Long Islanders For Educational Reform To Sponsor School Tax Symposium
School Taxes have become a Quality Of Life issue
And we can't count on School Boards to do anything about It
WHEN: Thursday, April 6th, 7:30 AM to 9:30 PM
WHERE: Huntington Hilton
598 Broad Hollow Road, Melville, NY
Long Islanders For Educational Reform (LIFER) is holding a public forum lay aside the myths of how we fund our schools and who is responsible to pay for what, to help taxpayers (and, hopefully, legislators) understand Albany's role in the school financing process, and to form a strategy that will allow homeowners to live on Long Island, if not affordably, then at least without fear of being forced to move.
This is a homeowner civic meeting. ALL homeowners are invited and encouraged to attend!
The Speakers will include:
NYS Senators Ken LaValle & John Flanagan
NYS Assemblymembers Marc Alessi & Charles Lavine
Business Leaders Bruce Bent & E. Christopher Murray
Civic Leaders Pat Byrne, Laura Pandelakis & Frank Russo
The Moderator will be Peter Kohler of Cablevision
LIFER has no affiliations with unions or School Boards.
If you want to remain on LI and want our children to line here also, check out LIFER. It is time to take control over the quality of education and taxes. Homeowners must organize the same way teachers and administrators do. Membership is LIFER is free.
LIFER, Long Islanders for Educational Reform, was organized in 2005 to address the issue of escalating school taxes, while maintaining excellence in our educational systems. Drawn from business, education, civic organizations and other groups of concerned citizens, the organization is committed to finding an equitable solution to the problem of burdensome taxation.
Visit LIFER at www.lischooltax.com or Contact info@lischooltax.com
LIFER offers free start up, recruitment & organizational expertise, websites and support to any homeowners' group or individuals that want to start a civic association.
If your group consists of 10 or more people and you wish to reserve seating at the April 6th forum, call 516-767-9179. For directions to the Huntington Hilton call 631-845-1000.
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Click HERE to read The New York Times article on the State's School Aid Formulae, School Aid: Meet The New Math, Same As The Old
Click HERE to read the Newsday report on the April 6th forum, Turning The Wheels of Education
Don't be fooled by LIFER.
ReplyDeleteWant 30-40 students in a classroom?
Want music, art and sports cut?
Want 2nd tier schools?
LIFER is anti-union, pro-unfunded mandates and use shoddy research.
A RESPONSE FROM LONG ISLANDERS FOR EDUCATIONAL REFORM:
ReplyDeleteDear J,
Your comments are nothing more than scare tactics that have been repeated by the educational establishment year after year during budget votes. I would challenge you to support your statements with some facts.
LIFER was founded to address the escalating issue of school taxes. We must ensure fiscal responsibility and spend within our means while providing a quality education. We believe that both can be balanced.
The citizen's budget commission reported (in 2004) that New York is the highest taxed state in the nation surpassing California. In our state, Nassau and Suffolk counties pay the highest taxes. Is your answer to do nothing?
I would ask that you attend the forum. If after the forum you would like to discuss this matter, I will be glad to do so.
Sincerely,
Paul Kosowski
Nassau County Civic Assoc. Inc
Long Islanders for Educational Reform
My answer is not to "do nothing" but cut through the anti-teacher, anti-union, pro-NCLB misinformation.
ReplyDeleteThere is mre out there than right-wing funded "think tank" propaganda.
The "Why kids can't count" is just another anti-school, anti-teacher myth.
What do you consider fair pay for teachers? Remember, they are taxpayers and homeowners right here on Long Island. It's time to stop demonizing them.
The Tennessee Study of Class Size was a 10 year project begun under then Gov. Lamar Alexander. Its conclusion was that smaller class sizes does work.
Cut budgets, cut teachers, increase class size.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is suing the federal government over NCLB because it is an unfunded mandate that will cost connecticut public schools $8.6 million per year.
The Texas version of NCLB is a failure. Student drop-out rates are still high and test scores are no better. The only thing they have done is created more tests which cost districts money.
Former Bush Education Sec. Paige oversaw the Houston public schools and their fraud of score and drop-out reporting. The "Texas Miracle" fraud was the basis for support for NCLB.
Want to save money in school districts? Get rid of the required regents diploma. Ditch all the extra tests that don't add up to anything for student acheivment.
Make sure that curricullum doesn't chenge every couple of years requiring purchasing new books.
Consolidate school districts and cut the administration.
Have districts negotiate better supply contracts. Many supply companies charge more than what you can get in the corner store.
Switch from property-based tax to income tax.
Get Skelos, Balboni, Fuschillo, Hannon to actually get to work and fix the school funding mess. They failed again this year. The bogus one-shot rebates and paltry increase in funding isn't going to help.
Maybe the senators, assemblymen and governor can give up their "members item" slush fund and give all that money back education.
School districts are trying to play catch-up with the cuts in school aid from Albany for almost a decade. Albany aid has yet to catch up to where it should be after a decade of underfunding education.
As for the highest tax, of course we are taxed higher because of the property tax and the increasing home prices. With homes selling for 1/2 million dollars in Levitown, tax assessments will follow that.
I see nothing on the LIFER webiste explaining how we can keep the same level of programs and excellence in schools while cutting funding.