Planning for the Future

Too many times in our lives, we are always looking back on past events and wondering what we could have done to prevent this event from occurring. From each circumstance, we rise together to form new bonds that harden our resolves. Each event has us continually being reactive and not actually tackling the problems at hand. We have the tendency to overreact and try to correct the immediate issue. We are usually meet with initial gusto and zeal but they quickly fade as past memories. In the end, we have no solution and we await the next crisis that we must tackle.

You can equate the budget process to these critical events. In all communities, the school budget vote each year are seen as a process that does not take into the issues at hand and never addresses the issues for the future. The budget is presented to the community and they are asked to accept or reject the budget for the next school year. Many community members are affronted by the continuous increases in the budget while others protest that these increases are needed to keep up the high levels of standard and the increasingly competitive world that we all live in. We all understand that costs are going to increase each year and enrollment may decline, new state mandates may arrive and costs such as health care and pensions may directly affect the budget as a whole. State Aid is continually fluctuating and we continue to mount pressure onto Albany to get our share of the money. All parents of the Commack community want their children to have the same high level of education and extracurricular activities that have made our district one with great recognition without the penalty of each year of continual staff cuts and possible program reductions.

Every year, we go into this situation with fright or loathing. We see every increasing costs and cuts to services throughout the district, which could affect our future. At the end of the process, we see a final number and need to decide which side of the fence we are on. This scenario unfortunately does nothing but polarize the community. The community needs to start looking to the future to become more proactive and less reactive each year to all of these unanticipated changes.

If elected, I will work with the all of the school board members in conjunction with Dr. James on a plan of action that starts to address our short term and long-term needs. The board needs to become an active participant in the budget process and start developing both short term and long-term plans based on sound forecasting of the financial, enrollment and economic status of the community at large. These plans should be developed with the goals of maintaining the high standard of education that we have enjoyed here in Commack and foster a spirit of fiscal responsibility with a keen eye on the value of each dollar. These plans would become the foundation of each budget process so that all residents are aware of both the present and long range goals of the Commack School District. As an elected individual, I am here to be the voice of the community to provide guidance and leadership for a brighter future in Commack.