Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

actually .. with a charter school .. the people .. the taxpayers have  NO CHOICE ....  there is not a single charter school whose  school board or budget are voted on by the taxpayers

the very proposal being discuss in this thread is an  excellent example of how bad the idea of charter school sis  ----  a legitimate concern (the veterans) are willing to renovate the ENTIRE building and turn it into something useful  (apartments) but instead a charter school is being shoved down Rotterdam residents throats --- and the way the laws allowing charter schools is written .. we residents have NO VOTE on the matter ... NO RECOURSE .. justbend over and be screwed once again by a damned charter school

No....the kids are the ones being screwed in the public school system. It is nothing but institutionalized brainwashing...indoctrination....
their pc priorities are things like "diversity" and "tolerance"...re-writing history...not the basic skills required to become productive citizens.
No wonder graduation rates have been in freefall...and the answer to failing schools has always been to throw more and more money
into them and lower the standards.

Quoted from BobbiMc1

The school is not for Rotterdam.  Some of us neighbors met with these people at the library a couple of weekends ago.  This would be for Schenectady students bussed into Rotterdam.  We the neighbors are totally opposed to this.  The building is flooded due to pipes busting and is filled with black mold.  Another big bucks project.  We would much rather see the veterans get the building.

I actually agree with the use of the building for the veterans.  While I haven't heard the full information at this time on either of these projects, I would lean towards the veterans and away from the Charter School.  If they want to have Charter Schools for the City of Schenectady, why don't they go ahead and do it... build / create Charter Schools... INSIDE THE SCHENECTADY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT.

Quoted from gadfly

No....the kids are the ones being screwed in the public school system. It is nothing but institutionalized brainwashing...indoctrination....
their pc priorities are things like "diversity" and "tolerance"...re-writing history...not the basic skills required to become productive citizens.
No wonder graduation rates have been in freefall...and the answer to failing schools has always been to throw more and more money
into them and lower the standards.

correct!

diversity(understanding the ways of others) is important but.....

back to the basics  - if you cant add, subtract, multiply and divide how will you live in a nano world????  " how do i move the decimal"
and lets not forget written english, public speaking, real science labs and history based on facts

no raises without grades of 80% or higher on all nys regents by all students in a class

an average student helping a struggling student makes the average student an honors student and the struggling student above average

in the statememt above how much work did the teacher do? -> that is how you get a raise.

school is easy

life is hard

Keeping 'location' out of the discussion........charter schools are the way to go. The only folks that are against it are the employees or the friends and family of the union that is robbing the taxpayers blind.

People not only need a choice..........they also need relief from these public schools. The schenectady school district is a prime example of why charter schools should be encouraged, supported and built upon!!

I know many charter school teachers who are devoted to the kids, love their jobs and HAVE made a positive impact on the students. People just don't hear enough about the positives that come out of the charter schools.....cause there are many.

vouchers are my preference to use where i see fit

no need to pay for 2 administrations in the same school district

some of the charters in the area have even more bloated spending

the administrators have to fly back and forth to washington to keep lobbying for $$$$ - this is a waste of my tax money

charter schools are not accountable to the voters  .. public schools are accountable to the voters ... if you folks were truly conservative --as you claim to be -- you'd be opposed to charter schools

but the fact is that you folks are NOT conservatives by any stretch of the imagination

Who cares if the charter schools are accountable to voters or not as long as they are teaching the kids what they need to get a job and to go on to college and get a degree. The Schenectady school system has a graduation rate of 50% and has problems with gang violence and bullying. If the teachers unions are against charter schools it's because of the lose of control of the tax money for their empire. The state oversees charter schools and the schools have benchmarks which have to be met. Public schools are accountable to voters and some of the schools are horrible and the voters can't do anything about it , union contracts prevent needed changes.

The voters that are to hold the schools accountable miserably failed last night, passing almost every single budget in the capital region.  There were only 4 schools that the people turned out to tell the district that they are spending too much.  They didn't take the time to see that there was additional savings that there could have been.

Also, Schalmont voters decided to vote in an incumbent, something that will make sure that additional change does not come.  

But hey, at least we're getting the busses, which we're using OPM (other people's money) to pay for a large portion of (not as if we didn't pay any of that money ourselves).

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

charter schools are not accountable to the voters  .. public schools are accountable to the voters ... if you folks were truly conservative --as you claim to be -- you'd be opposed to charter schools

but the fact is that you folks are NOT conservatives by any stretch of the imagination

And public schools are? LMAO. Voters cannot vote out bad teachers...voters have no say in the membership of the Dept. of
Education...voters have no say in any public school policy. At least with charters, if they do not succeed they are shut down. Period.

That is why charters have the success they do....THEY are accountable to the kids and their parents, as it should be. This is the
reason the education cartel has always opposed them...and when they lost ground, the State limited the number of charters issued
by the unaccountable DOE. The only reason the cap was lifted is because it was a condition of federal funding...and now the education
cartel is trying to infiltrate the charters and trying to bully charter school teachers into their unions.

You are the one with the imagination...only a liberal would support the agenda of the public school system....and another tax we
never needed.

Quoted from Kevin March

The voters that are to hold the schools accountable miserably failed last night, passing almost every single budget in the capital region.  There were only 4 schools that the people turned out to tell the district that they are spending too much.  They didn't take the time to see that there was additional savings that there could have been.

Also, Schalmont voters decided to vote in an incumbent, something that will make sure that additional change does not come.  

But hey, at least we're getting the busses, which we're using OPM (other people's money) to pay for a large portion of (not as if we didn't pay any of that money ourselves).

the Rensselaer City School Budget Vote: Budget did NOT pass (by seven votes)

Quoted from gadfly

And public schools are? LMAO. Voters cannot vote out bad teachers...voters have no say in the membership of the Dept. of
Education...voters have no say in any public school policy. At least with charters, if they do not succeed they are shut down. Period.

That is why charters have the success they do....THEY are accountable to the kids and their parents, as it should be. This is the
reason the education cartel has always opposed them...and when they lost ground, the State limited the number of charters issued
by the unaccountable DOE. The only reason the cap was lifted is because it was a condition of federal funding...and now the education
cartel is trying to infiltrate the charters and trying to bully charter school teachers into their unions.

You are the one with the imagination...only a liberal would support the agenda of the public school system....and another tax we
never needed.

Kelly - once again you prove yourself to be ignorant of the facts --
       #1) charter schools get their money from our taxes .. from the state and from the public school district where the child comes from  ...    so I am NOT endorsing another tax we can't afford .. you and all the folkswho support charter Schools are the ones who want HIGHT TAXES to pay for the Charter Schools,
      #2) by law  EVERY the residents of every public school district may vote for the public school board and for the budget for that school district ........ name ONE charter school that allows the taxpayers/residents to elect the charter school's board or vote on the charter school's budget   (hint ..the answer is NONE)
      #3)  I am more of a conservative than you ... because I believe that their should be NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION -- that is why I oppose public tax dollars for charter schools -- I have repeated that over and over again for the past  9 months but  you and your ilk  continue to lie and mis-characterize my comments  ....  
     #4)  I personally prefer Parochial Schools -- that is why I support them financially and encourage parents to send their children to Parochial Schools ...   so your claim that I am pushing some "liberal public school agenda" is just another one of your  baseless and rather stupid comments  

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Kelly - once again you prove yourself to be ignorant of the facts --

      #3)  I am more of a conservative than you ... because I believe that their should be NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION -- that is why I oppose public tax dollars for charter schools -- I have repeated that over and over again for the past  9 months but  you and your ilk  continue to lie and mis-characterize my comments  ....  

Yet the people who represent us (which you seem to generally agree with), decided that taxation without full representation is OK for the people of Rotterdam, Princetown and Duanesburg.  I assume then, when they come up for a vote, whether it be this November, or 2 years from now, you will be voting against those who decreased the power of your vote at the county level?  We now have taxation with decreased representation.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Kelly - once again you prove yourself to be ignorant of the facts --
       #1) charter schools get their money from our taxes .. from the state and from the public school district where the child comes from  ...    so I am NOT endorsing another tax we can't afford .. you and all the folkswho support charter Schools are the ones who want HIGHT TAXES to pay for the Charter Schools,
      #2) by law  EVERY the residents of every public school district may vote for the public school board and for the budget for that school district ........ name ONE charter school that allows the taxpayers/residents to elect the charter school's board or vote on the charter school's budget   (hint ..the answer is NONE)
      #3)  I am more of a conservative than you ... because I believe that their should be NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION -- that is why I oppose public tax dollars for charter schools -- I have repeated that over and over again for the past  9 months but  you and your ilk  continue to lie and mis-characterize my comments  ....  
     #4)  I personally prefer Parochial Schools -- that is why I support them financially and encourage parents to send their children to Parochial Schools ...   so your claim that I am pushing some "liberal public school agenda" is just another one of your  baseless and rather stupid comments  

No Ron... once again you are sticking your ignorant foot in your mouth with tales of convenience.

1.) I never denied that charter funding comes from taxes...but charter schools receive only two thirds of the per pupil funding...the
     money follows the student, as it should...and they achieve better results with less funding...disproving the convenient theory of
     the education cartel that more money equals better results...they have in fact proven just the opoosite as seen in the correlation
     between increased funding and declining results. And I was referring to the UNNECESSARY AMBULANCE TAX you supported.

2.) I did not deny that the public elects their school boards...they do not elect the members of the NYS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,
     the body that issues charters, sets curriculums and determines public school policy.

3.) You wouldn't know a conservative if one bit you on your a$$...tell it to the CP Krat slaves who endorse the liberal members of
     your Party....and there is no taxation without representation...there is in fact more of it when parents have the choice of diverting
     their tax dollars to better choices in their children's education.

4.) Even if you support religion based schools, you are still defending the public school agenda in favor of denying parents their own
     choices for their own children with their own tax dollars.

You are a typical liberal projecting your own twisted sense of "facts" onto others...get a clue.

Quoted from Kevin March

Yet the people who represent us (which you seem to generally agree with), decided that taxation without full representation is OK for the people of Rotterdam, Princetown and Duanesburg.  I assume then, when they come up for a vote, whether it be this November, or 2 years from now, you will be voting against those who decreased the power of your vote at the county level?  We now have taxation with decreased representation.

The Founding Fathers fought the revolutionary war to end TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION  but when they drafted the Articles of Confederation (where each state had 1 vote in Congress regardless of size) and, later, the US Constitution  (where each state has 2 votes in the Senate regardless of size and the House of Representatives based on population) .. they clearly understood that there were different ways to formulate the various  legislative bodies.

I have made no public comments about the "weighted voting" proposal -- so you do NOT know whether I support or oppose it .. so any statements that you make about what you believe my position to be are purely conjecture --- and probably quite far from the truth.

Having said that -- I fully intend to support Mr. Jasenski and Mr. Santabarbara for reelection as I take a look at the WHOLE PICTURE -- ot just a single issue -- and these two gentlemen have served our county well and their opponents don't - IMHO - appear to offer anything worth voting for them for.

Quoted from gadfly

No Ron... once again you are sticking your ignorant foot in your mouth with tales of convenience.

1.) I never denied that charter funding comes from taxes...but charter schools receive only two thirds of the per pupil funding...the
     money follows the student, as it should...and they achieve better results with less funding...disproving the convenient theory of
     the education cartel that more money equals better results...they have in fact proven just the opoosite as seen in the correlation
     between increased funding and declining results. And I was referring to the UNNECESSARY AMBULANCE TAX you supported.

2.) I did not deny that the public elects their school boards...they do not elect the members of the NYS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,
     the body that issues charters, sets curriculums and determines public school policy.

3.) You wouldn't know a conservative if one bit you on your a$$...tell it to the CP Krat slaves who endorse the liberal members of
     your Party....and there is no taxation without representation...there is in fact more of it when parents have the choice of diverting
     their tax dollars to better choices in their children's education.

4.) Even if you support religion based schools, you are still defending the public school agenda in favor of denying parents their own
     choices for their own children with their own tax dollars.

You are a typical liberal projecting your own twisted sense of "facts" onto others...get a clue.

Kelly - you claimed that I supported more taxes .. the fact is that Charter Schools take our tax money .. so YOU are the one supporting HIGHER TAXES ... and supporting TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.  
You are the one who has no clue -- when it comes to my political philosophy -- I am one of the most conservative members of the Democratic Committee -- always have been and am proud of it.  

and as far as my views on parental choice -- again -- you are a liar -- I have consistently said that IF we are going to use tax dollars to support non-public schools than the best alternative is to give EVERY parent a voucher to use at whatever school public or private that they choose.

and - unlike you - I have friends in all political parties and from various parts of the political spectrum --  unlike you I am able to look beyond political ideology when choosing my friends and acquaintances.