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After all the luncheons hosted by Superintendent Rhau and his guest board members, Vincent Buono, Robert McCaig, Edward Kovac, and Terry Parisian, I ask these questions. How do students benefit from this spending? Along with, how is it that a number of board members did not realize they were voting for the budget, at the April 18 General Budget meeting? Did they turn down the lunch invitation and miss notification of the upcoming vote? Did you invite the other board members to lunch? Was this an intentional and deliberate move to manipulate and control the budget agenda in some way? The board members were presented with the new budget, at the April 18 meeting, and after a fast paced two-hour review and discussion, unexpectedly to some, it was time to vote. The board president stated we have to vote tonight. I could see some members wanted time to study, analyze, digest and possibly refine the budget proposal. Talk about a rush job. Who is responsible? Is it the Wanton Lunch club? Is there a quid pro quo arrangement going on here? Pass mine and I will hire yours. Who is being mindful of the local property taxpayer? The State Education Department, “Overview of District Performance in English language arts, Mathematics and Science” for Saugerties, demonstrates our districts student performance ratings are all above average to excellent, in all academic categories. Our student failure rates are well below state averages. Graduation rates are also well above state average. When Board members and our Superintendent claim we are not spending enough and we are hurting our kids, the data states otherwise. Apparently, we do more with less, fiscal proficiency. This report, and that of the other Ulster County school districts, is located on the web at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/repcrd2004/overview-analysis/621601060000.pdf . We do not need one more new administrator in a building that already has three. Richard Petramale, Saverio Fisco, and Donald Tucker have consistently voted against this particular, and other similar, excessive spending proposals. They also pay for there own lunch.
Steven Haun, SAGA 4/27/2006 |