Proud of School District

by Lori A. Barth, Jen DiSimone, Gloria Fleming, Laura Graham, Jen Knecht, Karen Kyle, Pam Lothrop, Jen Marraccino, Cyn Sampogna and Jenifer Stone

We are proud of the Nyack School District and of the students and staff of our district. Our band, orchestra, and choir have brought home winning trophies from many competitions. Our drama department was one of five schools nationwide given the honor of mounting the inaugural amateur performances of Phantom of the Opera. Nyack's Academic League placed first in the county and has been invited to compete nationally in Washington, D.C. So far this year, Nyack has had three Journal-News Scholar-Athletes, sent a varsity wrestler to State competition, where he placed fourth, and continued to develop progressive athletic programs such as the fencing team. These diverse accomplishments add to our children's opportunities to pursue higher education, which 93% of our graduates do, earning over $1 million in scholarships. These programs can only continue to flourish with financial support.

We are voters. The Nyack school budget vote is on Tuesday, May 20. This year's proposed budget is lean, with one of the lowest budget-to-budget increases in the county. Should the budget be defeated, the district will be forced to adopt an austerity budget which must comply with all Federal and State mandates, as well as with all existing contractual obligations. Staff salaries will not decrease under an austerity budget. Some tangible changes that may occur are the loss of after-school activities, the elimination or reduction of music, art and new technology programs, and larger class sizes. And a school district without these programs negatively affects our property values and our children's futures.

We are taxpayers. None of us wants to pay more in taxes, but the fact is we are going to pay more whether the proposed budget passes or not. The Nyack School District is adversely affected by an unfair State Aid system which is based on property values with no cost-of-living factor. The question is, how much more will we pay in taxes if the proposed budget passes? According to a district analysis, under the proposed budget, the average homeowner will pay just $34.50 more per year than under the austerity budget.

For the average homeowner, that works out to 67¢ a week. SIXTY SEVEN CENTS.

We are residents of a dynamic and unique community with a diverse and special school population. Sixty seven cents per week seems an incredibly small price to pay to continue to provide our district's children with the opportunities for future success they deserve. Please exercise your right to vote on May 20.

The authors of this article are the Presidents of the Nyack School District PTAs.