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04/27/06 Beer, Cashews and Rented Movies As predicted, Rhau and Buono were able to obtain the votes necessary to secure the $100,000 "temporary" position in the budget—the position was previously held by Joe Fondino but is now obviously a "floater." In spite of having voted against creating the position just two weeks earlier, board members Maclsaac and Brennan acquiesced to the superintendent and president and supported the proposal. The Board took $125,000 out of the retiree health benefits fund, eliminated a much-needed English teacher and a maintenance position, but agreed to keep $100,000 in the budget for the new position. Board members Tucker, Petramale and Fisco were the only board members who demonstrated fiscal responsibility and stuck to their original position that the $100,000 temporary slot is unnecessary and wasteful, especially when taxpayers are now so near the breaking point. They feel that the position only adds another layer of unessential management while serving no legitimate purpose in educating our children. By eliminating that position, the tax levy could have been lowered into the low four percent bracket. The effort by Tucker, Petramale and Fisco to lower the tax levy was defeated by a 6-3 vote. I repeat and reiterate, school taxes account for approximately 68% of total real property taxes and are at an all time high. School officials should be rolling up their sleeves and seriously carving out the unnecessary fat from the budget, not adding it. It is now up to the voters of Saugerties to either accept or reject this pork barrel budget. If the budget is rejected, the board will be sent back to the table to carve out the unnecessary fat. Speaking of pork-barrel fat, I would like to share with the readers a few examples of where our money goes (information obtained through FOIL):
Not bad, huh? Read on We also pay approximately $49 each month for Rhau to use a cell-phone. According to actual records, following are some of the actual calls made: at least 25 each to California, Georgia, West Virginia, etc., and approximately 200 to New Jersey, totaling some 450 air minutes just for the New Jersey calls alone. There were many others. Rhau is provided with a credit card expense account. Examples of charges to the account (as well as reimbursements) are summarized below (actual figures taken from statements turned in by Rhau for specific items purchased or charges incurred for entertainment, meals, meetings, etc., have been detailed elsewhere).
As I understand it, Board President Buono has all this information available and at his disposable at each board meeting but does not offer it for review nor share it with other board members prior to approval of the bills. It's mighty peculiar that Buono fails to question any of Rhau's expenditures. For example, renting a car for $339 and driving it 428 miles while he attends a conference—if he were attending the conference, who was driving the car? Another example is payment for alcoholic beverages, cashews and movie rentals; what's next, bon-bons? And why didn't the District's internal auditor, Don McCaig (brother of board member Bob McCaig), catch or question these outlandish expenditures? Rhau claims that he paid for some of these items, but the question is "which ones didn't he pay for?" While children do without text books, teachers work without a contract, gasoline soars to more than $3.00 per gallon, and taxes spin out of control, our superintendent (who is paid more than $170.000 a year in salary and cash benefits) is enjoying himself in sunny Florida, drinking cold Sam Adams beer, eating cashews and watching rented movies in an air-conditioned room. Shame on president Buono for allowing this type of outrageous spending of taxpayer money, and shame on us if we fail to remedy such abuses for the future. Stay tuned, more to come. George D Heidcamp, Sr. |