PTA Council President Urges Parents to Petition Tax Cap

Commack PTA Council President Jacki Fleischhacker urged parents and residents within the district to sign a petition opposing the proposed property tax cap in an email sent Tuesday evening.

The New York state Senate approved legislation that would or at the level of the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. While Gov. Andrew Cuomo supports this, Democrats in the Assembly have yet to bring the measure to a vote.

In the message, Fleischhacker states that while property owners in a mandated tax cap, school districts will suffer.

"While a 2% cap sounds good in light of rising property taxes each year, our taxes are rising because the state is cutting aid to our schools," she said. "This year Commack took a $3.9 million hit. Our property taxes pay a whopping 75% of the cost of our schools. It shouldn't be that way, and it never was in the past."

Earlier this year, to discuss funding strategies should the tax cap be imposed. James spoke of the tax cap frequently throughout the 2011-2012 budget development process, noting that it will shrink the district's budget significantly if it goes into effect.

Read the message in full here.