Fellow School Supporters:
Your tremendous show of support last night with at least 120 parents in attendance and over two dozen of you speaking was incredibly encouraging. It's comforting to be a part of a community that so clearly values the preservation of it's eduactional standards.
With a tax increase of 9% required to maintain all teaching, aid positions and programs. It seems that the majority of you in attendance support the concept of a tax increase in the interest of maintaining our schools educational standards. In real world terms, a resident currently paying property taxes averaging $12,000 per year would incur additonal expense per the following table:
% TAX INCREASE /ADDITIONAL TAXPAYER COST
3.......................................$360.00
4.......................................$480.00
5.......................................$600.00
6.......................................$720.00
7.......................................$840.00
8.......................................$960.00
9.......................................$1080.00
A partial offset to the budget deficit would be to have teachers and aides accept a salary freeze for the upcoming year. Despite the fact that Dr. Khoury seems not to be giving this alternative any real consideration, the potential savings it represents are considerable.
In closing and response to the suggestion that Ardsley property tax values should mirror those of surrounding communities; do we really wish to do this by compromising the superiority of a school system that both benefits our children and ultimately suppports our home values?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Schools Superintendent Response To Concerned Faculty Member, Parent and Long-Time Ardsley Resident
The following is the communication from Dr. Khoury to Dan Mulholland -
From: "Charles Khoury"
To: "Mulholland"
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:28:26 -0500
Subject: Re: My concerns with the direction of Ardsley
Dan:
I appreciate your feelings and your desire to express your thoughts to members of the staff and to the Board. As a resident of this community you have that right and as a respected, long-term former teacher I granted your request to maintain your staff email account for a year so that there would be a smooth transition between you and the new senior class advisor. I'm disappointed that you chose to use this platform to express your views to all, views that are based on erroneous information.
Nobody in the schools would disagree with your statement that every reduction in staff means less for our kids. As I said in my letter to the staff and in my e-Blast to the community, not a single reduction in any line item is desirable. As a resident and former parent of students I hope that you subscribe to our e-Blast so that you can receive updates. As I also said in my letter to the staff and to the community we will be presenting reduction scenarios that would take our tax rate increase down to the 2% level. Nowhere did I say, or suggest as you intimate, that a decision has been made to only ask for a 2% tax rate increase. I'm disappointed that you suggest that. I can say with a fair degree of certainty that a 9.5% tax rate increase, which is what it would take to maintain all current programs and services and all staff positions, would not pass in this community at the present time. As you know, last year, when almost every area school district reduced their faculty and staff Ardsley did not. I said at that time that while the development of the 2009-2010 budget was challenging, I could predict that the development of the 2010-2011 budget would be extremely difficult. Unfortunately, my words have turned out to be prophetic.
As I said in the e-Blast to the community last evening, the Board and the administrative team have the challenging task of developing a budget for 2010-2011 that balances the need and desire to meet the needs of our student body against the ability of the local taxpayer to support our programs in a very challenging and difficult economic climate. I'm sure that you would agree that this a a very difficult task.
As you know I appreciate the many years of service that you have given to this community. I am always available for you to call or email to answer any question about the operation of the school district or any aspect ther
From: "Charles Khoury"
To: "Mulholland"
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:28:26 -0500
Subject: Re: My concerns with the direction of Ardsley
Dan:
I appreciate your feelings and your desire to express your thoughts to members of the staff and to the Board. As a resident of this community you have that right and as a respected, long-term former teacher I granted your request to maintain your staff email account for a year so that there would be a smooth transition between you and the new senior class advisor. I'm disappointed that you chose to use this platform to express your views to all, views that are based on erroneous information.
Nobody in the schools would disagree with your statement that every reduction in staff means less for our kids. As I said in my letter to the staff and in my e-Blast to the community, not a single reduction in any line item is desirable. As a resident and former parent of students I hope that you subscribe to our e-Blast so that you can receive updates. As I also said in my letter to the staff and to the community we will be presenting reduction scenarios that would take our tax rate increase down to the 2% level. Nowhere did I say, or suggest as you intimate, that a decision has been made to only ask for a 2% tax rate increase. I'm disappointed that you suggest that. I can say with a fair degree of certainty that a 9.5% tax rate increase, which is what it would take to maintain all current programs and services and all staff positions, would not pass in this community at the present time. As you know, last year, when almost every area school district reduced their faculty and staff Ardsley did not. I said at that time that while the development of the 2009-2010 budget was challenging, I could predict that the development of the 2010-2011 budget would be extremely difficult. Unfortunately, my words have turned out to be prophetic.
As I said in the e-Blast to the community last evening, the Board and the administrative team have the challenging task of developing a budget for 2010-2011 that balances the need and desire to meet the needs of our student body against the ability of the local taxpayer to support our programs in a very challenging and difficult economic climate. I'm sure that you would agree that this a a very difficult task.
As you know I appreciate the many years of service that you have given to this community. I am always available for you to call or email to answer any question about the operation of the school district or any aspect ther
PROPOSED SCHOOL TEACHER CUTS
The purpose of this blog is to objectively disseminate all information pertaining to the proposal which Schools Superintendent Charles Khoury has proposed for offsettting the 2010 year's budget deficit. Despite Dr. Khoury's contention in a communication to to former faculty member (to be posted later)that sweeping teacher cut-backs are merley a rumor, notificatons issued earlier this week to dozens of Ardsley teaching professionals and aides that they would likely not have positions to return to next fall, presents a compelling cause for concern. I trust the currently untenured Superintendent has no interests beyond identifying a viable solution which will not compromise the long-standing standard of excellence for which Ardsley schools are reknowned, as our mandated goal as a community remains to preserve our schools quality of education of which we remain justifably proud.
As of this writing, it has been reported that the Ardsley School System's Intranet e-mail system remains remotely inaccessible. While likely this is simply a technical malfunction, it seems curious that this event has coincided with a with an e-mail communication from Dr. Khoury to Dan Mulholland admonishing Mr. Mulholland for the following e-mail (please note that the majority of addressees are School Board memebers should you wish to directly communicate your concerns) -
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Mulholland"
To: "acctpay", "acctrec" , "Nancy Bocassi" , "Patricia Bova" , "Trapp" , "Mark Cohen" , "Flynn" , "Julie Fraitag" , "Victor Granuzzo" , "Frank Hariton" , "Steve Kastin" , "Charles Khoury" , "Koppel" , "mastroddi" , "FRAN MONTELEONE" , "Harshvina Patel" , "Ardsley Payroll" , "Linda Peters" , "Debra Rinaldi" , "Lisa Sanfilippo" , "Joanne Sold" , "Antonia Tiso" , "Debi Trias" , "Urbanowicz" , "Rosemary Whalen"
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:09:07 -0500
Subject: My concerns with the direction of Ardsley
To: Ardsley Board of Education, AHS, AMS, CRS
Re: Proposed cuts
From: Dan Mulholland
For almost 45 years of my life I have either been a student or a teacher in The Ardsley School System. My parents moved to Ardsley in 1955, not because of the “quaint” shopping or the wonderful traffic. They moved to Ardsley because of the schools. I did the same thing and four of my children have had the chance to graduate from here.
We have always been a “private, public” school. Our graduates broke the old adage of the wealthiest school districts kids had the highest SAT scores. We have demanded more than the regents and for some kids this has been a struggle, that’s why we have had aides, to help those who need the extra help. We have had a very large per-cent of our graduates go on to the Ivies. When it wasn’t done elsewhere, our teachers contributed to their medical plans. We have a huge offering of electives, extra curricula clubs and a wide array of interscholastic athletics.
Now this all seems to be in jeopardy. Every teacher eliminated, every aide cut means less for our kids. Parents pay more for a house here than surrounding communities and move here with that awareness. No one wants a 9.5% increase, but asking only 2% is also not acceptable.
I urge the Board of Education to remember why they moved here. I have taught most of your children. You supported great programs, allowed for innovative ideas. This draconian move would not be in the best interest of our kids.
Dan Mulholland
As of this writing, it has been reported that the Ardsley School System's Intranet e-mail system remains remotely inaccessible. While likely this is simply a technical malfunction, it seems curious that this event has coincided with a with an e-mail communication from Dr. Khoury to Dan Mulholland admonishing Mr. Mulholland for the following e-mail (please note that the majority of addressees are School Board memebers should you wish to directly communicate your concerns) -
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Mulholland"
To: "acctpay"
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:09:07 -0500
Subject: My concerns with the direction of Ardsley
To: Ardsley Board of Education, AHS, AMS, CRS
Re: Proposed cuts
From: Dan Mulholland
For almost 45 years of my life I have either been a student or a teacher in The Ardsley School System. My parents moved to Ardsley in 1955, not because of the “quaint” shopping or the wonderful traffic. They moved to Ardsley because of the schools. I did the same thing and four of my children have had the chance to graduate from here.
We have always been a “private, public” school. Our graduates broke the old adage of the wealthiest school districts kids had the highest SAT scores. We have demanded more than the regents and for some kids this has been a struggle, that’s why we have had aides, to help those who need the extra help. We have had a very large per-cent of our graduates go on to the Ivies. When it wasn’t done elsewhere, our teachers contributed to their medical plans. We have a huge offering of electives, extra curricula clubs and a wide array of interscholastic athletics.
Now this all seems to be in jeopardy. Every teacher eliminated, every aide cut means less for our kids. Parents pay more for a house here than surrounding communities and move here with that awareness. No one wants a 9.5% increase, but asking only 2% is also not acceptable.
I urge the Board of Education to remember why they moved here. I have taught most of your children. You supported great programs, allowed for innovative ideas. This draconian move would not be in the best interest of our kids.
Dan Mulholland
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