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Saugerties Times - Editorial 5/18/2006 by Erica Freudenberger To the surprise of no one, the school budget was defeated by a fairly impressive margin. What is interesting was the resounding defeat it faced at all four elementary schools; usually at least one or two pass the budget. It's not unusual for the first school budget put forward to be defeated in Saugerties. It's happened before, numerous times. But this time there's something different in the air, a sense that, like the characters in the movie Network, Saugertiesians used their votes to say, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." Part of the anger is a result of superintendent Richard Rhau's failure to understand the community he serves. By not acknowledging that Saugerties remains, at least at its heart, blue collar, he has made questionable decisions, including how he has used the school district's credit card. While it may be part of his contract and within his right to do so, his spending is out of step with many Saugertiesians, who watch their money down to the last nickel. Yes, Saugerties is changing. Gentrification is in the air as HITS attendees spend millions snapping up farms, and second-homeowners from the city gobble up property that is, by their standards, inexpensive. But the bulk of Saugertiesians remain, like generations before, hard-working people - many working two or three jobs - just to stay afloat. Rhau and the board need to rethink the budget before the next election. Clearly, sending the same budget out again would be folly. Every ounce of fat needs to be trimmed. The argument that our district spends less than others in the county is immaterial. Our students still outperform those in many other districts, a tribute to the strong families and social bonds that define Saugerties. Because let's face it, you can spend all the money you want on schools, but if there's no support at home or in the wider community, kids will fail. Our kids don't. And the defeat of the budget does not, as has been suggested, indicate a lack of concern or care about the kids of Saugerties. I challenge anyone to find a community that does more, as a whole, to encourage the development and growth of children than we do. One thing, though, that the students do need is for their teachers to have a contract. The fact that Saugerties students perform as well as they do may in large part be attributed to efforts of teachers who continue to put their students first. But after two years without a contract, it is time the teachers were shown that their efforts, too, are valued. It's just common sense.
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