Rejecting budgets does us no good

    As a resident of West Hempstead, I am greatly concerned about the message some 1,738 members of the community sent to our students and dedicated staff in the West Hempstead public schools. Their “no” votes are a simplistic solution to a very complex problem.
    I sat in the public meeting on May 20 and listened to the anger and frustration of many community residents. Unfortunately, this anger was misdirected. Many pointed to the teaching staff, yet how sad is it that public servants take the brunt of people’s anger due to the errors of those in charge?
    The members of the West Hempstead Education Association are the teachers, teaching assistants, counselors, psychologists and therapists who service both the public- and private-school students in West Hempstead. We are state employees who follow the guidelines set by the state regarding pensions and health insurance. We all contribute to our pensions, and we all contribute to our health insurance policies. We cannot and should not be blamed for the ills of the state’s property tax system.
    Our members are all dedicated and highly trained. The professionalism and expertise we bring to our jobs benefits the people we serve in our schools. We have professional degrees, are certified and pursue ongoing professional development and training to improve our practice.
    We are all struggling in these economic times. Our members are facing the same struggles the members of this community face. At the meeting, I heard someone speak about his child having to move out of state due to the cost of living on Long Island. But we all know that isn’t the teachers’ fault.

    My own son would love to live in New York, but instead he must pursue his dreams where he can afford to live on his own. My grown daughter lives at home; she, too, hopes to live on her own some day. Yet we don’t blame her teachers. The West Hempstead teaching staff is not responsible for poor budgeting, poor planning and a lack of investment in our schools.
    This community is no different than any other district on Long Island. Until the tax system is changed, until Albany gives back to Long Island its fair share of the money we send to Albany, nothing is going to change. Yet 114 school budgets passed on Long Island — 10 failed. I’m not surprised ours failed, as we had the highest tax levy increase in Nassau County. However, that was due to our self-imposed “contingency budget” last year. With no increase over last year’s budget, we had no choice but to make up for last year’s shortfall. Again, that is not the teachers’ fault.
    If residents continue to think they should be exempt from paying their share and continue to vote down school budgets, no one will want to buy a home in West Hempstead, no matter how cheap it is. Our outstanding staff will begin to look for jobs elsewhere when the economy improves, and it will. Sadly, some have already begun looking. In fact, two excellent young teachers have already found positions for next year. One will earn $15,000 more, the other $18,000 more than they would have earned in West Hempstead. Eventually the district will not be able to attract qualified staff.
    People at the meeting spoke of their children not being able to come back to live in West Hempstead due to increasing school taxes. Do you think anyone will want to move to West Hempstead if our school system is substandard? People move to a town because of the reputation of the schools. If we continue to reject school budgets, our schools will continue on a downward spiral and no matter where you live in West Hempstead, your property values will decline. This is not the fault of the teachers.
    The district spoke of needing to cut programs in order to save money. Again, teachers aren’t to blame for this sad state of affairs. It’s unfortunate that programs we know have contributed to our district’s success will now be removed. Offering residents low budgets each year to presumably save them money is not an investment in our children.
    Patching a roof repeatedly doesn’t ensure the integrity of the structure. We must agree to make a financial commitment to our schools and to this community in order to achieve success. If not, we must resign ourselves to letting kids suffer the consequences as the foundation begins to crumble.

Barbara Hafner
President, West Hempstead Education Association