Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Many states have 1 school district per county --- not 600+ like New York -- and there is no evidence that having a larger school district negatively impacts educational outcomes.

Bottomline -- consolidation means that LESS money will be spent on administrative salaries and overhead -- thus freeing up money to   a) be spent on the ACTUAL INSTRUCTION of students or  b) given back to the tax payers in the form of tax cuts.


BTW --  I whole-heartedly support funding education in the state of New York through the State Income Tax and other state revenues.    Vouchers would be given to the parent(s)/guardian(s) of school aged children  (one set amount for elementary students, one set amount for middle school students and one set amount for high school students)   ---------- the parent(s)/guardian(s) would then have the freedom to choose the IN STATE school --   public or private or parochial school-- that their child would attend.  Charter schools could remain but would be considered private schools and would get no special treatment.

The state already picks up 40% to 55% of the cost of public education through "state aid" and other programs --- and these funds are so politically distributed that it is a crock and a shame.  

My proposal would ensure that every student would have the same $ amount voucher whether they were a child from affluent Westchester County or from impoverished  Harlem or Schoharie.

Quoted from CICERO

It's time New Yorkers vote in a Scott Walker style governor and break up the public union monopoly and stranglehold they have on the taxpayers.  Merging school districts will just make sure a larger number of people have an equally poor education.  

But I guess it would sound like a great idea if I wasn't a parent and didn't have children.  It's easy to make those claims when you don't have to put YOUR children throught the already shitty public school system.

Quoted from senders

the NYC school district covers millions of kids....that's a consolidated school system....

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Yes - it has 1.1 million students and 80,000 teachers -- but even it has had several different versions of its organizational structure ---  for a long time there were 5 districts within the system (each conforming to a borough) .. then went to 10 "regions"  and more recently adopted a new organizational structure.

But for the purposes of upstate communities --- I believe that Schenectady County is just the right size to have 1 school district ----  other areas (like Albany County and Saratoga County) would need a different configuration.

Quoted from senders

CONSOLIDATION IS CONSOLIDATION.....it doesn't matter what jigsaw piece you shape it like.....but the ABSOLUTE LIE IS that consolidation equates to tax savings.....IT'S A FLAT OUT LIE.......

Quoted from benny salami

This is all nonsense. The DEMS have been talking about consolidating for years and doing nothing. Post election political hay. Consolidate Scotia into Glenville for starters. NO!! Dem hacks will lose their lob jobs. The DEMS wasted thousands on Stratton's police consolidation study. What happened? It benefited a professor who made bank. There is no support to consolidate police nor school districts. Try unified buying for the schools Countywide-take a baby step and see how it goes.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

How is it a lie ????    Republicans have been preaching for 50 years -- "we want less government" --- and going from 6 districts to 1 district  is  LESS government.    

Quoted from CICERO

Centralizing control through consolidation isn't LESS GOVERNMENT.  It is consolidating and expanding government into fewer and fewer hands.  Based on your logic of consolidation, schools, police, fire, and all pubic services should be nationalized, since that would ultimately be the cheapest most efficient solution.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Your argument is quite ignorant -- I have never called for consolidating local government functions at the national level.   There is NOTHING in anything that I have ever said to suggest that doing so would be the most efficient.

Reducing the number of local government entities would be more efficient and effective -- and save money -- and that has been successfully done in other states.  

Quoted from CICERO

No, you suggested that consolidating local services would be "less government".  I was responding to your ignorant claim that centralizing local government functions into a LARGER more centralized government equals smaller government.  I doesn't, it means centralizing it and giving a smaller group of people more power over the lives of many.  It is the same argument that Barack Obama and the Democrats made when they passed Obamacare.  Centralizing healthcare is more cost effective because it was more centralized where the "smart' bureaucrats can manage it.  It amazes me how people are so quick to give up their freedom and liberty in return for promised economic savings.