|
|
|
Letter -to-the-editor 04/27/06
Strolling Down Memory Lane First came the "sweetheart" contract for superintendents Hong and Singleton who have now retired with full medical health benefits at our expense. Then came that "bonanza," the $62 million dollar school project . Current board members Buono, Brennan, Parisian and McCaig, and former board member Flo Hyatt (who recently announced her candidacy to run again for school board), were the driving forces behind that $62 million dollar fiasco. We all remember newspaper headlines telling us that the "Board of Education" had presented its 62-million dollar school "building renovation and improvement plan" with a total projected cost of $62,175,000 based on a 29-year repayment plan; that critics of the project claimed that members of the school board had been stingy and misleading with information about the plan; and how voters had "overwhelmingly rejected" the proposed $62.17 million Capital Facilities Project. Superintendent Singleton said he'd like to see "another vote soon ." Flo Hyatt said, "Perhaps this project should have been put out five or six years ago." Former board president Bob McCaig (a/k/a "the 62-million-dollar-man"), who spearheaded the project, remarked that he was "disappointed" by the results and hoped the board would "meet soon to decide if an acceptable plan can be redeveloped." These are the same board members who were the driving force behind the recent 29-million dollar school project, and the same board members who voted to create a new $100,000 administrative position, hire another $100,000 principal and at the same time eliminate a teacher and maintenance position. Ironically, these are some of the same board members who complained about their assessments. According to records maintained at the town assessor's office (which are in the public domain), school board members Buono and Parisian filed complaints stating that their assessments were too high. As a result of the complaints, Buono's assessment was reduced from $363,000 to $295,000 and Parisian's from $457,000 to $396,000. Parisian, however, was apparently not satisfied with the amount of his reduction and filed a grievance to seek a further decrease (but was denied). Obviously, when personally affected, they don't like it! Or, when the shoe is on the other foot, it hurts. When they finally learn the true correlation between school budget and those pesky real estate taxes (regardless of assessment), we'll all be better off. It appears to me that Buono, McCaig, Parisian and Kovac, are on a mission to corner the "power," but desperately need one more board member to secure the solid majority to give them the control they need (and want) on the board. Perhaps the reason McCaig carried Flo Hyatt's petitions was so she could be placed on the ballot. Remember, Flo Hyatt and McCaig, had a very strong voting bond together during the hiring of Singleton and for the 62-million dollar building project. Watch, if Flo Hyatt is elected, she will join Buono, McCaig, Parisian and Kovac in support of the creation of that "new" $100,000 position and then hire a fresh $100,000 principal. That "fresh" new face, without doubt, will belong to the Assistant Superintendents's friend from Guilderland—Rhau is pushing very hard for her already (and I'm told she has no intention of moving to Saugerties). Buono and his cronies should stop wasting our money on additional layers of administration and concentrate instead on what truly matters. I understand that a 5th grade math teacher must photocopy pages of the textbook because there just aren't enough books. That is disgraceful, and the "powers that be" ought to be ashamed. Remember these things when budget time rolls around. Think about the waste the next time you pull into a gas station. Decide to vote "no" on the budget and stick to that decision. And, while you're at it, make up your mind not to give Buono and his cronies that 5th vote they so desperately want, and stick to that decision, too, because if you don't, taxpayers will pay dearly for it. Just look at their voting record, it speaks for itself. That is my opinion! George D Heidcamp, Sr. |