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ROTTERDAM
Mohonasen board approves tax rates
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3105 or mgoot@dailygazette.net.

    Rotterdam residents will pay an estimated $53 more in taxes under the tax rate set Monday by the Mohonasen Central School District Board of Education.
    The rate is $15.89 per $1,000 of assessed value, which would result in a tax bill of $2,384 for the owner of an average home assessed at $150,000.
    In the town of Guilderland, the tax rate is $18.12 per $1,000. Residents with a home of the same assessed value would see about a $13 increase, to $2,718. Town of Colonie residents will see a slight decrease in the tax rate, to $22.78, which would result in roughly a $38 decrease in taxes, to $3,417.
    Business Administrator Chris Ruberti said Colonie residents are seeing a decrease because property values declined a little more than 1 percent in the town. Rotterdam had a reassessment a few years ago, so they are assessed at 100 percent of actual value.
    Voters in May approved a $44.1 million budget.
    In other business, the board formally approved a shuffl ing of administrators by district Superintendent Kathleen Spring
    Bradt Primary School Principal Diane McIver will spend the 2012-13 year on special assignment, in charge of implementing the new teacher and principal and evaluation system. She will be paid $129,015.
    To fill McIver’s principal position, the board approved a one-year interim appointment for Mohonasen elementary school teacher Katria Hitrick at a salary of $76,000.
    Pinewood Intermediate School Principal Michele Whitley has been named academic administrator for literacy K-12 at a salary of $99,435. She is filling the job formerly held by Lisa Cutting, who moved up to assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction when Patrick McGrath left to become superintendent of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District.
    Whitley will be succeeded by Assistant Principal Deborah Kavanaugh, who will be paid $87,000.
    Other appointments are Thomas Diacetis as interim assistant principal at Draper Middle School at a salary of $67,569 plus a $3,500 stipend and Lori Ranze McCullough as interim elementary assistant principal at a salary of $58,026 plus a $3,500 stipend. ............................>>>>...........................>>>>.....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01202&AppName=1

The heading for this thread is very misleading -- the actual tax rate is $15.89 per $1,000 of assessed value NOT $53 per $1,000 of assessed value.  

Now that I have set that straight -- once again I call on New York State to help cut unnecessary spending by consolidating the over 500 school districts in the state to 62 school districts (1 per county).  This would eliminate the many redundant, high-priced district level officials and allow for better use of existing school buildings thus avoiding the need for one district to spend millions of dollars building new buildings/classroom space while a neighboring school district moth-balls school buildings.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The heading for this thread is very misleading -- the actual tax rate is $15.89 per $1,000 of assessed value NOT $53 per $1,000 of assessed value.  

Thanks genius, us poor toothless ninnies woulda never cyphered that one out.

I gots ta go en feed my goat now.

Now he knows you got a goat so you better lock him up.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The heading for this thread is very misleading -- the actual tax rate is $15.89 per $1,000 of assessed value NOT $53 per $1,000 of assessed value.  

Now that I have set that straight -- once again I call on New York State to help cut unnecessary spending by consolidating the over 500 school districts in the state to 62 school districts (1 per county).  This would eliminate the many redundant, high-priced district level officials and allow for better use of existing school buildings thus avoiding the need for one district to spend millions of dollars building new buildings/classroom space while a neighboring school district moth-balls school buildings.

I have to say I agree with this. There is no need for so many school districts. I'd be all for combining Mohonasen and Schalmont, etc...

Quoted from A Better Rotterdam

I have to say I agree with this. There is no need for so many school districts. I'd be all for combining Mohonasen and Schalmont, etc...

How many should there be?

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The heading for this thread is very misleading -- the actual tax rate is $15.89 per $1,000 of assessed value NOT $53 per $1,000 of assessed value.  

Now that I have set that straight -- once again I call on New York State to help cut unnecessary spending by consolidating the over 500 school districts in the state to 62 school districts (1 per county).  This would eliminate the many redundant, high-priced district level officials and allow for better use of existing school buildings thus avoiding the need for one district to spend millions of dollars building new buildings/classroom space while a neighboring school district moth-balls school buildings.

Yep, as you are a non-taxpayer, you would just LOVE to see the taxes increased to bus our children to the city war zone, like to the old Oneida school building, try to get more people into the city at taxpayer expense.  

And of course, you have no clue what any amount per assessed value means----your REFUSAL to engage in discussion---with correct details--about the taxes, property values, assessed values, market values, property exemptions, tax base, etc, etc proves it.    And if you dare claim that you understand it all, then provide the proof that the county taxes are lower today than 50 years ago---'nough said

Quoted from A Better Rotterdam

I have to say I agree with this. There is no need for so many school districts. I'd be all for combining Mohonasen and Schalmont, etc...

That would be a good start -- but as a concerned taxpayer I strongly believe we could save even more money if we consolidated all of the school districts in the county.   We pay for 7 of every district-level administrator - superintendent, assistant superintendent, business manager, etc. etc. etc.   Each of these titles comes with a 6  figure income -- just think of the money to be saved by having only 1 - instead of 7 - of the various district-level administrators.

And taxpayers would save money -- instead of Mohonasen spending millions of dollars to add classroom space --it would be better to utilize the moth-balled or excess classroom space in Schalmont.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

That would be a good start -- but as a concerned taxpayer I strongly believe we could save even more money if we consolidated all of the school districts in the county.   We pay for 7 of every district-level administrator - superintendent, assistant superintendent, business manager, etc. etc. etc.   Each of these titles comes with a 6  figure income -- just think of the money to be saved by having only 1 - instead of 7 - of the various district-level administrators.

And taxpayers would save money -- instead of Mohonasen spending millions of dollars to add classroom space --it would be better to utilize the moth-balled or excess classroom space in Schalmont.

Which current school district is going to be absorbed into the district that schools Hamilton Hill and Mont Pleasant neighborhoods - Niskayuna, Mohonasen, or Scotia Glenville?  Have fun with that one.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

but as a concerned taxpayer I strongly believe .

ROFL.    You are NOT a taxpayer!!!!!!!!!!!    Taxpayers are eligible to claim school taxes on their income tax, you CANNOT do so that that is PROOF you are NOT a taxpayer.   Non-property owners are may call themselves taxpayers IF they are eligible for the NYS Real Property Tax Credit and since you are NOT eligible for that either, that means you are NOT  a taxpayer.   Don't give us the BS about you "help" your aunts pay their taxes, their income is so high they don't need any "help"

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

just think of the money to be saved by having only 1 - instead of 7 - of the various district-level administrators.

Just think about the cost of adding more buses, hiring more bus drivers, more insurance, more maintenance costs, more miles to be driven, more costs for gas, more inspections to be done by the state that was criticized for excess OT costs associated with inspecting buses and with DV's lame brain it would add to the state's burden too, then how about the crime that moves into the burbs when Schdy kids are bused to outlying areas.

Oh yeah, DV, you really have proven your stupidity

Quoted from CICERO

How many should there be?

I have no idea,  but we could certainly go with allot less than we have now. FYI aren't you a small government guy? Wouldn't consolidating districts cut costs and lower taxes? I'm surprised your so down on the idea.

Quoted from A Better Rotterdam

I have no idea,  but we could certainly go with allot less than we have now. FYI aren't you a small government guy? Wouldn't consolidating districts cut costs and lower taxes? I'm surprised your so down on the idea.

Small government has little to do with lower taxes and saving money.  If Rotterdam wanted to provide medical care for all their resident and raised taxes 50% to pay for it, I wouldn't really have a problem philosophically(I would personally), because it only affects a small community, and I could go to another community that is more in line with what I believe the role of the town government should be.  It has to do with preventing the centralization of power into fewer and fewer hands affecting more and more people.  Giving people less choices.  I'm against the one size fits all approach.  I'm sure if we just had one school district called the New York State school district, we could eliminate all kinds of redundancies along with choices.  

I'm not sure you have children in school, but how well do you think it would work out with one governing body redistricting schools into larger district?  That would get ugly.

Quoted from CICERO

Which current school district is going to be absorbed into the district that schools Hamilton Hill and Mont Pleasant neighborhoods - Niskayuna, Mohonasen, or Scotia Glenville?  Have fun with that one.

If Schenectady County had ONE school district, then ALL of the school districts would be combined.  It is a model that has worked in other states and produced lower property taxes and better school systems.  I believe that consolidation is long overdue in New York.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

  It is a model that has worked in other states and produced lower property taxes and better school systems.

I guess you would have to define what "worked" means.  If that means churning out the same failure rate at a cheaper cost per taxpayer, you could very well win that argument.