review what was being given to us. At the community meeting last week, maybe 50 residents attended. Another poor showing. But for those that were there, it was spirited, community focused and with many good ideas for getting this years budget passed.

This budget cannot fail.... I repeat.. THIS BUDGET CANNOT FAIL!!!!!

]The district would barely be able to provide the most basic education to our children. Seniors would be on the streets by 1pm, under class men by 2-2:30. NO clubs, NO sports, No School pride, NO community pride. A formula for disaster.

I would pay the original 13%, not that I have money to throw around, I would pay it for OUR kids, OUR homes and OUR community. As a member of the PPAC and PTRA organizations I have seen first hand what this community can do when people put aside their agenda's and team up with a common goal. I believe there can be some tweaking of this budget, but not too much more. APRIL 3,4,5 are budget meetings. I urge everyone to attend. Be informed, be heard. Let's get this budget passed! As my favorite character Apollo Creed from the Rocky movies would say " THERE IS NO TOMORROW !!!!!!!"

Review the facts, but also look into your heart. WE are in this together!!!!!

[justfacts]

How assessment works vs how average tax cost per house works.

Gopybl: Individual houses vary in their size, land area and value. So each house in a District is assessed separately and each house bears a part of the School Tax (not School Spending) based on that assessment. When you add up all the Tax dollars from each house it comes up to a portion of the amount of the total Tax levied.

That amount, when divided by the total number of houses in the District comes to an Average value of Tax. The Average value of Tax is what the District has used to figure the quoted costs per month, week or day - not your Individual Tax from your own Tax bill.

Some homes in a district have an assessment more than this, some less. If you took all the assessed values, added them up and found their average and worked out the Tax from that average - it would be the exact same number as you find when you divided the Tax levied by the total number of houses, mentioned above.

This dividing the total Tax (or the total Spending Budget) by the total number of houses is the easy way to figure the Average Tax or the Average Spending, rather than deal with assessed values of each house.

The importance of individual Assessed values is in their use to find if you are taxed fairly compared to your neighbor. That's why having the Average numbers as well as your Individual Tax Bill is important - you'll find if you are taxed fairly.

Secondly; The assessed value of your house is based on Class 1 property in the District - therefore it pays only a portion of the final Tax levy. The amount levied last year on homes was $37,131,328.41 out of a total levy of $44,859,453. That's 82.77% of the total Tax levied. Looking at Class 1 assessed values only, you'll think the District collected less money than they actually did, only 83 cents on the dollar![/i]

Remember, those extra $7,728,125 dollars all came from the pockets of Plainedge taxpayers. Some of them being businesses that we'll run out of town unless we control District spending! Ask Papalardo what he pays!

So your individual assessment comparisons are incomplete, based on comparing apples to oranges. The numbers will only confuse and bemuse those that use them unless they are very thorough, very complete and specific in their terminology. And do not mix percentages with dollar amounts.

The figures given at the meetings, without saying so directly, mix the comparison of the Spending for the District with the Class 1 property owners unsupported estimate of their Tax bill. An Apples and Oranges comparison.

Based on last year's division of total Tax vs Class 1 Tax, The increase of total tax is about 1.21 times what the Class 1 property tax was. That's why the numbers given don't add up properly.

And - what is lost in the shuffle - is all this Tax cost per home figuring is almost an independent number from the Spending increase - it does not have the State Aid or other factors accounted for.

We are still planning to Spend $17,460 per student, or $10,196 per home in the District. That's for the year.

Should you choose to pay any amount on top of this for private schooling, something one would do only if the schooling provided for the $10,196 already paid is defective, - I would question why you don't support your neighbor's plight by demanding that the BOE adopt a Budget that has more of the dollars going to the children - rather than to continue to pay more increases to the Administration, Lawyers, Bankers and "Fund Balances".

After all, just the planned Administration increases comes to about $100 per house - the total Salary cost is over $1,300 per house. Divide that by months, weeks or days to make it seem smaller if you will - but the fact remains it is big bucks - especially last year when these increases and salaries remained untouched - but they cut the sports.

Are these the "Planners" that you want in the District? The "Planners" whose advice you'll follow? Their decisions have not been in favor of the children - force them to change it this year. Make the BOE adopt an alternate Budget before it's put up to vote.

[justfacts]

Patriot and Wildrover

Yes we could wait until next year when C_P_R has been performed on the BOE.

OR, with the help of persons like yourself who can bring the community together into action and results, we can exert extreme pressure on the BOE to pass an alternate budget this year. Not the one given by the Administration, but the one I outlined at the beginning of another thread - the Third Budget.

That Budget will give the same amount of service to the children - but cost the community less! Of course, it will cost the Administration their precious increases and cut out the large amount of fat that will go towards next year's fund balance - but it's about time we made them take a freeze and cut the misuse of money. Its a Budget that has the same $4+ Million portion of it going to the children and cuts $2 Million from fat, padding, raises and bonuses. Fiscally, it can be done! Ask our other financial experts!

That would go a long way to assuring the Budget passing on the first shot.

It is not necessary to go to a BOE meeting and interact with a Board and Administration that doesn't tell the same tale twice - or that can't provide reliable numbers to figure out a Budget. I have done that for a few years, and I've filed an Appeal with the Commissioner of Education detailing their errors and inconsistencies. That is a non-productive approach, especially working alone. Ask the several other residents who have done that these past few years!

That's why I greatly appreciate what you have done, something I could not. So I'll support you with financial facts and figures where I can.

But - it is the BOE that is responsible for what is to be put in front of the community as a Budget. They have yet to do so. You can gather the large groups that will vocally support the demand that the BOE reject the Administration Budget and have them support a "no increases" budget that puts most of the money collected into the children's programs. This has to be done before the motion to by the BOE to adopt a Budget for vote.

Should the adversarial "show me how to do it" attitude be adapted by the District's financial advisers - we can have them meet with a group of residents and the BOE across a table where such negotiations, consistent with the community inputs, would be done. I would participate, along with others, in that work.

Ed.

[gopybl]

Dear Ed,

Thanks for the additional facts and figures. However, I want to make one thing PERFECTLY CLEAR. I do support my neighbors in their plight... I donate an enormous amount of time into this community specifically for the young Children.

I personally have Elementary Children....remember those kids. These kids are really getting the short end of the stick. They have the least amount of programs and services being reinstated in the current budget. You can bet, I'm really steamed about it. Especially when I am paying more than my fair share of taxes.

However, I am also a realist....I know full well that under this current administration there will be absolutely NO REDUCTION in the administration side of the budget. I believe you understand this too which is why you are so frustrated with fighting this battle alone. But without the complete backing of the Board of Education that battle will be lost every year.

Everyone knows who controls this BOE and he is not willing to part with any of his financial arrangements. The only way to correct this critical situation is to hold the BOE accountable and remove the people who do not represent our best interests. This is where C_P_R comes into play.

In closing, I would like to ask you a similar question to the one you asked me.....Why wouldn't you support your neighbors plight in ensuring that this community passes the budget this year? Anything short of passing the budget which will be adopted soon will ensure the DEATH OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. You can be rest assured, I will support my neighbors and ensure that this does not happen THIS YEAR !

Respectfully yours,
Joe Amalfitano

[plainedge13]

I have heard that there are members of this community who feel that the high school student athletes and their parents should raise the money needed to fund the sports program. The line I hear is "they did it once, they can do it again"

As one of the parents who was involved with this incredible effort I wish to tell the community, again, that THIS WAS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EFFORT -IT CANNOT BE REPEATED. Many people called in personal and business favors to get this money raised. Many of us regretted the fact that to the outsiders it looked easy, rest assured it was not.

This community is very generous with its time and finances when it comes to the kids, but this was a one shot deal.

Deirdre Morrison

[Go Plainedge!]

I think the frustration stems from the feeling of being held hostage by this administration. It appears that this budget process is either their way or nothing. There doesn't appear to be any compromise on their part.

The BOE's lack of firmness with this administration doesn't make the process any easier.

So, the answer is to moved forward as best we can with this budget process for 2006/07 and place more and continuous pressure on the BOE to be more responsive to the needs of the community and demand that the administration moved forward based on the word of the BOE - not the other way around. Does the tail wag the dog or does the dog wag the tail?

I think this website is a good source of information and a great medium to collectively communicate the feelings of the community.

[Go Plainedge!]

plainedge13 said:

I have heard that there are members of this community who feel that the high school student athletes and their parents should raise the money needed to fund the sports program. The line I hear is "they did it once, they can so it again"

As one of the parents who was involved with this incredible effort I wish to tell the community, again, that THIS WAS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EFFORT -IT CANNOT BE REPEATED. Many people called in personal and business favors to get this money raised. Many of us regretted the fact that to the outsiders it looked easy, rest assured it was not.

This community is very generous with its time and financed when it comes to the kids, but this was a one shot deal.

Deirdre Morrison

That's absurd.

Don't they realize the time and efort went into that?