I have been attending many of the Pine Bush Central School District Board of Education meetings and and budget forums recently in an effort to support the continuation of high quality educational programs for our District. As I pointed out at the first forum I attended, the reputation of our schools will directly affect each and every one of us in the communities that make up the District. Whether we have children in the system or not our property values and future saleability of our homes and other real estate is influenced by how desirable the schools are to prospective home buyers and businesses who are considering a move to our community.
As a parent I am hoping that our children will receive the kind of educational opportunities that will excite them and keep them motivated. I also pointed out that we need to work together to find creative solutions so we can maintain programs and minimize impact on our schools. It is no secret that I value the Music Programs we offer here and I was very happy to see that the proposed budget kept the Music Programs that might have been eliminated.
That having been said I think that we need to acknowledge that we are in financial crisis and need to get real about it. I, myself, am trying hard to make a living in a year that so many have lost so much. I work as an Associate Real Estate Broker here in Pine Bush. I do not get a regular paycheck, I work on a commission only self employed basis. On March 10, 2010 received my first commission check of this year for a rental placement of $220.00. I have paid out over $2500.00 so far this year for the privilege of keeping my Realtor standing , continuing education, and business expenses which, if you do the math, puts me way in the red. Most of the other Real Estate Agents I speak with have similar stories to tell. Many of us have had deal after deal fall due to mortgage and appraisal issues, buyers loss of job, or other problems that home sellers and buyers are facing in this economy. My commissions are my main contribution to my family budget. I have some steep expenses with one in college and two high school students. We are trying to do the best we can.
Many of the people in our communities are facing trying times from forces beyond their control. I am lucky that my husband who works in construction is still working but many of our friends and relatives are not. Some have been out of work for a year or more now. Retirees who were secure in their investments in stock markets and funds lost so much. The very homes that they live in whose paid up walls were what they believed to be a secure investment in the future have lost value and now they face a future with less. Families are losing wage earners as one or both parents take pay cuts or lose jobs all together. It is reality.
I applaud the work that the Administration has done to pare down the budget. I am so pleased that they have found a way to save programing and minimize the tax increase but it is still a tax increase. I think we still have some work to do to find those creative solutions that will allow us to move forward with great programs and little or no increases.
I find, as I review the projecting 2010-2011 budget, that the first item on the Increases is contractual pay increases. These are increases across the board to administrators, educators, and support staff. Might I suggest that the unions and individuals who have these hard won contracts agree that they will freeze wages where they are in order to save TWO MILLION Dollars. I do understand that this affects your family. I do understand that to accept such a freeze you will be sacrificing a lot. But we can lower the tax increase even further and save some of the programs and positions that are being considered for cut. These very positions that teachers and staff stood up to defend in prior forums and Board meetings. Please consider giving a little to save a lot.
I know that this may not make me as popular around the schools but understand that I love our teachers and the school staff. I am trying to save more of your jobs while asking each of you to give a little bit. This does not even ask you to take a cut it asks you to not take an increase. It asks you to think outside the box as you plan for next year and order your supplies and materials. I hope that you will hear my plea and follow through by offering to forgo increases in favor of the future of our children and this community.
I urge the Board of Education to take a tough stand in negotiations of all contracts this year, not only in salary and benefit areas but in contracts for goods and services. Can we do it better and cheaper by changing the way we do things? YES WE CAN!
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