Veteran school leaders worth the money

[Joseb]

A union president once said, during the teachers threat to strike during the Mayor Lindsey days; it went something like this:
When the students start paying union dues, then I will listen to them.

[Cathy]

I totally disagree that the there is a "scarcity of up-and-coming superintendent candidates". First, LI has too many superintendents as we have an excess number of school districts and to imply that with this vast network of school districts that there are not enough qualified candidates is ludicrous. Should we simply continue hire the retirees or maybe its time to give someone new with little or no experience a try. I'm sure at one time the retirees were just those inexperienced people you say you can not now employee.

[Had enough]

Board Member wrote:

We totally agree with the article. I applaud Tim Kramer for taking a stand and writing. When is everyone going to realize that this is nothing more than someone's political agenda. I think the taxpayers should wake up and question the spending of the state offices for audits, subpoenas, etc.
Let's get back to the business of education and stop trying to undermine what are the best schools in the country. It's time for everyone to take a stand against the state's bullying tactics.

You have to be nuts. The superintendents and the boards report to the taxpayers - not themselves or the teachers. Taxpayers foot the bill here - always have an always will. It's time to lower the budgets - period! And the only ways to catch fraud are by audits - the more frequent the better.

[Enough already]

Cathy wrote:

I totally disagree that the there is a "scarcity of up-and-coming superintendent candidates". First, LI has too many superintendents as we have an excess number of school districts and to imply that with this vast network of school districts that there are not enough qualified candidates is ludicrous. Should we simply continue hire the retirees or maybe its time to give someone new with little or no experience a try. I'm sure at one time the retirees were just those inexperienced people you say you can not now employee.

Right. There have got to be candidates out there who can find a way to cut their budgets and actually cut taxes. Obviously, the vast majority of the supers now cannot. And I'm sick and tired of hearing about "expenses beyond their control." Start with their own salaries (most make over $200G), then the admin staff - and then the teachers - then check the benefit pkgs. to bring them more in line with reality. It has to all end sometime. Pretty soon only the extremely wealthy will be able to afford their taxes on LI.

[Researcher]

Right church, wrong pew. All the solutions listed here, save for voting no on the school budget b/c you're P.O'd over a choice that your did not make (yes, at some point each of us made a choice as to what our lot in life would be - even superintendents chose their path) need to be at the legislative level. Do a little research into the history of the situation and talk to your local legislators about these issues. Demand reform, but only after you know the cost of the reform. Demand consolidation, but only if you're ready for your child to attend school with thousands of children, few of whom get personal attention. Know the true costs of what you're asking for. Otherwise, after the changes are made, many of you will remain P.O'd b/c now the schools are "too impersonal" or "we never have access to the superintendent". If you need something to be P.O'd about, how about the war or fuel or the fact that we are rapidly becoming an intellectual third world country.

[RFL]

I have taught public school for the last 7 years. I can say, based on this experience, that a public school system does not rise and fall because of its superintendents. Instead, they perform well when they draw from a population that values education and reinfroces it in the home (and the oppisite is equally true). I cannot honestly tell you what a school superintendent does beyond act like an overglorified, overpaid bureaucrat. In my view, these superintendencies are quite redundant in Nassau County, and should be consolidated.

[Screw them]

Where is Newport, NY? Consolidation is the only solution, there is NO NEED for 126 superintendents and their 200k-360k salaries. I couldn't tell you who my Superintendent was and I went to school on LI. I nor my family ever called him/her, you called the principal.

School are not impersonal if you have good teachers and by consolidating schools to have a handful of Admins and the same # of schools how do you figure it will be impersonal?

THERE has to be a change, WE CANNOT afford 8k, 15k, 20k in school taxes, it HAS TO END.

So if that means little Johnny or Little Janey have 3 extra kids in the class, so be it. If they are smart and hardworking they will succeed, if they are not, they will not and that is the way the world works.

HAVE HAD ENOUGH of these UNIONS, CORRUPT ADMINS THAT WORK THE SYSTEM LIKE AN ACCOUNTANT FINDING LOOPHOLES IN THE TAX LAWS.

[watcher]

Had enough wrote:

<quoted text> You have to be nuts. The superintendents and the boards report to the taxpayers - not themselves or the teachers. Taxpayers foot the bill here - always have an always will. It's time to lower the budgets - period! And the only ways to catch fraud are by audits - the more frequent the better.

auditors cost money too - lots of it. not only state comptrollers auditors but the independent auditors the districts are now required to hire by law. the taxpayer foots the bill for the auditors and any overtime / extra employees needed by the school district to accomodate the auditors requests for information. i guess only time will tell if the whole process is cost effective. good deal for auditing firms though...

[Pfluger the Union Monkey]

RFL wrote:

I have taught public school for the last 7 years. I can say, based on this experience, that a public school system does not rise and fall because of its superintendents. Instead, they perform well when they draw from a population that values education and reinfroces it in the home (and the oppisite is equally true). I cannot honestly tell you what a school superintendent does beyond act like an overglorified, overpaid bureaucrat. In my view, these superintendencies are quite redundant in Nassau County, and should be consolidated.

Bravo.

[Barbara R]

2%!!! I used the figures from Newsday with the Bellmore Merrick 2006 info. Administration was about 6.925% of the budget. That is more than most districts school taxes will be increased. Think about that when you get next years tax bill. I hope newsday will put Thomas Rogers, Timothy Kremer optimistic figure to the test.

[Unhappy Taxpayor]

Please do not insult our intelligence by trying to convince the public that these administrators are doing us a great service by retiring and coming back to work the next day.
What they have learned to do is manipulate the pension system to give themselves a large raise and increase their bank accounts. If they want to retire, why come back the next day? If they want to keep working, and are as noble as you imply, why do they retire and collect a pension? The only reason is greed !! They have found a way to exploit a pension system that is there to help them live comfotably after they retire, a very generous pension system I might add. These are the people we employ to educate our children. I have to wonder what the kids learned today..........

[Milfmomma]

No scarcity here wrote:

Who told you there was a scarcity of candidates? The good old boy network? Many of us in education have watched this for years: Hire people from BOCES, then use BOCES to do the searches. Big surprise, the search committee/consultant recommends that the old guys that hired them in the first place, gee whiz, are the most competent to lead the districts! You retire(die and go to BOCES heaven) on LI. We all know it. These writers are smokin something. No one deserves double salary because they turned 55 and this is what has happened. The asst.supts, principals etc "retire" on a MOnday, then show up on tuesday as a retiree. Did they really retire? Isn't that fraud? Where are the real searches? Why make yourself a candidate if you are retiring?

And also Remember this; these guys are Burnt Out OLD Men........Mumbleing, and drooling..They should really "Go Out To Pasture ". Get some young chipper excited crackerjack whippersnappers in these positions. Oh Yes Baby !!! Really... get rid of these old worn out farts.