Votes Send Message

ABG was not sure how the school votes would turn out yesterday, but hoped to at least see an increase in the number of voters. Sadly, we didn’t. The disappointing fact of school budget votes, school board members’ elections and school bond votes is that not enough people participate in the process. They’ll come out as a special interest group when a cut or a change directly affects them or their children. Otherwise, they leave the Board with a free hand to operate as they please. For example, every year the Board disingenuously threatens to reduce, eliminate or alter the private school busing for students attending private schools within the district. The parents flood the Board with phone calls and letters, and will even attend Board meetings to protest. The Board always relents and magically “finds” funds to leave things as is. It’s a shell game whose time has past.

ABG believes that yesterday’s vote emphasizes two issues.

First, the New York State tax cap that Governor Cuomo instituted, while flawed, provided a modicum of relief for taxpayers. Consequently, the beleaguered Greenburgh tax paying residents passed the proposed Greenburgh School budget of $58.6 million, with a total vote of 734 in favor to 452 against. We believe it passed because there was finally a limit as to how much our taxes could be increased. While ABG has long tired of the phony “for the children” pleas that has been the yearly mantra of the teachers, administrators and Board, the reality is most of the increases to the budget are to pay salaries, salary increases, pensions, medical benefits, as well as increased fuel costs, etc., all of which are not impacting “the children’s” learning! The tax cap allows taxpayers the knowledge that the Board will not be on any huge spending sprees, limiting the increase to 2.5%.

Second, the community has once again voiced their discontent with the Board by shaking it up a bit. This time, incumbent Terry Williams remained, receiving the highest number of votes at 607. Eric Bitterman and Sonya Brown came in second and third with 464 and 457 votes respectively. While unfamiliar with Bitterman, we have high hopes for both he and Brown, a former Town Board member. The other incumbents, Cora Carey with three terms and Charles Bronz with multiple terms during two “stretches” were voted out. ABG appreciates the move to oust the incumbents as residents repeatedly received hefty tax increases and bloated spending, even after forcing austerity budgets. In fact, under Bronz’s leadership last year, the budget was defeated and he arrogantly stated the Board would not change the budget when it was resubmitted for another vote! It was subsequently defeated a second time.

In fact, many residents have found fault with Central 7’s priorities, including a decision to spend $45,000 to hire an advanced mathematics tutor by Superintendent Ronald Ross. ABG finds hiring a tutor extremely troubling as it highlights the failure of the existing math department. But therein is part of the problem that is not being addressed. If students cannot learn math, they should not be advancing until they do. If it happens year after year, it’s either systemic, teacher-related or both. We admit that the exception might sometimes be the child, but to make a decision to hire a tutor is distressing and requires critical parent, teacher and Board involvement. Tutors aren’t the answer, better teachers are! After all, isn’t it about “the children”? Of course it is!

ABG applauds the voters that did respond even though they are just the tip of the iceberg.  With only 1186 voters turning out to vote, out of Greenburgh’s 90k+ residents, it’s a distressing commentary for Greenburgh that so many choose to not vote and blindly accept whatever the School Board decides. Perhaps this new crop of Board members will change the course our previous Boards have been following. We can only hope.