By Jacquie Rath
The taxpayers' group was formed last spring, after a small group of residents attended an April Board of Education meeting, hoping to convince the board to reduce the district's planned spending for the 2005-06 school year, and thereby reduce the village's school tax rate. "They told us we were too late," said Catherine White, co-founder of the group.
This year, the group was determined to start its campaign early enough to have an opportunity to influence the budget's bottom line before it is put to a vote in late spring. The cover letter that accompanied the petition presented at last month's board meeting asked the board to "inform [the group] what concrete steps [the board] plans to take in order to effect a reduction in spending ..." The group has requested a response from the Board of Education no later than Jan. 31.
The cover letter, signed by White and group co-founder Jack Talty, states, "It would be a terrible mistake for the school board to see this petition as mere numbers and to abstractly dismiss it. This petition is alive with anger, resentment and frustration because of an ever-increasing school tax that threatens the homes and well being of loyal taxpayers."
"We are being crushed by exorbitant school taxes," said Talty as he discussed the village's 10.6 percent school tax rate. "We won't settle for what we have. We want a reduction."
Last year, after the group was told its efforts came too late to affect the budget, it took to the phones, trying to convince Rockville Centre's taxpayers not to approve the budget. The spending plan ultimately passed, but by less than 200 votes. The group sees the narrow victory as an indication of the growing number of residents disgruntled by high tax rates.
"Endless school tax increases portend disaster," Talty wrote in the cover letter. "Every well will eventually run dry. The schools are a vital part of our community, but they must not destroy it."
If the Tax Payers for Responsible Spending are not satisfied with the board's response at the end of the month, they plan to take action. "We want a reduction in our school taxes," said White. "If we are unhappy with the response we get, we would have no choice but to mobilize to defeat the budget. This would be done without malice. The schools have been operating with a blank check for so many years, and it's time for the representatives to sharpen their pencils."
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