LVCSD Budget Vote May 19th
Discussion on LVCSD Annual Budget Vote May 19th
Posted by Admin at Thursday, April 30, 2009 9:02 PM 
Categories: Locust Valley Central School District
Categories: Locust Valley Central School District
Bruno is the ONLY candidate running who no longer has children in the system. She knows the inner workings of the district and isn't seeking a seat for personal career advancement or to guarantee privileges for her own children.
Ron Walsh is a bully who is trying to get his buddy Sklavos elected. If you are unhappy with the lack of information being presented to the public, blame Ron Walsh. I just found out that LVPC invited him in last year to speak to the parents and he "advised" the parents not to vote for me. If I had that information last year, I would have challenged the whole election. Walsh wants Sklavos to rubber stamp his secretive, tax and spend agenda. I challenge anyone in this forum to find a "fiscally conservative" Democratic lawyer in government. There is no such animal on the planet.
Walsh wants Bruno out because she isn't the rubber-stamper he thought she was going to be. Walsh was the one who made the "gentleman's agreement" to promote Dr. Shear to Superintendent which Squeglia and Bruno didn't go along with.
Stop allowing a self-serving bully to control education and taxes in this district.
RE-ELECT Bruno and Squeglia.
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Could this happen here?
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_043009/content/01125110.guest.html
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VOTE NO
VOTE NO
VOTE NO
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I finally found the truth and I am voting NO May 19th
If the budget fails I vote to remove IB NOT school sports
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I do find it interesting that I have not receive 1 mailing regarding the school budget , school board candidates and the where the increase in going. Is this where LVCSD is saving money, on communication? I guess we have been saving on this line item for years. Is the money going to contractual obligations? Are the children benefiting? Isn't this the district that it's all about the kids? What are we maintaining, the current life style of our administrators and teachers? Can a new board member really make a difference?
There is much to think about before May 19th
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i put post in wrong spot
i will vote NO. these people can't be bothered to speak to us? they expect us to blindly throw money at them when we have lost jobs and health insurance? how rude. don't even think about telling me it's "for the children". its for your big fat stinking pensions and health benefits and extras, not the children.
i'm not voting for any stinking board member either. they all suck.
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Anyone know the contingency budget % if the budget fails?
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You people are so ignorant. The district has BOE meetings monthly. Why weren't you there? There have been several PUBLIC Budget forums. Didn't see you there either. Lowest Budget in 15 years. Under a NEW superintendant. Give change a chance. The budget isn't a secret. It is available for public viewing at the Admin building. the contingency budget % would be 1.31% if the 3.38% fails.
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I must correct your statement and the one made several times during the last budget meeting. This is the lowest budget INCREASE in 15 years, which is substantially different than "Lowest Budget in 15 years." If it was the lowest budget in fifteen years I would enthusiastically vote YES. I have been to the meetings and have the handouts. Why an increase at all, when was the last budget decrease? I would settle for no increase like the Village of Bayville has done in the past or at least one private school is doing for 2009-10. We must vote NO if this community is to survive. Housing values have dropped significantly yet the tax burden continues to increase. The board will still benefit from an increase which is percentage limited to the proposed increase, we have Albany to thank for that. Additionally while the board is patting themselves on the back for the lowest increase in 15 years let us all remember there are special conditions that must be met for an increase to exceed 4% in good times or bad. These are certainly not the former. All those that want to vote YES should only do so if their yearly increase was over 3.38% last year.
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In the Know,
I love when people claim to be "in the know" and call other people ignorant. What arrogance!
I WAS at several of the so-called "budget meetings". Under the "new Superintendent" the public was NEVER TOLD what the projected increase might be until April 21st. The district printed up wasteful reams of handouts which lacked ANY SPECIFICS! How can people ask questions or provide input on a budget when the district won't reveal where the increases or cuts are happening?
LVCSD always published a budget brochure with information on the candidates running for the Board. LVCSD ALWAYS had the complete, line-item budget books available for public perusal PRIOR to the Board adopting the proposed budget. Apparently our "new Superintendent" thinks if you don't give the public anything of substance to talk about, no one can object.
This sort of secrecy and obfuscation of public information MUST END! The only way the BoE will get the message that this behavior is UNACCEPTABLE is if its budget is voted down.
East Ender
According to the April 7th budget meeting handout from LVCSD which included a 2.5%-6.01% OR HIGHER "range" of possibilities, if the proposed budget of 3.45% is defeated, the Contingent Budget increase will be 1.44%.
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Does anyone know if LVCSD held the Meet the Candidates night on May 4th? I certainly never got any notice about it, but it's on the school calendar.
I was watching House and 24. Much more interesting.
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Yes a meet the candidates night was held
And FYI a no vote for the budget will still yield a tax increase for homeowners!!!!!!
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The problem is if the budget fails they will cancel sports and our children will suffer. Vote YES YES YES
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They WON'T cancel sports and your children won't "suffer". Why do you buy the same old fearmongering from these bullies year after year? It's tired and pathetic, seriously. Demand some accountability. If you're too chicken to stand up and put your name behind it, then just do it by voting NO.
YADA YADA
Right, but 1.44% is a whole heck of a lot better than 3.45%. That's about $1.4M in FAT that LVCSD has to trim from its budget. There's plenty there without touching the extracurricular funds.
Btw, how are you enjoying the air conditioning in the Auditorium that former Interim Supt. Richard Hirt promised you if you passed the budget last year? What's that? They never bought it? Oh right, the flooding, the flooding. How is that project coming along anyway? Did you know the Board approved $36,000 to "study" the parking lots at the HS and Ann MacArthur? What a waste!
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LVCSD "detailed" budget online:
http://www.lvcsd.k12.ny.us/uploaded/Budget_Information/detailed_proposed_budget.pdf
*Note how the "details" of the budget for the International Baccalaureate programme are deliberately omitted.
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Thanks for the link to the budget information. I believe it was easy for LVCSD to compile the information. They did a lot of cut and paste of "increase due to collective bargaining agreement" and due to "rise in contractual increases"
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http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.antonnews.com/oysterbayenterprisepilot/2008/09/12/news/images/obdems.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.antonnews.com/oysterbayenterprisepilot/2008/09/12/news/obdems.html&usg=__vuukOgK1BTvw9D5YFiqtbUR4N4E=&h=200&w=300&sz=84&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=MATNN6b1NOZuIM:&tbnh=77&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAlex%2BSklavos%2Bimage%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1
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The idiot Democrats in Albany along with our idiot Democratic Governor (19% approval rating) passed the MTA bill last night. If school districts had ANY backbone whatsoever, they would REFUSE to submit this payroll tax to Albany. The way the bill is written, schools districts will be "reimbursed".
Say what? Albany took away our STAR rebate and we should count on these morons to "reimburse" the MTA payroll tax?
Don't pay the tax, school districts! What's Albany going to do? Put a tax lien on the district? Withhold its measly State Aid?
Stop Democratic bullies who don't give a rat's a$$ about the children OR your pocketbook.
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VOTE NO
OUR CHILDREN WILL NOT SUFFER
VOTE NO
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i fear our school district is headed in the same direction as our country which is straight down the toilet. a vote for sklavos is a vote for the democratic party and more of the red tape and idiocy in albany. at the meet the candidates night, sklavos announced he has "connections in albany". great.
did you all receive your budget brochure? why did the district, for the first time in history, not print the candidates pictures and bios? could it be because the district didn't want voters to pre-judge a candidate based on his looks? why hasn't the leader printed a word about the candidates running for the board? could it be that political operatives got Lisa M fired so she couldn't give residents the facts? don't you find the timing awfully suspicious?
sick of the lies?
sick of the political games?
sick of the taxes?
sick of the fearmongering?
VOTE NO!
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Wow! Someone who gets it! Good on you, bayville blogger!
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A NO vote is the right vote.
A Budget with total expenditures of almost 70 Million dollars and about a 2200 total student body is crazy.
I learned how to compute an average well over 50+ years ago, so I could be wrong.
I come up with an average of almost $32,000 per student. Plain outrageous to this taxpayer.
For $ 40,000 you can send a student to some private colleges, most with room and board.
Take a gander at the number of cars parked outside the administrative building. There are so many that they have to double park on the street across from the school.
I know from asking last year; that there are approximately 20 'administrators' within the district with 6 figure + salaries each. That's about 1 per 100 students.
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Dan,
A good friend of mine in Upper St. Clair, PA, just told me that they have 4500 students, a budget of $54M, and residents there think that is too high! That's twice the number of kids on $15M less budget and students there are accepted to Cornell, UPenn, Virginia Tech, Yale, etc. (and not just the 4 students who are in I
Anyone who votes yes on LVCSD's budget must be so wealthy that higher taxes don't matter to them or, so stupid to choose not to use the only leverage they have as taxpayers to put a stop to this runaway spending and demand accountability.
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For the math buffs out there, LVCSD's 2009 increase in real dollars ($2.4M) is the same as a 10% budget increase would have been in 1995.
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having just read the flier that came home about the budget, this is what sticks in my craw........of all years THIS is not the year to start a capital reserve fund. this is the year to conserve and be thrifty....not to ask an increase to save more money for potential future expenses.
furthermore, why does the district not already have a capital reserve fund?!
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bayvillite,
The reasoning may sound convoluted but if I have followed the district's shenanigans correctly, the proposition to establish the capital reserve fund is to MOVE money the district already taxed you for LAST year and put it into an account so it can legally use the money to pay for the already contracted $900,000+ telecommunications project and the approx. $1.5M flooding remediation project. You should vote yes on the proposition because it allows them to free up money they stupidly put in the wrong place in the first place.
Or so it seems to me.
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What this vote comes down to, and what most votes in Bayville come down to is this: Families w/ children still in LVCSD versus families and/or couples + singles w/out children in LVCSD. Voter turnout is the key. I believe the budget will PASS because I believe in the strength of the parents in Bayville who's children still attend school in the district. We only want what's best for our children whether or not we think the money is being spent correctly or not.
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One Take,
>>>>>>>>>>I believe the budget will PASS because I believe in the strength of the parents in Bayville who's [SIC] children still attend school in the district........
Based on your grammar, I see you must be an LVHS graduate.
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Athletes were required to attend a meeting before their practices and told they had to have their parents vote "for" the budget to save sports. I think that Falcon Pride would fund raise to save sports and that would cost less in the long run! People need to educate themselves... do the numbers! Dan put it plain and simple! A "yes" vote is not always the best vote!
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I am hoping that the BOE will do the right thing regardless of the outcome of the vote. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE KIDS !!!!!!!!
I dont think that LM should speak negative about anyone running for BOE. She has been on both sides. I also have a concern about putting a new BOE member in during these economic times. I believe Mr. Slavos will be an asset to LVCSD in a few years but not right now. Once his children are in school and as a parent he can see the good , the bad and the ugly of what is happening, he can offer valuable input. Right now, if the BOE is talking about removing FLES, he does not know the pro's or cons of it, or enhancing the HS testing system , removing self contained classes ........ When the next board seat is up and Mr. Slavos has had one or two children in the schools, I think he will be a valuable resources as a BOE member. Right now, I believe we need experience.
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Parent of 4,
I have been on both sides of WHAT? I am always on the side of Truth. I am open-minded enough to see the political machinations underway to attempt to keep Bruno off the Board and I don't like it. It smells. Did I back Bruno initially? No. I wanted Bob Zaleski on the Board but there were dirty politics the year he ran. Has Erika proven herself to be a regular attendee and willing to have an ear for the public? Yes.
What happened to all that "team spirit" Ron Walsh went on about ad nauseum last year?
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"We only want what's best for our children whether or not we think the money is being spent correctly or not."
______________________________________
Please tell me I am reading this wrong. To me, it says that you are just willing to throw money at the BOE willy-nilly in the hope that it results in good things for your kids. please correct me if i am wrong b/c wouldn't a better plan be to expect transparency and honesty and a good faith effort on the part of the district and the BOE to curtail costs yet still deliver a quality education?
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bayvillite,
You read it right. Unfortunately, there appears to be a terrified group of braindead parents who would vote yes to an LVCSD budget even if the district included "Hitler is our hero" in its mission statement. FOR THE CHILDREN, dontcha know!
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Does everyone realize that with the decrease in students projected for 09-10 from 2266 to 2173 actual spending per child is increasing over $2K from last year. It now cost $32,070 to educate a child in this district. We should close the district and send every child to private schools, they could increase their services and still save everyone money.
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>>>>>>>>Does everyone realize that with the decrease in students projected for 09-10 from 2266 to 2173>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
WHAT? I didn't know that! But, but.... I thought students were transferring from Friends and Portledge to LVHS for IB!!! That's what we were told! You mean they LIED to us? The numbers don't match the rhetoric? Oh gosh, I'm so disillusioned!
IF Joe's number is correct and I have no reason to doubt it, that means we've seen approximately a 5% drop in enrollment since IB. I just looked up enrollment in 2004, it was 2250. So not only didn't IB draw more students, it is driving them away.
At $30,000 per student, the budget should be DECREASED by $2.79M
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-4.1% enrollment + 3.38% proposed increase = +$5,070,000 play money for LVCSD
VOTE NO!
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My employer just cancelled its pension plan for every employee (over 400,000 employees - major bank). No raises, higher health care premiums, layoffs. BUT I have to pay for the ridiculous pensions of the bloated administrative staff at this school district! Legal Stealing. Vote no.
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Voting No.
So if I understand correctly the capital reserve fund is coming from unspent funds from this years budget? So does that mean the overestimated the budget and asked (and received) too much last year?
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Not exactly, if I follow their logic the reserve fund is essentially an internal transfer that legally the vote is the only way to access the money. I say the taxpayers should leave the money where it is and vote to move it on that "really rainy" day.
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Lisa
Just to let you know the number of students comes directly from the website.
http://www.lvcsd.k12.ny.us/uploaded/Budget_Information/property_tax_report_card_pdf.pdf
I have included the link. We should be using the tax rate increase since that is closer to 4% (3.91%) and not the 3.38% "lowest budget in 15 years" BS they are selling.
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The same holds true for me and we used to have over 100,000 employees. It is time for both the administrative staff and teachers to acknowledge the current economic environment and at least hold the line on increases. Now I know the board will say the teachers salaries are part of their collective bargaining agreements, but the board sets the salary for the 21 members of the administrative staff, there are 21 positions earning over $118K but the real number with fringe benefits equates to an average of $185K a year for these 21. Is this really the year to add a K-12 Coordinator for Science at a total cost of $170K? It should be possible to educate our children in the Locust Valley Central School District for less than $32K a year; this makes college education “seem” affordable.
In the interests of the taxpayers and if the district is contractually obligated to pay these 21 all that money, let me suggest the 21 donate a portion starting with all increases back to the district. They could begin a trend and possibly the pressure would convince the teachers to follow suit. The contract can stay intact and when the “good times” return they can throttle back on their donations. They would receive a tax donation and the goodwill of the community for their giveback. Isn’t this an idea worth advancing, while we still have time?
FYI
It is very interesting but every page of the proposed budget has totals except the last page, care to guess what that page is? The 2009-2010 Administrative Salaries Over $118K of course. The sum of the total cost is a staggering $3.89M.
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Sorry I posted this in the wrong place
Joe wrote:
Can anyone answer the following questions?
Why there are 21 Administrative Salaries over $150K?
How is it possible that LVCSD needs 4 people earning more than the Vice President of the United States?
How can the combined average of these 21 (>$185K) be larger than the salary of a Cabinet Secretary?
Has the district lost touch with reality?
Isn’t time to vote NO? Consolidation is the key to savings without sacrificing the education of our children.
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Joe,
Thank you for that link and proving that the district is indeed lying to the public about the proposed tax increase. (at least my math was correct on the 4.1% decrease in enrollment based on your figures!) 3.91% huh? Now, what is FASCINATING to me, is the amount LVCSD is seeking to KEEP in the Appropriated/Unappropriated Fund Balance. This will amount to an average increase of $200-400 a year increase per household.
The $1.7 Appropriated Balance prior to this year, was ALWAYS listed on an LVCSD budget as "Revenue", in the same category as Property Tax revenue, state aid, interest earned, etc. This "unreserved, UNappropriated fund balance" is a separate, fuzzy account that appears to be merged with the $1.7 "Appropriated" fund balance. Under NYS law, the total of these two accounts should not exceed 4%. Last year, the district exceeded the 4% because it held back money which was slated for the air conditioning in the HS auditorium and other projects, due to the "flooding" project, which has yet to be rectified.
Why would the district put an additional $2.5M into that account and push it back up to close to the 4% number if it wants us to allow them to clear the money that is stuck in there now for capital improvements? I don't get it.
The district could offer the residents a 0% tax increase by simply allowing the fund to remain at the traditional $1.7M figure that it always had in previous years. But that would require district officials to come clean about their true intentions for the money, and I assure you THAT is not happening.
In addition to the plethora of bloated administrative salaries, you might want to look into the number of teacher salaries in excess of $120,000. I can tell you it is more than 21.
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Also missing from LVCSD's "detailed" budget are the Instructional Salaries. For years, I have questioned a line contained within that section which was called Undesignated Instructional Salaries. This line has ranged between $335,000 and $800,000 over the years. I was told that this line is used when the district needs to hire teachers "mid-year". Uh, ok. So then I FOILed a breakout of that specific line to see where the money was distributed to. Do you know what I got back? Two explanations, neither of which tells me where the money went. The first, called the line item a "Clean Negative". Money in, money out. To where? Who knows. I checked with accountants, financial people, even an IRS auditor, no one has ever heard of the term "Clean Negative" except as it relates to drug testing. The second was "Insufficient Funds". Money in, money out. To where? Who knows.
People want to call me a troublemaker and a liar? (not you Joe, THEM) Be my guest. At least I've tried to make these people be honest about how your taxdollars are being spent, but parents are threatened to vote YES, or ELSE it will be taken out on the children.
No one knows what lever you pull when you go into that voting booth, folks. Grow a set. Make these people accountable.
VOTE NO on MAY 19th!
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Fun Facts for the Day:
In 2004-2005, LVCSD had 2,303 students.
Five years with IB and LVCSD enrollment has DECLINED by 5.6%.
Yet in the same 5 year period of time, your school taxes have risen OVER 28%!!!!!!
Enough is enough.
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The numbers are 'out of this world' in every category for their costs based on a per student ratio, administrators to students ratio, to actually teachers to administrators ratio, etc.,etc.
Someone from the 'private sector' with any experience in a reorganization or take over situation could lop off 20% in his/her sleep and without much effect if any on the 'educating being done' at LVCSD.
I wonder what the GASB 45 liability (unfunded liabilities, ie health care, dental, insurance etc.) is for this district.I believe the pensions themselves are funded via NY State. I did not attend any meetings and did not ask this question.
If I recall correctly; starting this year all governmental entities in NY with over $50,000,000 budget must make an actuarial estimate. I bet this one is a SHOCKER.
I will try to remember to e-mail the Supt., for an answer to the amount; provided the compliance dates haven't been pushed back, which happens often with governmental agencies.
I will post the results.
A NO vote is still the right vote.
Dan
PS. Next year small entities, like villages, etc will have to start reporting these amounts. Residents will 'flip' when they see cost of all these retired cronies getting benefits.
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Dan,
I don't have the exact dollar amount handy, but you should be aware that in NYS, teachers are only required to pay 3% into their pensions for the first 10 years of employment, after that, 100% is picked up by you and me, the taxpayers. In Colorado, teachers pay 50% towards their pensions. This is something that needs to be renegotiated at the State level, but the power of the AFT in NYS is formidable, and combined with the Democratic majority in Albany, doesn't stand much of a chance of reform.
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I 'kinda' knew that. Spot on with the most influential unions.
The pension pay checks is not what I was talking about.
I am talking about the benefits for life(health, dental, life ins.etc.), which I believe in entities such as LVCSD has to be paid out of operating revenues (taxes) each year.
I am interested in the total liability which includes these 'bennys' not being paid as yet but will come due in greater and greater amounts as years go on.
For Example a teacher that started at 25yrs of age and left after 20 yrs is not receiving these extra yet nor a pension.These amounts are a future liability.
Sworn Officers(police,fire,correction) are the only ones I know that have 20yr pensions with no age requirement before collecting same.
I'm going to e-mail LVCSD this morning and see what the say.
I will post anything I hear.
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Dan,
LOL! Good luck with that e-mail. They'll probably tell you to come in and FOIL the info.
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The President of the UFT is the most powerful person in NY. She has everyone running scared in Albany. Oh, what happened to reforming Albany? Well, the Democrats now control it completely. Change has to start there and everyone should pay attention what our local legislators are doing before you vote for them. Why is there no mention anywhere that Sklavos ran as a Dem. candidate?
The money was put in the fund 6 years ago and they want to set up the fund to be able to start replacing 50 year old boilers that are breaking down. That vote seems like a no-brainer.
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The GASB Rule 45 figures ( for future retiree 'bennys' ) that I wrote about in early comment per LVCSD " are presently being worked on by the actuaries..and will be includes in the financial statement dated June 30, 2009".
These figures should be available by the end of September 2009.
I am a betting man and bet these figures are going to be huge, and the support of this benifits liability will be draconian in years to come. Just wait until we see this unfunded liability.
Thing... Social Security, Medicare and dare I say... 'ponzy'.
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The GASB Rule 45 figures ( for future retiree 'bennys' ) that I wrote about in early comment per LVCSD " are presently being worked on by the actuaries..and will be includes in the financial statement dated June 30, 2009".
These figures should be available by the end of September 2009.
I am a betting man and bet these figures are going to be huge, and the support of these benefits / liability will be draconian in years to come. Just wait until we see this unfunded liability.
Thing... Social Security, Medicare and dare I say... 'ponzy'.
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Hey Lisa, do you have any children? If so, did you or any of your supporters on this particular thread vote "yes" during the years they attended school here?
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I had 2 kids that went through the district and never voted "yes" for the budget. I graduated from LVHS and we had almost twice as many students with less than half of the administration we are paying for now. The quality of education today is definitely not better than what I received.
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Question,
I have kids, usually I vote yes on any budget but in this economy I find it disgusting that they presented a budget that has ANY increase at all. as many have stated here, private sector companies in EVERY industry are laying off, furloughing, cutting benefits. why is this economic reality not hitting home to our board?
I am voting no out of principle and out of necessity, personally.
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Dear BOE and LVCSD,
Please use the time my children are in school to educate them and not to brain wash them with reasons to support the LVCSD budget.
They have come home with false information regarding the school budget that was presented to them during their class room times.
VOTE NO MAY 19TH
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Dear Question,
I have supporters? LOL! Well, I have no idea how others may have voted in past elections. My children are now 25 and 20, both attended LVCSD K-12. Over the years there were some years I voted yes, but for the most part, I usually voted NO because I felt the budgets were grossly inflated and way too much was being spent at the administrative level. I haven't cast a yes vote since 2004 when the district introduced IB. When I have proof that I'm being lied to, it doesn't sit well with me.
For any of you who are actually dumb enough to believe that LVCSD only spends $65,000 a year on IB, take a look at these numbers out of Garden City which just REJECTED adopting IB:
http://www.gcnews.com/news/2009/0515/Front_page/004.html
(Btw, Garden City never would have revealed that $14,000 number on the IB teacher training already spent if I hadn't outed the district to this local paper and residents)
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People should also know that Garden City is only proposing a 0.75% budget to budget increase. In Garden City, the student enrollment is 4,160 for a $95M budget. That means 2,000 more students are receiving instruction for only $26M more than LVCSD. Hmmmm.
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to the Skalvos supporters stealing Bruno and Sgueglia signs ... we know who you are.
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Sklavos got those darn ACORN people in, didn't he? You know, those red T-shirts are pretty easy to spot.
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Voting NO tomorrow
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You are ignarant people, do what the state to control your district speding, because if the budget is voted down, the state send in auditors and revamps spending. They will cut programs especially after scholld programs, I'm not saying sports, a less then 4% raise is something to be proud of,we should not compare our school district to any other district on LI, the children get a fine education, its not the teachers its the parenst that suck. My grandchildren are third generation at LV, I recieved my education there and proud of it, Hs prepares you for collage, it prepares you for life, they offer programs that are unquie to this community. Do not decentralize our spending, get your head out of ass and vote yes, its on average 8 dollars per week extra, in resent years the increases were greater then 4%, and the budget passed then, do I believe the school is top heavy with administration yes, but voting against the proposed budget will not change that, voting for the right people on the school board is the right thing to do
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Carl, I can see you are product of LV school district. Your spelling and grammar is reflective of what is being taught in our schools. The children from elementary level are not learning basic skills set and knowledge. We education the children to prepare for state testing and then move on. The children who may potentially fall below the green line are forced to take extra pre time for the test. They pass the test and POOF they are no longer needed extra help because the fell into the proficient range, helped out the real estate market in LVCSD area and are overlooked until the next state assessment. Let the state come in and re-evaluate what is happening here. OB-EN and North Shore both went on austerity budget and their children are thriving. Maybe we need outsiders looking in and make some constructive changes for ALL the children of this district.
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Wow, your grammar is no better, its blog not a test, if you think that OB-EN is so good move there. Do you have children in school at present, probably not, so the cuts do not impact you or your family. If you cut the after school programs, where will the children be, on the street, and I hope they hang out in front your house. If you want the school to be finianically responsible then stop voting in the same jerks that sit on the board. Maybe some new blood will change the system
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Congratulations Suzi & Erika!
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I sure hope LVCSD doesn't decide to follow in the footsteps of Central York HS and do away with the honors of Valedictorian and Salutatorian:
http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_12655545?source=most_viewed
Seems like the "trendy" thing to do. LVCSD already did away with ranking, this sort of convoluted thinking will probably appeal to this district.
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Has anyone been to school recently to see the thousands of dollars of plants and flowers added to "enhance" graduation????? Interesting. I guess having graduation on a football field doesn't compare to having it at the Tilles Center. I guess we really are becoming Jericho North. Good luck LV. You will be unrecognizable in two years.
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Need a real change -
There's your 4% tax increase hard at work! Of course, we still don't have an air conditioned auditorium in case of rain, but hey, who cares, right?
LV will never be a Jericho N. because of the demographics. The majority of parents in LV seem to only care about athletics and image. Parents in Jericho care about academics, real academics, not phony globalist programs that award IB diplomas to students who can fail half of their IB exams and still earn the diploma!
We have dumbed down LVHS under the guise of "excellence" and the desire for a designer label. Call me old fashioned, but somehow, failure doesn't equal success in my book.
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Graduation is just the tip of the iceberg. I'll wager a bet that we have spent more than 15,000 more than last year's graduation. I encourage anyone to try and bend the ear of one of the teachers, especially MS and HS to hear what's really going on and how dumbed down everything is. There is no discipline, no follow-through, no direction, etc. It's very sad what has become of the school. Something needs to be done and the community needs to be informed. The principals have no control over their respective buildings and inclusion and advance regents diplomas for all is the new motto of the school.
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With all due respect Carl, Wake up and smell the coffee. People have to start going to the budget meetings. I haven't voted to pass the budget in 5 years, I am not impressed with the system, we don't need all the Super's we have or all the assistants to assistants WAKE UP most of the budget is for the teachers, mandatory raises, medical expenses for LIFE!! and retirement pension which they never have to pay into and they will receive regardless of what happens not a bad deal, do some deserve it maybe, but with the teachers contracts coming up next year lets see what they are willing to give up and reach into their pockets. It's not about an after school bus that will be taken away, it's the teacher and all the administration that our taxes go up each year and guess what we have 11th graders that can READ or WRITE imagine that Carl we should be so proud of ourselves. The PTA just wants to pass the budget. Our children go to school to learn how to take and pass the state tests, luckily my children are bright and did well but what about the other children????? Come on people wake and go to the budget meetings and see what really happens.
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I love when in troubled times, everyone in the private sector bashes the unions...and their respective pensions and lifetime health benefits. Teachers, Police Officers, Firefighters and the like, ALL DESERVE WHAT THEY HAVE COMING TO THEM!
If you don't like it, then you should've taken a civil service exam back when you were in your 20's or got your education degree to become a teacher.
The noses of the rich aren't so high in the air anymore, are they?
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Dear BooHoo,
What logic! Denounce everyone who chose a career path that doesn't involve sucking on the public "teet". I have a news flash for you - it isn't just the "rich" whose noses are out of joint over redistribution of wealth. It's a lot of hard-working, non-union blue collar workers who are being forced to work 60-80 hour weeks at reduced pay and losing their health benefits who are more than a bit perturbed at their taxes going up to pay for the benefits of union workers.
Yep, now that we have have a President who puts the interests of unions ahead of secured bond holders, those free market entrepreneurs sure were the stupid ones, eh?
In fact, I found it extremely disturbing during Obummer's press conference yesterday when he referred to "those free market supporters" as though they are some sort of alien beings he would never associate with.
It's time to take back our country folks.
P.S. - our firefighters are volunteers - God bless them.
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Real Change,
Actually, Advanced Regents Diplomas should have been focused on, let's see oh, 5 years ago? Obviously IB hasn't "raised the bar" for the overall population.
Have a look-see at the NYS Report Card for 07-08. Only 64% of LVHS students earned an Advanced Regents Diploma:
https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb-rc/2008/8e/CIR-2008-280503060003.pdf
Jericho? 94%!
It is also interesting to note that in 06-07, LVHS had a 44% turnover rate in teachers with < 5 yrs and a 10% student suspension rate! For some reason, NYS is a year behind on reporting those numbers so it will be interesting to see if there has been any change since the new Supt. rode into town.
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Nice way to think of our civil service employees...."public teet suckers". Is it that hard for you to believe that some of these employees chose their jobs because they actually CARE. They care about saving lives, teaching children and protecting the public...unlike most of the elite's in this area, who would turn and run away with their suits on if they saw harm come their way. Most of these "teet suckers" set out to take the jobs they have, specifically for the retirement and the health benefits. Teet suckers? No. Smart, caring people? Yes.
PS: FDNY is a paid civil service job with a 20 retirement. LI firefighters are volunteers yes, but they are ABLE TO COLLECT A PENSION after a certain amount of years.
And please don't compare Locust Valley to Jericho. Let's compare apples to apples and see what funny math hyperbole you come up with then. Jericho is the #1 school district on Long Island.
I hope next time you call 911 the "teet suckers" take their sweet ass time.....
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Boo Hoo,
"Most of these "teet suckers" set out to take the jobs they have, specifically for the retirement and the health benefits."
Exactly. Caring and smarts are pretty far down the list. $100,000+ salary for 182 days of work, or $100,000+ NCPD sitting parked at Ransom Beach four squad cars abreast - kinda gets my goat. But hey, who am I? My property taxes have only quadrupled in 15 years, I should be grateful, right?
And why can't I compare LV to Jericho? What, is that verbotin by the LV-Ostriches? An line on a map is all that geographically divides the two districts. Jericho is the #1 district for a reason - its Superintendent Grishman has been there for over 15 years (while LV has suffered a severe case on interim-itis for the past 5 years), Jericho has consistently advocated academic achievement and the parents don't fall for phony designer labels or allow themselves to be bullied into mindlessly accepting anything the administration advocates. They pay for and expect the REAL thing.
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You can't compare the two because there is no comparison. And you better believe the people in the Jericho School District BETTER get what they PAY for....or else!
And leave NCPD alone. Do you really want to complain about the pensions of people who's job you really couldn't or wouldn't be able to do? God Bless all of the cops and firemen out there. Take your pensions and run. Go buy a boat and relax every day for the rest of your life...you deserve it. And while your out on your boat...think about all of the taxpayers you f@#!ed over the years, including Lisa.
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BooHoo,
I certainly CAN compare the two districts, they are both public school systems in Nassau County with similar tax rates and comparable free/reduced lunch rates and minority populations. Apples to apples. Both have undertaken construction bonds in the last decade and both have safe, clean, well maintained buildings. The difference in student achievement is a result of attitude and management by the administration, and the public. Those are aspects which can be flexible and subject to change, but only if there is the will and the desire in the public sector.
In Texas, teachers don't have a union, hence, no tenure. In Colorado, teachers pay 50% into their pensions. In NY, teachers pay 3% into their pensions for the first 10 years and then the taxpayers pick up 100%. We need pension and union reforms. Period.
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A Pension for licensed, annual employees (such as teachers) is a requirement of the state. Just what they contribute and how much they receive is set by state law. There is talk of starting a new pension tier (Tier V) but the legislature is in turmoil so there will be action this session. So contact your state official.
Inclusion has been mandated by Federal Law since 1990. I'm glad to see that the LV school district is following the law.
Want to see how well the district is doing - look at the drop-out rate on the district report card. That's one benchmark the state uses to compare districts. I bet Jericho's is much lower.
As for IB - there is much date to show that the program is not worth the expense. The money would be better spent on AP classes.
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Woody,
Yeah, I don't have much hope for the NYS Legislature. What a bunch of clowns. Let's not forget, however, that it is the Teacher's Union that makes massive contributions to the Democratic Party and twists Legislators' arms to keep the onerous pension laws exactly as they are now.
I agree with you, inclusion for SE students is mandated by the ADA and something the district must provide by law. LVCSD actually does a fairly good job for its SE students, although there have been a number of cases over the years where parents had to threaten legal action in order to get their children the accommodations they are entitled to. The district has a record for keeping SE TAs at 7/8 positions so they don't receive benefits, which often leads to good teachers leaving LV for greener pastures. That 44% turnover stat is horrendous!
And thank you for recognizing that IB is not worth the money. The fact of the matter is the district can teach AP courses in lieu of IB and actually REDUCE spending by almost $200,000 a year.
This district COULD have encouraged IB students to take AP exams at no extra cost to the district, but it hasn't. (The College Board doesn't require a student to take the course). LVHS used to have 35-37 AP Scholars on average every year in the 90's. In 2008? 0. I'm pretty sure it's because school officials are afraid that the LVIB kids will bomb the AP exams. That would make IB look baaaad. But hey, they're critical thinkers who are global citizens that will make the world a better place, right? That's worth $200,000 extra a year! Who cares if they don't learn the general knowledge that every other traditional public high school in America teaches! They're IB! Wow!
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Actually, inclusion falls under the federal IDEA act of 1990. The law was amended in 2004 requiring even more unpaid mandates.
Part of the law now echos NCLB which requires teachers to be "highly qualified." This means that, for inclusion classes, they will need to have two teachers or one with dual certification. These teachers (dual certified) are in short supply and are like baseball free agents - they move from district to district for better salary. I personally don't know that much about teacher turnover in the LV district but low salaries may play a part. Could it be that politics might be involved in retaining teachers? I would be "shocked" to think so.
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Woody,
You are correct, IDEA is the legislation which governs SE accommodations. It states that "all students with disabilities must be provided an appropriate education in the least restrictive environment."
I know my very bright niece was stuck in a couple of inclusion classes in OB-EN and she hated it. They moved at a snail's pace and it wasn't until she was able to take AP classes that she was really able to excel in her academics.
It's one thing to provide services for those who need them, it's another to hold back gifted students from learning while waiting for the others to catch up. There has to be a happy medium.
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The problem that exist at LV is that 40% of the facility is LV and Bayville resident. That is the highest perecentage around, that is why the budget gets passed, the teacher get away with poor teaching skills and the sup's are pushed out. Retention is not a problem for LV teachers its quality. The money that was allocated for AC is gone, the state comptroller took that money, the state has the right to take any money that is not spent within one of the proposed capital improvement project, so your hard earned money went somewhere else. One last question, someone please help me understand, I was under the impression that all public building needed to have sprinkle systems, the auditorium at LV does not have a sprinkle system, is this an concern, and does the state and county officals know.
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Carl,
Every year the Fire Marshall gives LVCSD a clean bill of health so I would guess, (and I could be wrong), that a sprinkler system is not required by law. I don't think there are CO2 detectors, either.
The money from the Unappropriated Funds which was held over from 07-08 and was initially supposed to go to the AC in the auditorium, was allocated to the "flooding remediation project" at the MS/HS and a $900,000 telecommunications project. The district is spending approx. $40,000 to "study" two parking lots. I have not heard if the flooding problem has been corrected, but people around here don't seem to care about results and keep voting "yes" because of fear-mongering from district officials that if they don't pass the budget, it will be taken out on the children.
If parents won't stand up to these tactics and hold district officials accountable, then they deserve the high taxes, poor results and overall mismanagement. I'm tired of trying to get people to learn the facts - the political forces intent on suppressing the truth are too strong.
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I wonder if our wonderful well dressed Superintendent will make the same ridiculous speech today as she did at 5th grade promotion ceremony....you are well dressed boys and girls, continue to raise money so LVCSD can be recognized and dont wear a hat in middle school because Mr Hogan will take it away and add it to his hat collection.
As she walking down to the newly renovated garden for graduation, will she be on the arm of her grossly overpaid pension grabber of a husband?
GOOD LUCK GRADUATES !!
Run, run as fast a you can. Start your life out of LVHS. There is a REAL world out there.
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Taxpayer 101,
My daughter attended the HS graduation. I understand the Supt. broke out crying, twice, and that for some reason, the students weren't called for their diplomas in alphabetical order. Go figure.
Anyway, we debated whose speech was worse, the current Supt. or Richard Hirt's in 2007. His speech was so bad the lady sitting next to me said, "I feel like I should go kill myself."
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Taxpayer 101, and your point is....?
Rather than whine, a simple "Good Luck to the Class of '09" would have been enough. No need for useless sarcasm at this point.
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Q. What do some LVHS parents and Kim Jong Il have in common?
A. They both love IB for their children!
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/rutabaga_ridgepole/2009/06/an-emergency-fix-for-nuclear-n.php?ref=reccafe
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Is this proper English???
This was sent out to the parents of the former 6th grade from one of our middle school English teachers.
Dear Parents,
Enclosed please find a copy of the summer reading list. Although I did send it home with the children, it went home very late, and I did not feel confident that they received it.
Thank you for a wonderful school year with your wonderful children. Miss... and I miss them already, and we know that they will continue to enjoy every success as they make their way through Middle School.
Enjoy the summer!
Sincerely,
Ms...
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Anonymous,
Well, I wouldn't exactly call her the next Tolstoy.
It is awkwardly worded and there shouldn't be a comma after "late". The closing sentence is a run-on sentence and should have been divided as follows:
"Miss X and I miss them already! We are confident that they have learned the necessary skills to be successful as they advance through Middle School."
Or so it seems to me. But hey, I went to OBHS.
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This person is teaching our children???
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I teach at a graduate school of education where we award master's degrees to teachers. We have a required writing sample for admission and often turn away about fifty percent of the applicants because of poor writing skills.
Today's schools are all about preparing kids for state exams. Very little in the way of composition is taught because the exams given from grades three to seven do not require children to write anything. The same applies to learning cursive handwriting. Handwriting instruction is given second place to so called "skills" needed to get good marks on the annual exams. The fact that learning handwriting develops fine motor skills has been completely ignored.
Maybe thhe LV administration should take the money being misspent on IB and use it for a writing workshop on one of their staff development days.
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I encourage everyone to call Peter King's office, and ask him not to support Obama's 1.5 trillion dollar healthcare reform bill. There are multiple reasons not to support this bill, the main one is cost and taxes. Do not let the democrats shove this bill down out throats.
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as per newsday, peter king does not support obamacare. chucky cheese schumer on the other hand does.
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Pat -
What about Gillibrand? UpChuck Schumer is a lost cause. Did you see his widdle chin start to tremble when he was at at the Sotomayor hearings? Geez, hardly what I'd call an emotional Kodak moment. We need to make sure both Cap and Tax AND Obamacare don't pass!
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lisa-
"lisa you are correct!" was at both of their offices yesterday at high noon...i would say there were 300+ fellow patriots there. hope they got the message, we were hard to miss! this happened at all the US senate offices and nothing on the news...what a shock!
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WHY ARE THE LOCUST VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT SPORTS TEAMS DOING A FUND RAISER AGAIN???
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I'm not sure, but my guess is that they are trying raise funds. I mean isn't there anything else in the world for you to complain about than a group of kids raising money for a good purpose?
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anonymous,
Well, hopefully they will pay for Purel hand sanitizers to be stationed throughout the school so they don't all come down with swine flu. Oh, I'm sorry, H1N1. oink!
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Guess...You must be an educator because you are very smart.
A group of kids are not doing the fund raiser. It is the school district running the fund raiser. I would certainly support "the kids" but this school district needs to know enough is enough. The budget is grossly inflated and none of it is going to the sports teams. THAT IS THE ISSUE. The money for the equipment that is needed should be coming out of the budget.
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Listen, I don't know anything about any fund raisers going on. I'm just simply replying to your post that states LVSD "SPORTS TEAMS" are doing a fund raiser. Wasn't it safe to assume that "Sports Teams" actually meant the kids? And who cares if it was the adults raising money for the sports teams? Which is why YOU should look in the mirror and tell yourself that "I know my life is over, but I really should'nt pick on student athletes." Get a life and find something else to complain about.
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GUESS...ANONYMOUS IS NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE KIDS OR SPORTS TEAMS RUNNING FUND RAISERS!
WE ARE TIRED OF THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT SQUEEZING US FOR EVERY DIME WE HAVE AND NOT PROPERLY ALLOCATING THE BUDGET MONEY. SOME OF THE MONEY IN THE BUDGET SHOULD BE GOING TO THE SPORTS TEAMS ON EQUIPMENT ETC.
NO ONE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE KIDS RAISING MONEY.
HOW ABOUT TAKING THE MONEY THAT IS BEING USED FOR IB WHICH ONLY SERVES 10 CHILDREN AND PUTTING THAT MONEY TOWARDS THE SPORTS IN THE LVCSD WHICH SERVES 98% OF THE STUDENT POPULATION.
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IB for everyone! yipee
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/10582301/President-Obama%E2%80%99s-Address-to-Students-Across-America-September-8-2009
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WE WANT THE BUDGET TO PAY FOR SPORTS AND NOT IB.
USE IB MONEY FOR EQUIPMENT AND FOR THE KIDS
VOTE NO THIS MAY
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I trust you were being sarcastic. If not, I would like to see your disenfranchisement. By the way, stop writing in CAPS, it’s somewhat annoying.
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Keep your kids home on September 8th if you have children in Grades K-6!!! Our Propagandist in Chief is prepared to indoctrinate your children to "serve him". Cost our district state aid money to protest this flagrant abuse of the office of President of the United States!
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I think Locust Valley should follow Pittsburgh's lead and re-name our HS the Barack Hussein Obama International Academy! Wouldn't that be soooo special?
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_659394.html
Btw, the Christmas underwear terrorist? IB graduate! My oh my, didn't he learn to become a "caring global citizen" who aims to create a "better, more peaceful world"?
http://truthaboutib.com/breakingnewsopinions.html
A happy, healthy and blessed 2010 to all - let's take back our schools and our country!
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Hello LVCSD parents and taxpayers,
You've dismissed my warnings about IB for the past 5 years. You've allowed your hard earned taxdollars to the tune of over ONE MILLION DOLLARS to be wasted on IB. Remember, you bought into this because you were told it would teach your children "international standards" that are supposed to be superior to our American standards of education.
This May, once again you will be asked to pass a budget that includes paying for this JUNK education. If you vote yes without demanding that IB be removed from our HS immediately, you deserve to raise a generation of morons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXua2oW8oPM
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