The City schools have been overspending for years. They put a new roof on the High School and tear it down 4 years later. Instead of complaining this school bored needs to cut electives, slash busing and end all magnets schools. Reorganize all the grade schools on a neighborhood basis.

      The taxpayers are getting tired of "taking money out of reserves" as Ron Lindsay advised. They are already softening up the City sheeple for a huge tax increase because they refuse to cut. Expect another big NO! vote and 3 new bored members. Enough double talk-start forwarding solutions. The status quo is a no go.

Gee, they're only $7M in the hole, Mohonasen is what, $3-5M in the hole, but let's merge these 2 districts, along with every other district in the county into one.  Let's see which has more bills, the Metroplex or the County School District.  Some peole know how to run things.  Those who don't, run government entities.

Quoted from CICERO

It's not a spending issue, it's a revenue issue.  Tax the residents more.  In Schenectady there should be "Graveyard Usage Tax, or the "Getting Blood From A Head-Stone Tax".  They can levy the tax against the closest blood relative of every person buried in Vale Cemetery.

It is BOTH a spending and a revenue issue.    We need to reduce spending wherever possible -- paying for 5 extra district superintendents is a waste of money.

Quoted from Kevin March

Gee, they're only $7M in the hole, Mohonasen is what, $3-5M in the hole, but let's merge these 2 districts, along with every other district in the county into one.  Let's see which has more bills, the Metroplex or the County School District.  Some peole know how to run things.  Those who don't, run government entities.

One way to reduce the projected deficits --- is to eliminate unnecessary spending.   Going from 6 school district superintendents to 1 .. would save a lot of money -- then follow that patter down the line .. getting rid of the excess top and middle management positions.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

One way to reduce the projected deficits --- is to eliminate unnecessary spending.   Going from 6 school district superintendents to 1 .. would save a lot of money -- then follow that patter down the line .. getting rid of the excess top and middle management positions.

Before any consolidation, you have to fix the individual school systems. Even if you combined the six systems, Schenectady still has 8+  Admin positions, 4 deans alone in the High School and at least 20 secretarial positions. All that has to be cut now. Every school district can start saving money if they stopped handing out crazy pensions, gave teachers a pay freeze, cut staff and cut 1/2 the Admin.

You can't simply combine 6 dysfunctional school systems, that's going to result in more waste than there is now.  

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

One way to reduce the projected deficits --- is to eliminate unnecessary spending.   Going from 6 school district superintendents to 1 .. would save a lot of money -- then follow that patter down the line .. getting rid of the excess top and middle management positions.

True, but you would have to tell me how someone would be picked to be the actual head of the new unified school district.  And then, once they're elected the head of the school district, won't there still be need for others, working at what is now each school district, to advise on what is needed at each of the area high schools in the county?  That would still leave the current superintendants most likely in those positions.  What savings would that net?

Quoted from Kevin March

True, but you would have to tell me how someone would be picked to be the actual head of the new unified school district.  And then, once they're elected the head of the school district, won't there still be need for others, working at what is now each school district, to advise on what is needed at each of the area high schools in the county?  That would still leave the current superintendants most likely in those positions.  What savings would that net?

Exactly

And then there would be the issues of "discrimination," be it racial, economic, or whatever, and there would need to be busing all over the county which would cost more.  And then the fights and low lifes from the city schools will be taking their low life activities into the towns, whether destruction of school property, raising hell in the neighborhoods, running through peoples yards, fighting, etc, it will wind up in the towns.  And that will require response by the police which will require hiring more police.  And you take the kids who don't want to learn and such, bus them around, they'll need to add lots more teacher aides as they call them because the regular teachers dont' want to teach large classes.  Large class reduce the number of teachers needed.  When I was in school, we had 40 kids per class and we had no problem learning.  Few kids to a class means more teachers needed which means more money into the special interest unions which also means more money needed to pay teachers which means higher taxes which means more people lose their homes.

It would be one thing if consolidation would mean to keep all the current boundaries the same and merely eliminate the superintendent in each district and have one only.  But one person simply cannot handle all the individual districts, well, not without a hefty pay increase, like a salary that is the sum total of all the existing supers.  

It will only had extra layers of high paid staff, and cost a fortune in busing and crime will spread all over.

Quoted from Kevin March

True, but you would have to tell me how someone would be picked to be the actual head of the new unified school district.  And then, once they're elected the head of the school district, won't there still be need for others, working at what is now each school district, to advise on what is needed at each of the area high schools in the county?  That would still leave the current superintendants most likely in those positions.  What savings would that net?

The new superintendent would be selected by the new school board -- elected by the residents of the new school district.    The principals of the elementary, middle and high schools would report to the superintendent --- you wouldn't need someone in between.   So you wouldn't need to keep all of the current superintendents.

It was only in the 1950's and 1960's that the Central School District was being implemented -- that took some getting used to but it eventually worked itself out.   Similarly, there would be some getting used to moving from the current system to a Regional or County-wide school district.

Back in the 50's and 60's, Schenectady City Schools were ranked #3 in the State. Teachers didn't have huge pensions, Superintendents weren't making more than the Governor, busing wasn't a $10 million dollar expense and most kids were walking to school.

Now you have one of the lowest ranked school districts, with the most expensive Admin cost, highest teacher pension and healthcare cost, over $10 million in busing, and you think for one minute that the parents from Niskayuna would appprove consolidating with the City of Schenectady?

Again, Cuomo stated that smaller school districts less than 1,000 students should look to consolidate. Schenectady City has over 10,000 and doen't even fit the criteria Cuomo was speaking of. Again, you need to start cutting in the school districts NOW and stop pipe dreaming.    

State,city, school dist. shell game layoffs/consolidation.   Time to go to the beach-running out of shells.

DVR's plan is a copy of what Florida has been doing for years. It is not going to happen here anytime soon. Rachel is spot on with her brilliant comments. They refuse to cut busing and get back to neighborhood schools. Now we have Ms. Herman suggested wasting more money to pay moving expenses for teachers to come back to the City. No one is moving to this City unless you cut school taxes.

     This district copies over 23 MILLION documents. Have you heard about email? Stop copying the huge agenda that no one reads and save some trees. The deficit is greater than merely $7 MILLION. They were $3 MILLION in the red and Cuomo just cut $7 MILLION. It's time to slash electives, slash busing and stop worrying about free lunches. Back in the day my Mama knew if I was at school. She followed the grease from my eggplant parm sandwiches. Get back to brown bagging it, walk to school and stop being feeding centers/pools.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

One way to reduce the projected deficits --- is to eliminate unnecessary spending.   Going from 6 school district superintendents to 1 .. would save a lot of money -- then follow that patter down the line .. getting rid of the excess top and middle management positions.

and it would turn into regional-intendents......