Facts about school Spending in Nassau County

[Michael Soethout]

Though the original school budget increase was high at 7.75% this year it was not the highest increase for a school budget increase in the county as reported by Newsday and News 12. Not all districts made their budgets available to the Media, the following districts all had higher % increases - Roosevelt had a 23.75% increase (NYS funded 20% of it), Hempstead had a 11.32%, Westbury 7.86% (NYS funded 5%) and East Rockaway 7.76%, and last year these schools had increases of 18%, 8%, 6%, and 8%. Last year Wantagh school district had 3% increase. Also Massapequa increased their spending 6.26% this on top of last years 6%. All of these schools also spend at least $4000 more per pupil than Wantagh to begin with. With their passed budgets Roosevelt added another $5000.00, Hempstead $2100.00, Westbury $1600, East Rockaway $1800 per pupil. Wantagh's failed budget would have increased our spending per pupil by $1220.00. With the contingency budget Wantagh's spending per pupil will increase by about $880 per pupil, that is the same amount of money Lawrence Schools is adding for their children and Lawrence is a district run by a hostile school board where all five members send their children to private schools.
In the school 2007-2008 the average spending per pupil in Nassau County was $21790.00 for the 207416 students going to school, if the other school districts in the county spent like we do in Wantagh, taxpayers would have saved $1,16 Billion dollars on education last year, but it is the parents in Wantagh that want our children have a good education and the BOE who are out of control because of what we spend. I don't really understand that at all, it is about as untrue as saying right now Wantagh is community that supports education.
I keep hearing that the BOE needs to be more creative, so I finally asked one of these people what is more creative, their answer "was do we really need assistant principals or all assistant superintendents of schools and we should larger class sizes." Well I really don't know how anybody else feels but these issues, but I personally think actions like that would harm the schools in every way imaginable, so for the sake of our children the parents really need get the real information about our schools.

[dotherightthing1]

When did Newsday ever report that Wantagh had the highest increase in the county? East Rock was most definitely in their report. The spending per pupil does not include any bonds. Who is "one of these people"? Someone who did not support the budget? There are several ways for the BOE to be creative without severely impacting the kids. I agree that everyone needs the facts, but they are sometimes difficult to get, especially in Wantagh.

[dotherightthing1]

Once again, information that is incorrect is assumed to be accurate and endorsed by others.

[lilly]

dotherightthing, did I miss something? You're usually very detailed in responding and a double post by you doesn't make sense.

[dotherightthing1]

lilly, i was responding to two posts by sally, but she apparently deleted the posts.