Letter To The Editor: Former Schools Trustee Urges 'Yes' Vote On Budget That Needs Cap Override

Dear neighbors,

I am writing in support of a Yes vote on our upcoming school budget vote. Having just finished nine years on the school board, I am not surprised that our current Board of Education is asking our community to over-ride the state imposed tax levy cap.

When the State imposed the “2%” tax cap, one of the purposes was to encourage school districts to look closer at their spending, services, staffing, reserves and revenues. Although the cap wasn’t popular with the school districts, it has served a purpose. Over the past 4 years, in order to stay under the cap, our administration has found a myriad of efficiencies. Our staff — from our teachers to custodial — have seen and agreed to tighter contracts even with increased workloads. Our community members have learned to pay for use of District facilities and some of our families with children in private schools have lost school busses. Our Board of education has reached deep and thoughtfully into our reserves in order to increase our revenues when needed. All this was happening at the same time we saw our District stay at the forefront of education innovation — changing to meet a changing world. And, when the efficiencies, compromises and innovations brought us budget numbers that kept us under the cap, the District passed those savings onto the community rather than asking for the upper limit that was allowed.

In short, the District has met the challenges imposed by the tax cap and earned our trust.

The over-riding (pun intended) issue is that the costs of education can and often do rise at a faster rate than the CPI — particularly when both the student population and insurance premiums continue to rise. Until NY State decides to rethink the tax cap formula or how education is funded in general, all school districts eventually will find themselves in the situation we are now in. We could wait for that and make deep and hurtful cuts or we could decide as a community that we value education for our children. We all know that a good school district keeps our real estate values growing. More importantly, a good school district prepares the next generation for their future.

I am a community member whose children benefitted greatly from the Mamaroneck Schools but who have been out of school for close to 10 years. I will be voting, not for my own children, but to support the education of the next generation with the confidence and trust that we are not being asked for more than is needed.

— Nancy Pierson, Town of Mamaroneck

Patch file photo.