March 7-13

Letters to the editor

Posted

Don’t count on my budget vote

To the Editor:

I read with interest the Herald’s piece “RVC schools preview 2013-14 budget” (Feb. 14-20). I also read with interest Dr. William Johnson’s cavalier comment that he is “absolutely confident that the community will agree and be able to work with the numbers we present and pass the budget in May.” Really? Not so fast, sir.  Don’t count on my vote. 

We have reached the point where, for me, school taxes here are prohibitive. I have no children in school and, unfortunately, my children never attended RVC schools. While I understand that, in part, a good school district helps bolster home values, I also know that there are only so many of my precious retirement dollars that I am willing to spend on school taxes. My home is already worth $200,000 less than what I paid for it in 2004. I am close to just packing it in and leaving the area. And I know I am not alone.

If you cannot find places to cut fat, reduce programs where necessary, trim your own fat paycheck and eliminate having us taxpayers pick up the tab on such absurd things as your car insurance, we will simply vote “no” on the budget. I will vote “no” over and over until you resubmit something that makes sense. And if you don’t, and our taxes go up yet again, you will force people to move. And given the economic climate, don’t be so sure others can afford to move in and take our place. Then where will you be?   

Enough is enough. 

Ted D. Gluckman

Rockville Centre

Many reasons to pass the bond

To the Editor:

We are writing in support of the school bond and would like to urge the community of Rockville Centre to vote “yes” as well. 

We understand that this bond is a financial burden to each and every taxpayer, but it is one that needs to be addressed. We, as a community, can no longer ignore and flat-out refuse to address the needs of our antiquated school buildings and facilities. 

Ask yourself the follow questions. If you can answer “yes” to any one of them, then you should feel compelled to vote in a similar way for the bond. 

1) Do you feel the value of your home is directly tied to the school district?

2) If you were selling your home tomorrow, would the RVC school district be one of your top selling points?

3) Did you vote for updates and improvements when your children or grandchildren attended school?

4) Do you feel it is the responsibility of the community at large to provide the children on your block, in your neighborhood, church, or temple the benefits of an updated, clean, safe and quality school atmosphere?

5) Just as we strive to keep our homes well maintained, updated and safe, don’t you feel it is just as vital to give the same attention to our schools?

When is it ever going to be a good time to raise taxes? We would probably all agree the answer is never, but we cannot allow that type of thinking to continue to erode the gem that is the Rockville Centre School District. Please support the education of our children. Voting “no”  hurts all of Rockville Centre. Please vote “yes!”

Chris and Diane Scaduto

Rockville Centre

We’re obligated to our schools

To the Editor:

We are writing in response to recent articles about the upcoming bond vote. We hope all Rockville Centre residents will consider the important safety, academic and infrastructure needs that will be addressed by passing this bond.

Discussions about the bond have been ongoing for years by the Board of Education, administration, school staff, concerned parents and citizens, and have included much community input.

The need for this bond did not arise because of irresponsible spending in the past, but rather from a crumbling and aging school infrastructure in need of updating and upkeep that is not possible to fund within the scope of the budget. The time to address it is now.

As parents with children in school at all levels — high school, middle school and elementary — we see the importance of passing this bond for the benefit of all the students and the community as a whole. Our kids are also involved in sports, so we are all for the turf. We believe our athletes deserve a home field that is a source of pride for their school and one that can be used for games and practices for many teams.

However, the turf is insignificant when you look at the big picture of the bond. The largest portion of the spending will go toward necessary improvements and updates to create a safe and proper academic environment where our schools can continue to operate in excellence. The proposed updates will address many needs — for some it’s about the chemistry labs, for others it might be about the air conditioning — but the fact of the matter is, it’s about an antiquated learning environment that is addressed with this bond in its entirety.

Whether you have kids in school now, will have kids in school one day or your kids have graduated and grown up, consider that every child needs and deserves an updated, safe place to learn. No one wants to pay more taxes, but the success of our schools is a big part of what supports our property values and makes Rockville Centre such a wonderful town to live in. Please join us in voting “yes” on March 19.

Karen and Steve Parker

Rockville Centre