44°
To the editor:
The Putnam Valley Central School District’s School budget is $32,657 less than last year and the tax levy has been reduced by $100,000. That reduction added to last year’s Tax reduction brings us $281,000 less than the 2014-15 budget year.
The 2016-17 budget you will be voting Yes or No is $47,943,262 with the reductions in enrollments, $28,605 per student (1,676 students) as compared to 2015-16 with an enrollment of 1,722 at $27,860 per student. My feeling is to vote yes on the budget just to keep the momentum of each year getting a tax reduction.
The school is forecasting a 1.5 million dollar surplus left from this year’s budget which we should advocate a large portion of that be returned to the taxpayers, that's my next item on my agenda as a Tax-Payer Advocate in Putnam Valley.
Click here for a link to the full 2016/2017 budget and its comparison to the 2015/2016 budget, you decide. Also on the ballot will be two unopposed Board members up for re-election Jeanine Rufo, Board President and Ralph Smith, Board Member. It is a shame we could not get two new candidates to run against them; candidates that put the taxpayers as part of the equation as much as the students education when making decisions.
Candidates that would have a strong back bone to oppose the superintendent in some of her extremely expensive wish lists. We need better candidates that would make a wise decision on voting in our next superintendent. However, this is just my opinion, you can vote for them if you feel they are doing us a great service or you could, like me, not vote for either so that the vote in numbers is low making a point. I intend to write my name in along with writing in Ellen Hayes.
-Dan Vera
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