Editor's Note: Robert Germino is a former candidate of the 13th Assembly District seat and a Glen Cove resident.
Once again, we enter the school budget season: school boards threaten “draconian” program cuts; property-tax levy increases are still greater than inflation; budget supporters rally “it’s for the children;” their opponents are demonized; the overtaxed and unemployed residents vote with their feet; repeat this process next year. The casualties are (a) New York property-taxpayers who still live in the highest taxed state in the nation, (b) the students who lose their educational programs, and (c) common sense.
You, the voter, can change this process. As you cut wasteful spending from your budget during tough economic conditions, you must empower your school boards to do the same. This begins with lobbying your state representatives to repeal draconian mandates. Here are some recommendations.
- Repeal the Wicks Law. This law requires separate plumbing, heating/ventilation/air conditioning, and electrical contracts of a certain threshold (e.g., greater than $1.5 million in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties). While those who crafted this law may have had good intentions, according to the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM), this mandate adds an additional eight to 30 percent cost to school construction projects.
- Exempt school districts from paying “prevailing union wages” on construction projects. The Empire Center’s “Blueprint for a Better Budget” stated, “this adds 28 percent to total project costs upstate and 76 percent to project costs downstate.”
- Require all new school employees to accept defined-contribution pension plans. This 401(k)-type plan caps pension contributions by the employer (you, the taxpayer) at a certain amount. It empowers the employee to make his or her own investment decisions, gives the employee a portable investment if he or she chooses to change careers, and limits risk to the employer. Under the current defined-benefit model, school districts face explosive costs. The New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA), therefore, supports offering defined-contribution plans to employees (this is already an option for SUNY and CUNY employees).
- Repeal the MTA payroll tax. This tax applies to all employers in the 12 counties of the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. It was a bailout for the dysfunctional MTA; however, it is still insufficient to close the MTA's forecasted budget gaps. Last year, it cost Glen Cove School District $140,000 and all school districts in the 13th Assembly District over $2.1 million. You not only pay the school districts' portion of the MTA payroll tax via your property taxes but also fund their reimbursement from the state.
- End the Triborough Amendment. It requires you to fund pay increases to public unions despite expiration of their contract. As NYSSBA Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer said, "If a contract expires, the terms of the last year of the contract should continue, unsupplemented by step increases, until a new contract goes into effect." Furthermore, NYCOM stated, "[It] undermines the collective bargaining process by discouraging unions from offering concessions or givebacks since, as long as no agreement is reached, the terms of the current contract remain in effect."
While some may find these recommendations unpleasant, the alternatives to mandate relief are far worse. If we wish to grow our communities, high property taxes must not continue to force taxpayer relocation. In our discussions, let us follow leadership examples such as the Brentwood Teachers Association. This union agreed to freeze pay increases among other concessions. Their actions averted massive layoffs and additional cuts to student programs.
The average teacher salary in the GCSD is $78,485 & they don't pay for their health care & have a guaranteed pension to which they do not contribute. For a total of 3,000 kids, there are 22 administrators making over 100K/year. Check this link: http://www.longislandschools.com/districts/glen-cove-city.html Consider that this is for a work day that ends at 3:00 PM, with 3 months off a year. How many of us have that? Our taxes are high enough. Don't believe me? Nassau County has the highest Property Taxes on Owner-Occupied Housing, by County, Ranked by Property Taxes Paid* (Three year average-2007-2009): http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/proptax_county_taxpaid-2007-2009av-20110225.swf We're number one! We're number One! I'm so proud!
mr. germinio is a young and intelligent young man. he won in glen cove, yet out of glen cove he won. not knowing what a lying b*****d he is. he double talks, and the people believe him.
I know Marina so I am writting on her behalf. I called her earlier to let her know she goofed on what she wrote ( so I would assume she will try to write her comments again) Tess and Tiffany Lavine
That is exactly what I meant: Mr. Germino is an intelligent young man, and that he won in Glen Cove. And that, Mr Levine only won outside of his town he lives in because the people outside of Glen Cove do not know what a lying b****d he is and that he double talks and people who dont know him - believe him. Even though I am a registered Democrat, I vote for the man/woman who will do the job they are campaigning for, not someone who just spews out lies just to get elected. And like what is happening in Egypt and other parts of the world, sometimes you need to get the OLD politicans out since their thoughts/values and focus has proven not worthy of them being in office and then and allow a newer politician into office. Thank god us GlenCovians realized that Germino wouild be gthe better candidate...... unfortunately the other parts of gthe 13th assembly district didnt. Well, maybe next election! Actions speak louder than words.
This Glen Cove resident voted for Lavine. I like the job he's doing, and I don't think we need an Ayn Rand worshipper whose tea party nutjob supporters vandalize the Wikipedia page of their opponents and who salt local discussion forums with anonymous propagandist hatred. A step up that is NOT.
We can't say we cannot wait to get out of here because it means after our mother passes on, but when it happens before she is cold we will look for a sucker to buy our house so we can high tail it out of here. To give an example how local taxes kill business, my son and I just find out that the city of Philadelphia imposes a 4% wage tax on gross receipts of any resident no matter where he/she conducts their business......Guess what? The house is up for sale pronto!!!!!! He is light on his feet with no children or elderly mother to worry about, unfortunately we are stuck in Glen Cove and it's socio-fascist agenda. But like Patton once said "a man stays as long as he has to and then he is gone". Yeah! keep voting for the twin Chucks Smucks Lavine and Schumer. Remember, once the parasites overwhelms their hosts they will have each other to eat of. Congratulation Glen Cove.
I grow weary of these fruitless exchanges & will not take the bait this time - there's nothing to be gained from them. I'm sure you'll take the opportunity to unleash at least one more spate of venom towards me, so knock yourself out. I would, however, be glad to exchange ideas with anyone else interested in an actual dialog on the subject at hand, the GC school budget & our taxes. I would like to point out to anyone reading this, however, exactly who and what this woman is. Please search for her postings on this site & you'll see that she consistently hurls the same epithets towards anyone who disagrees with her 9/11 Truther, Code Pink, Social Justice positions. Then check the internet for her & you'll see she's been an advocate of these conspiracy theories & Socialist causes for a long time. If you believe what she does, then by all means listen to what she has to say. Otherwise, discount them for the sad emanations of an unbalanced mind that I believe them to be. As opposed to the contempt that she feels for me, I feel nothing but pity for her. It can't be easy going through life believing the whole world is out to get you & finding conspiracies behind every corner.