The Rye City School District would like to remind residents that a voter registration session will be held on Monday, November 28, 2011, between 4-8 p.m. at the District office located at 411 Theodore Fremd Avenue, Suite 100 South Lobby. After this date, residents who wish to register must do so with the County at 25 Quarropas Street, White Plains. The bond vote will be held on Tuesday, December 13, from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. in the Rye Middle School gymnasium.
Absentee Ballots
If you are not in town during polling hours, you may vote by absentee ballot. Ballot applications are available on the district's website: www.ryeschools.org. Applications are also available at the District office, 411 Theodore Fremd Avenue Suite 100 South Lobby. An application must be filed before a ballot may be obtained. Ballots must be returned no later than 5:00 PM on December 13 to be counted.
Eligibility
All Rye City School District residents who are registered voters are eligible to vote. Registered voters must be, by law, 18 years of age, a United States citizen, and a resident of the Rye City School District for at least 30 days preceding December 13.
Shhh. Does it seem like something akin to a contrived quiet has descended around here about this huge new school tax increase vote? Really – has anyone seen a bumper sticker, yard sign or any serious publicity pro or con outside of one pro post card?
Maybe if the majority of voter turn-out can be suppressed then the minority advocates of “more money again because we NEED it” will carry the day.
But then again, maybe not.
That election defeat of Mr. Nathan earlier this month sure sounded like plenty of folks are very aware of our spending addicts and the community’s multiple decades’ long unsuccessful taxing and spending sacrifices to feed their addictions – all to see their school rankings decline while their most vocal leaders move out of town upon their last child’s RHS graduation.
And here by chance today is an interesting national read for those long time Rye residents who’ve paid up and up and up for our schools for multiple decades – (rather than those who move in, demand spending and then move out after extracting the benefits) – here for your consideration is a place that actually appreciates your sacrifices:
STATE’S NEW TRICK: OLD DOGS
Maine Sees Retirees as Assets, Seeks to Attract Them With Tax Cuts on Pensions
(Maine) “State officials say they are a real asset. They volunteer, help pay for schools without using them and create demand for everything from medical services to home repair.”
http://on.wsj.com/vbAfgd
Over the years I’ve lived in Rye, I’ve wondered why it is acceptable to post “Vote Yes!” signs on one’s lawn but it’s against town ordinances to support political causes. It’s even more concerning that – at least in 2006 – the money for those “Yes!” signs was drawn from school fairs by the PTO – a clear violation of national PTO rules. The Ed Shine Machine is at it again: 8-page brochure presenting only one side of the story when it comes to the 22 million bond arrived in the mail today. I’m confident the school listserves are hammering home the one-sided point of view in addition to making voting on the bond be a “them” versus “us” issue. I know-I only just got off the propaganda-oriented listserves in June, 2011. I also served on two Strategic Planning teams, observing first-hand that spin was first on the District’s agenda.
Why would the Superintendent and the Board pride themselves on solving a problem so unimaginatively? Does Shine really deserve the big bucks just for spending money? Why has he never been asked to excel in more creative ways to improve education for every student by the School Board?
Even the Yankees can outspend and lose.
What a sad legacy to leave on retirement: debt and division.
Simple math
$20,000,00 divided by 12 new classrooms divided by 28 students per classroom = $59,524 per classroom seat.
Mitch – I think your count may be a bit off. There are 12 new science classrooms to be built at an average cost of $1.3million each. In addition, the old science labs are to be renovated. I believe one or two are to be divided resulting in an additional couple of classrooms.
Hurrah for tedc :
but you fail to finish the thought on all the reasons why school spending soars and soars .
its not just the out-of-control cost per student ( is it really $23,000 a head ? ) but the fact that the student count in our schools keeps blowing higher and higher and higher .
stop and ask yourselves how this can happen when you consider every buildable lot in Rye has long been built on that student population keeps climbing ?
The simpleton view that our Planning Board leaders suggest is causing student growth problem is that its all the McMansions getting built that families move into .
Are they freaking nuts ? Have you seen the all-in taxes on typical 5-6 bedroom on 1/4 acre in Rye ? These house are a BOON to our school system with the monster $40-50-60k in taxes they pay annually . Also keep in mind many are lived in by people that can afford and utilize the private schools and Resurrection .
No , the real problem is the explosion of new multi-families getting crammed everywhere in Rye . These structures house 2-3-4 families on same space 1 family previously lived and the tax revenue thrown off is a fraction of the cost of the crowd of kids that each unit draws in .
Look at the huge apartment property going up on Cedar Street in Rye . Look for another 10 kids to be airdropped into the bursting Rye School system with tax revenue to the schools not even covering the cost of 1 kid . Get ready for the 2014 $20 million bond issue to cover their expansion needs at Midland/middle school / high school . Look for much psychobabble and questions asked how school system population just keeps growing and growing .
Never mind Cedar Street is a traffic disaster already with gridlock every morning and evening for hours as Rye Country Day folks wait and wait along with commuter traffic jammed trying to get in and out of station . Now we can add 6 more big SUV trying to shoehorn into same jam .
Great job again Rye Planning Board . You may succeed in turning Rye into New Rochelle by 2020 at this rate .
Bob
I am not aware of any functional problems with the existing science labs that have caused the School District to not follow the SED curriculum. Work a rounds have been in place for years. Broken outlets, plumbing issues and fume hoods can be fixed and should have been years ago through annual maintenance.
Accordingly, I stand by my simple calculation. $59.5K/Student for capacity increase is a lot of money.
This site sheds some light on the possible connection between Rye zoning and school overcrowding: http://zoningplan.org
@Mitch – The District’s releases show 12 new science classrooms. But the releases also say that the existing 7 labs (and 1 prep room) will be converted to 11 classrooms. That’s an increase of 4. So average should be $20million / 16 classrooms = $1.25million / room (seems high).
And $1.25million /28 kids per class = $50k. So, a slight refinement to your calcs. The cost per room versus cost of an average Rye home is what gets me. And of course, there are other items includes included in the Bond like the renovated guidance “suite”, renovated “toilet rooms”, locker rooms, etc.