Why do we vote on the budget if the Board already “approved” it?
That’s the law -- for all districts in NY State outside the “Big Five” cities (NYC, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Yonkers), the district residents vote on the budget.
Didn’t we used to have budget increases of 5-10% fifteen years ago?
Yes, we did. A couple of changes happened. As a result of the 2017 Tax Plan, State and Local Taxes (SALT) are no longer deductible from federal taxes, so you will be paying for the increases -- this year and every year.
What’s this about the “tax cap”?
In 2012, then-Governor Cuomo signed a law aiming to curb local school & property tax increases. Each year, a “tax cap” is set for each district, set through some formula, and is usually 2-3%. A "normal" budget requires approval by a simple majority (50%). But a budget with any increase above the tax cap requires approval by a 60% super-majority of voters.
Are other districts proposing exceeding the tax cap this year?
Yes, Scarsdale is one such example. A key difference between CCSD and Scarsdale is that their Parent Teachers Council (or PTC, the coordinated school PTA’s) have a budget committee which works with the school district. The PTC demonstrated community buy-in, and the budget was approved in March.
Chappaqua's PTA did not work with the district on the budget and did not endorse the budget.
What is the cause of the increases?
The school district proposed additional budget items:
3 new SROs (School Resource Officers - armed police officers) - $980,710 more than last year.
3 new teachers - RB 3rd, RB 4th, WO 2nd have sections of 94-95 students, they are getting an extra teacher to reduce the class sizes from 23-24 to 19
Money to replenish the reserves - $1M
Aren’t SROs a good thing?
While in some instances they may be helpful or appropriate, like in the high school setting where there isn't a single point of entry, for our middle schools and elementary schools is it not necessary (or even recommended).
Our schools are generally violence-free. We do not have need for armed police officers to be regularly stationed in our middle schools or our elementary schools. And they cost money -- money that could be spent on teachers or social workers.
The school district added 2 SRO’s last year -- by raiding the “emergency fund” set aside for adding new elementary school teachers in case of higher-than-expected enrollment. This money cannot be used for new teachers, hence the district is asking the taxpayers for additional money for new teachers along with money to double the number of SROs in the district (from the current three, to a total of six - one assigned to each school).
The number of SRO's in Scarsdale, Irvington, Edgemont: 0. Byram Hills has 2 and Bedford has 1; none are in the lower schools.
Some things to consider:
The University of Virginia put together a blueprint for reducing gun violence in schools. Among the 8 points in the plan, armed school guards are nowhere mentioned.
Experts, hired by CCSD, conducted a Security Audit specifically for our district. The Security Audit did NOT recommend more SROs for our district.
The district has already invested, and continues to invest, in security technology (door locks, video monitoring, etc).
The probability of a school shooting involving multiple casualties is nationally 1 in 100,000. In the Northeast it is in 200,000 -- the only 2 incidents in the last 20 years being the tragedies at Sandy Hook CT and Nickel Mines PA. The last incident in NYS outside of the major cities was in Oneonta; in that instance, a deputy sheriff was shot in the foot by his own gun.
According to a study published by JAMA, the rate of death during a school shooting is 2.83 times higher when an armed guard is present.
Most school shooters have suicidal intentions and are undeterred by the presence of police.
Most SROs are more like Olivia Benson than Jack Reacher. These are police officers who are good at working with kids. They cannot possibly have the necessary training to confront a single shooter with an automatic weapon. Few can. Those that do have the ability and training are more likely to take jobs working with actual SWAT teams at the county & state level. See “To Stop a Shooter”.
But how do we know the kids are safe today?
They are safe today. School violence is virtually nonexistent (districts with common school violence have more of a need for SROs to be on campus). There have been incidents of kids making different types of threats online, one even this year -- and as these were made online, law enforcement and school officials were able to track down the offenders before they got anywhere near the school with the means to
The incident that motivated many parents to request SROs at the middle schools and elementary schools was a swatting hoax. Last that was reported on this was that the state police *and* FBI were investigating.
Who does the vetting of the SROs and how?
The New Castle Police Department does the vetting. It has happened that assigned officers were reassigned because they were not fit for duty. It happened just this year in fact: see this recent article in the Examiner.
Don’t a majority of the teachers want armed guards?
That’s a good question. However, pursuant to the above-mentioned Security Audit, many security features were implemented in our district after a survey of teachers was conducted - meaning that the district has responded to teacher concerns.
If something terrible were to happen, how would we not feel responsible for doing everything in our power?
The odds are not likely -- a school shooting with multiple casualties has the odds of 100,000 to 1 over the last 25 years -- and there have been half as many in the Northeast.
What is much more likely is teen suicides; statistically there are 3-4 teen suicides across Westchester County each year, and teen suicide touches Chappaqua every few years. We can only imagine the “why” and the “what if” questions that go through the minds of parents afterwards.
Armed guards are not a magic defense against tragedy; they have undoubtedly prevented and deterred some, but there have been notable failures (Uvalde, Parkland). Our district uses a combination of passive security technology and our support networks. We have to let each of our children know that they feel loved.
What did the school board say about the budget?
Four board members voted in favor of this budget. The fifth member, Cailee Hwang, dissented and is running for reelection this year. (Also - by NYS law, the board members cannot engage in any lobbying for budget passage.)
As a liberal, I’ve never voted purely based on taxes. Why vote NO now?
We understand: we are political liberals, moderates and conservatives. So let’s address the liberal concern.
At the state and federal level, you may be forgiving of tax increases going to social programs, state services, and/or income redistribution.
Also, more importantly, income tax rates go up and down; tax cuts & deductions come and go. And, if you lose income (willingly or unwillingly), your federal/state taxes will go down.
Local taxes are different. Your tax base (your home value) does not change much; it is rare for your property tax to go down (commonly only if you are reassessed). Secondly, the tax rates always increase, generally to keep pace with the inflation. Any extra rate will be compounded each year.
And, most important -- if you lose income (e.g., by choosing to retire) -- your property taxes do not adjust for that.
So why vote "NO" now? Because this budget is a bad budget. The board and the district administration need to go back to the table and present us with a fiscally responsible budget that does not break the tax cap.