OPINIONS

Letters to the Editor: East Rockaway, Lynbrook

Feb. 4-10, 2016

Posted

The value of Catholic schools

To the Editor:

Last week, the Herald carried advertising and articles about Catholic schools to coincide with Catholic School Week.

One important thing that was not mentioned is the tremendous value that Catholic schools have in keeping a lid on property taxes. Every child in a Catholic or other private school is one taxpayers don’t have to pay to educate. This means that every time a non-public school closes because parents can no longer afford both tuition and high property taxes, it’s that many more students for whom homeowners have to pay, at an average state cost of $20,000 per student per year — and it’s even higher on Long Island.

Recognizing this, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Senate have again endorsed the Educational Investment Incentives Act, which would grant significant tax credits to individuals and businesses that make donations to public schools or to scholarship funds that provide scholarships to students at private schools. Half of such donations would go to public schools, and half to private school scholarships. These voluntary donations would increase the funds available to all schools, thus reducing the need to increase property taxes.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has said that once enough Democratic Assembly members to constitute a majority of the Assembly — 76 — co-sponsor this bill, he will permit a vote. This is a highly undemocratic bar. However, 40 of 110 Democrats in the Assembly, and 20 of 40 Republicans, have already signed on.

The teachers unions are fighting hard to prevent a vote, as they see their expensive near-monopoly threatened. Taxpayers interested in good education at lower cost might consider asking their Assembly members to sponsor this bill.

Dennis Duffy, Lynbrook
Duffy is a former Lynbrook Board of Education member.



Jerry Kremer has tunnel vision

To the Editor:

It’s ironic that Jerry Kremer, in his column “Our state legislators don’t get a fair shake” (Jan. 21-27), attempts to correct his tunnel vision by seeing things through rose-colored glasses.

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