Blog Title Removed Due to Budget Cuts

I’m bound to piss people off with this, but here goes:

School budgets. Here we are again, getting readied by our school districts to vote an enthusiastic “YES!!” in our votes. Believe me, I understand the importance of education and putting children first as much as the next guy. My family is chock-full of teachers and I’m the first to commend them for their selfless service performing their demanding jobs. I don’t want to see teachers fired, programs cut, busing reduced, or services terminated. But when is enough enough?

I don’t know about the rest of you, but my household budget has been stretched to the max. Today where a tank of gas requires your left arm and first-born, we’ve all had to make sacrifices—some big, some small. That high-ticket private university you had your heart set on? Sorry—say hello to SUNY. Those $150 sneakers you have to have because “all the cool kids have them?” Guess who’s getting another couple months out of his old ones? That $12 martini you want to splurge on at the end of a stressful week? Well, sure, enjoy that. I mean I may be frugal but I’m not crazy!

My point is, if everyone is tightening their belts and thinking twice before spending, why are we not using those same fiscal restraints in our schools? I know, “because voting ‘yes’ means we are for children and voting ‘no’ means we’re against them.” Really? I’m all about kids—hell I’ve got two of my own that I’ve grown fond of, but I’m also practical. And a little responsible. What if—now hear me out—much like at home, we actually had to make some sacrifices in order to flatten out the school budgets a little?  

When I went to Northport High School in (oh God!) the late 70’s, we had—count them—10 clubs. I know this because I opened my yearbook and counted them. That didn’t include sports, or class representatives, or music ensembles, just the clubs. 10. Want to take a stab at how many clubs lists in their Parent Student Handbook? 47! I don’t know, maybe we can save a few bucks and combine a few. Consider the lively discussions that would arise if the Christian-based Bible Club met together with the Hebrew Culture Club. I’m just saying.

And exactly what kind of bang are we getting for our tax buck? Here’s a curious scenario—my son is struggling with algebra (clearly his mother’s son). When I met with his teacher, she was very sweet, and made it very clear that the New York State algebra curriculum is remarkably comprehensive.  So much so that it’s next to impossible for her to effectively cover all the material, and is therefore unable to give the proper time and attention that each topic requires. Hmmm. So I hire a tutor, recommended by the math teacher, and pay him to get my son up to speed so he can pass the regents exam. Maybe the tax refund is in the mail.

No matter where you stand on the school budget vote, be sure to . In the meantime, if you have a creative way for our school district to save some cash, be sure to share it with me. I’ll take full credit for it, of course, but do share.