Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The best solution is to consolidate all 6 school districts in Schenectady County into  ONE school district -- that
would allow the new management to go back to the drawing board as far as the contracts go.   Not to mention
the millions of dollars that could be saved by eliminating redundant senior management positions.

And instead, spend money to bus kids all over the area.  Yep, spend tax dollars to bus the gangs and other punks into the towns.  And what parent in the towns would want their kids to go into the city with driveby shootings?

Now, how about take away some of this pay for the teachers.  It's all greed.  The news reports said that teachers wont' work for the schools without all these annual raises, that they'll go to work in the private sector and get paid more.  BS.    A coworker has their children in Gibbons, and their daughter has a teacher who is almost 70 years old, he's been working for over 40 years at that school, and he has gotten his doctorate degree, and still get's paid less than the greedy teachers in the pubolic schools and with nowhere near the benfits.  

Consolidating the school district would see a great exodus of many parents out of the system. Also, the Union contracts would never change. Start cutting the 10 administrators from Schenectady High School - save $2 million right there! The money in the high school is mostly going to the connected Admins rather than the kids.  

Quoted from rachel72

Consolidating the school district would see a great exodus of many parents out of the system. Also, the Union contracts would never change. Start cutting the 10 administrators from Schenectady High School - save $2 million right there! The money in the high school is mostly going to the connected Admins rather than the kids.  

Or being wasted on $6 MILLION for busing to magnet schools which are a total failure! DVR likes to make proposals he knows are going nowhere as a smokescreen to cover the total incompetence of City DEMS. Instead of firing educational incompetents he wants to shuffle them around. Share the pain?

     City DEM morons have run both the City and schools into the toilet. On top of the oppressive school taxes parents also have to pay private school tuition. School taxes are going up 15-20% because the voters replaced one group of clueless DEMS with another. Not one small business person is on the City School Bored. This Spring we must replace every incumbent AGAIN and vote down another huge proposed tax increase. The DEM solution for every problem is to throw more money down a hole.

Consolidation of school districts and municipalities is coming.  It was a key point in Governor Cuomo's
State of the State message.  

The fact is that Republicans only like to "talk" about cutting the size of government but never follow
through because they are whores to the special interest groups.  

Governor Cuomo will get the property tax cap passed -- that will force school districts and municipalities to
merge because given the current fiscal conditions it will be impossible to keep tax increases below 2%
without gutting services and laying off most of the staff.   When faced with the real pressure that they
either go broke or merge --- the mergers will happen.  They should have happened 30 years ago -- but
they will happen within the next 5 to 10 years.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Consolidation of school districts and municipalities is coming.  It was a key point in Governor Cuomo's
State of the State message.  

The fact is that Republicans only like to "talk" about cutting the size of government but never follow
through because they are whores to the special interest groups.  

Governor Cuomo will get the property tax cap passed -- that will force school districts and municipalities to
merge because given the current fiscal conditions it will be impossible to keep tax increases below 2%
without gutting services and laying off most of the staff.   When faced with the real pressure that they
either go broke or merge --- the mergers will happen.  They should have happened 30 years ago -- but
they will happen within the next 5 to 10 years.

I trust you do know that Jurzynski was talking consolidation when he lead Schenetady, but the dems ignored him.  Just like Jurzynski proposed a trash fee (not that any taxpayers were in favor of it) and the dems basically told Al to go jump in a lake--they said absolutely no way to a trash fee.  So, when the dems took over, what did they do??????   They took Al's idea and shoved a trash fee on the people.  

I'm not opposed to consolidation, but it can't be rushed either.  Consolidation is one thing if it's done by elminating the superintendent positions, the one in each district, and then just have one such position, for example, but it's another thing if consolidation means sending the punks from Schenectady to the schools in the towns.    I'm sure consolidation is inevitable in various things, but, again, if it's rushed, then, think about the police dept, would the bulk of the dept be in the city area, I mean, would the towns be staffed with fewer police.  

Consolidation should not be done in a way to just spread the city's tax burden throughout all of the county.  Consolidation should not be done to address the dems inability to stop jacking up the taxes on the city peole

The first time that I heard talk of consolidation was when Dave Roberts ran for Mayor in the 1970's.  
I was a volunteer on his campaign and we discussed the subject.    
It is a subject that I have been interested in and studied since then.  
I am aware that Mayor Jurzynski talked about it  .. because I had a few conversations with him about
the subject.  I had conversations with then Governor Mario Cuomo about the subject, as well.

The idea is long overdue for implementation.  My best guess is that once the property tax cap is passed --
and there is talk of BOTH a spending and a tax cap  --  municipalities and school districts will be forced
to consider merger.    And they won't have the luxury of spending years just studying and talking about
it.
Besides - how long do we really need to study it -- Indianapolis, Nashville, and a whole lot of other cities
in the US and Canada have models for regional government -- just pick one and move forward.

And where is Dave Roberts today? He fled to Saratoga County decades ago. I talked to him recently at the Albany Airport and he couldn't stop laughing at Landslide Savage, Petta and the worst Mayor in Schenectady history.

     Dave Roberts got a good look at the coming fiscal mess, saw the other DEM 'leaders" and fled the County. May others of his ilk follow suit.

Quoted from benny salami

And where is Dave Roberts today? He fled to Saratoga County decades ago. I talked to him recently at the Albany Airport and he couldn't stop laughing at Landslide Savage, Petta and the worst Mayor in Schenectady history.

     Dave Roberts got a good look at the coming fiscal mess, saw the other DEM 'leaders" and fled the County. May others of his ilk follow suit.

The 1970's was when the GOP was screwing up Schenectady County.   Thankfully, there were those of us who   chose to stay in Schenectady and work together to make things better.  
You and he may be laughing at others --- but you and he didn't have the guts to stick around and actually
DO something.     I'd rather stand with and work with Susan Savage and Mike Petta and anyone who is
willing to do the heavy lifting ... than to hang around with folks who run away from the problems or just
sit by and complain.

In the 1960's - 70's, Schenectady had the #3 ranked school system in NY State, GE employed thousands of people from the City and in surrounding areas, the downtown and Erie Blvd was filled with retailers and taxes were stable. It truly was a nice place to live.

Now, we have one of the lowest ranking City schools, our unemployment is high, our downtown is filled with tax exempt restaurants and businesses and yet, we are one of the highest taxed Counties in New York. Hum, that doesn't make much sense now does it?

Instead of welcoming homeowners into the City, Schenectady uses them like toilet paper. Taxpayers who have raised their families here are being overtaxed for poor public safety, high crime neighborhoods and an unsafe enviroment. You can keep moving your tax exempt businesses downtown, because the homeowners are leaving. When the gangs begin to move into downtown, maybe, just maybe something will be done.  

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

.  My best guess is that once the property tax cap is passed --
and there is talk of BOTH a spending and a tax cap  --  municipalities and school districts will be forced
to consider merger.    

Oh, so only a property tax cap will put a stop to the dems in the city from increasing the taxes on the homeowners in order to give out 100% endless property AND school tax exemptions to the well heeled?


Tell us how come YOUR dems can't make a choice to stop the tax exemptions for the rich?

Unless your dem team of Savage/Gillen/Stratton revoke those full no-end-date property tax exemptions for those for profit businesses downtown (INCLUDING Proctors which IS a for-profit business), the city is going to have major big time problems under a tax cap.  I like the idea of a tax cap but if the taxes of the downtown businesses still have to be paid by the homeowners, that will result in fewer tax dollars available for vital and necessary services.  

Maybe the home owners should buy the buildings downtown and live upstairs from them while operating some sort of business.  I guess it would almost be living there for free?  

Quoted from Gemini

Maybe the home owners should buy the buildings downtown and live upstairs from them while operating some sort of business.  I guess it would almost be living there for free?  

You make an excellent point.    The one major problem with downtown revitalization projects up until now -- and i have said this publicly at City Council meetings and privately to city officials -- is the lack of a residential component.      

First floor - should be retail or commercial offices
Second floor and above - residential

This is a model that has worked in a number of downtown areas around the country.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

You make an excellent point.    The one major problem with downtown revitalization projects up until now -- and i have said this publicly at City Council meetings and privately to city officials -- is the lack of a residential component.      

First floor - should be retail or commercial offices
Second floor and above - residential

This is a model that has worked in a number of downtown areas around the country.

Well, then Mr Golub needs to move downtown, Gillen needs to live downtown, your Susie SAVAGE needs to move downtown, Son of Sam needs to move downtown.  Mallozzi and Marcella should, etc. etc. et.

When are YOU going to move ANYWHERE in the city??????   You constantly tout how wonderful it is, but WHY are you not buying a house there?   Why are you not even renting?????    Huh?     Easeier to live off others

I wouldn't mind living downtown if there was "in-building" parking.....

I do think the area looks really nice - and I kinda would like looking out at the beatification.

(I just think it cost the tax payers too much and isn't having the impact that Metrograft was established for)

Quoted from JackBauer

I wouldn't mind living downtown if there was "in-building" parking.....

I do think the area looks really nice - and I kinda would like looking out at the beatification.

(I just think it cost the tax payers too much and isn't having the impact that Metrograft was established for)

In-building parking would be a great thing -- they do it in other cities.  

It will take a "leap of faith" by the first developers and the first in-city home buyers  -- but eventually -- it
will succeed.   You need to bring a mix of uses into a downtown area ----- retail, office and residential ---
along with a mix of incomes.       The residential will eventually attract and keep the markets and other
retailers.

At one time , there were many two family houses along Broadway  (from Cotton Factory Hollow to State Street)  .. along Edison, Weaver  and a number of streets that have since disappeared.    The area just
east of City Hall had more streets that ran parallel with Franklin St and had residences.    

Even adjacent to lower State Street --- those side streets running down to Erie Blvd had a number of
residential buildings.