Public School Arrogance on New York State Taxes: Irvington Union Free Edition

There’s a law on the books demanding that public school administrators and school board members in New York State think of state funds as money printed for the sole purpose of meeting their district’s needs. Again, that money isn’t generated from taxpayers, it’s just printed, well… whenever, put on a debit card and shipped to the business office to offset local taxes. No one anywhere bears the financial burden. It’s all unicorns and ice cream castles in the air.

[Actually, this can't be a law. If it was a real statute, the vast majority of board members and administrators would be completely ignorant of it. Must be something else.]

I subscribe to just under 100 public school newsletters. Irvington Union Free School District’s “This Week in Your School District,” an e-mail newsletter written and distributed by board member Paul Mandel, is a weekly comedy of errors. It might be a technical burp, like pointing readers to a link and then never giving it; it might be egregious grammar errors that would make a 7th grader blush in embarrassment.

Or it might be a complete and total disregard for taxpayers in the whole of New York State.

In February 14′s TWiYSD, Mandel explains budgetary proposals in “View on Board: Athletics, Transportation and Building & Grounds Budgets”:

At the time of the budget vote, the District will ask voters to approve approximately $650,000 worth of EXCEL Aid projects, one-time grants which are 100% funded by New York State. These projects will include replacing the Main Street School gym bleachers and floor, replacing the Main Street School public address and fire alarm systems and improving the Middle School public address system (providing access to the Middle School art rooms and CMS Rooms). Voters must approve these projects, but it is vital that everyone understand there is absolutely no cost to taxpayers for these important projects.

Bolded/underlined emphases appear in the original newsletter; they aren’t editorialized.

Mandel is right about one thing - it is vital that everyone understands how this all works. It’s just that Mandel doesn’t realize that he and the board on whose behalf he’s speaking need the most remediation.

The simple truth is that taxpayers bear the cost of all state-funded projects - period. In a tiny way, we in Otsego County foot the bill for IUFSD’s EXCEL Aid. Irvington’s residents do the same for us. That’s how being a resident of New York State works.

School boards are famous for thinking of finances only in terms of their local levy. Responsible districts delineate the difference properly: “no additional increases in local school taxes,” etc. Not only do those districts tell the truth, but it’s the responsible way to recognize how funding works.

Remember: if it comes from state funds, it’s a cost to us. Just because it’s not part of your local levy doesn’t mean we don’t pay.

I’d consider these gaffes semantics if I didn’t see it over and over again. And again. And again.

There’s a serious conceptual misunderstanding in public education - though admittedly, sometimes it’s just these board members/admins being lazy and reckless with their words - about taxes. In this, Mandel and IUFSD are unremarkable.

I’ve sent around the following letter; anyone who wishes is welcome to reproduce and distribute it.

And to Mandel, I believe, as you likely do, that everyone can learn - even experienced adults who treat the rest of their state with contempt. I’m available for one-on-one Civics/Government tutoring if you or others on the board are interested: $150/hr.

My primary interest is public education. I read over 7,000 pieces a month on the topic and subscribe to nearly 100 district newsletters from across the country. Occasionally one district or an individual stands proud from the rest - for better or worse.

The February 14 newsletter from IUFSD’s Paul Mandel, titled “View on Board: Athletics, Transportation and Building & Grounds Budgets,” is an attempt by Mandel to justify budget increases in each of the topics in the title. It’s standard fare for board members and administrators to distribute such apologia and, in the District’s defense, most of the increases detailed are unavoidable. Such is public education.

But in the penultimate paragraph, Mandel commits an egregious error as he describes the $650,000 EXCEL Aid package on which voters will decide. This project will “replac[e] the Main Street School gym bleachers and floor” and improve the public address system in the Middle School. He goes on: “Voters must approve these projects, but it is vital that everyone understand there is absolutely no cost to taxpayers for these important projects.” The phrase “absolutely no cost to taxpayers” was made bold and underlined so you folks in Irvington wouldn’t have to bother thinking about it – Mandel has already done it for you.

Mandel’s huckster act conveniently glosses over one important point: New York State taxpayers have already given up the money used in EXCEL projects like the one proposed for IUFSD. The $2.6 billion slated for EXCEL aid didn’t appear when the Fiscal Fairy waved her magic wand.

I have to assume that Mandel meant to suggest that Irvington taxpayers wouldn’t see any additional tax burdens if the EXCEL-based project is approved. In lieu of such pesky clarity, he used sloppy language that masked the honest impact of the project’s approval.

One is compelled to wonder whether the statement is deliberately misleading – if so, it wouldn’t be the first time a school board member pulled a fast one – but that point is nearly moot. Whether out of malice or simply clumsy ignorance, Mandel’s gaffe demonstrates unforgivable contempt for taxpayers in the District and the larger state surrounding it.

Third-rate sales pitches by a public school pismire notwithstanding, honest debate about our schools depends on honest information. If IUFSD is serious about garnering the support not just of its locals but also of taxpayers statewide, they would do well to embrace that honesty.

School board elections are coming up in a few months. Don’t forget to question your candidates on their understanding of public school finances. It’s usually an awfully telling way to find out not just what they know, but how they think about the community and the public good.