Mike Solomon Loses Bid

I am sorry to report that Mike Solomon has lost. He ran a great campaign, but distortions about his candidacy won the day. The budget has passed, which is not unreasonable. The board should not interpret tonight’s results as license to use less-than-sharp pencils next year.

Incidentally, the budget has failed in Katonah.

Several board members tonight issued self-righteous defenses of their actions during the debate, using the specious cloak of free speech. They do not seem to understand the difference between open inquiry and bias, the former being reasonable, the latter being inappropriate.

This campaign has been difficult for Mike and his family, and they even received nasty calls at their home. I wish them well and urge them not to take it personally. I also wish Jen Gerken well. While I thought Mike better qualified, Jen is likable and anti Triborough, which is good. I hope she realizes, though, that settlement with the union is a really bad idea, unless they make significant concessions.

The battle continues.

Teachers in Violation of Election Law

There have been reports today of teachers wearing "Team Jen" buttons around school, Jen being, of course, Jen Gerken who is running for the school board. This may seem like a minor matter, but it's not. It's actually a violation of election law, which states that there may not be any campaigning or electioneering within 100 feet of the polls, the polls being at the schools themselves.

Furthermore, on a matter of principle, our teachers are not supposed to be espousing political viewpoints in school, right?

This removes any doubt whom the teachers union beleives will best serve in their interests.

Vote Mike Solomon. There's two hours left.

Solomon Wins Endorsements From the Record Review and Suozzi

Mike Solomon has won the endorsements of both the Record Review (pigs fly!) and former Democrat Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, on whose eponymous state commission Mike served.

Don't forget to vote tomorrow. Polls are open from 7 am to 9 pm at your local elementary school.

Next Tuesday's School Election and Budget Vote

There are two things to vote on next Tuesday, a contested school board seat, and the proposed school budget.

First, I strongly urge you to vote for Mike Solomon for the school board. There may not be a more qualified candidate to serve on a school board in any district, anywhere. He has the state-level experience we need to deal with Albany, and he also has a daughter in the system so he understand the needs locally as well. He was appointed by the governor to the Suozzi Commission, which made a number of spot on recommendations for property tax reform (which are pending – hopefully not forever).

Most importantly, Mike will stand firm in contract negotiations with the teachers union. As you know, these negotiations are currently at an impasse. The board has asked for some completely reasonable concessions from the union (e.g. they still get raises, just smaller ones), but the union has said no to everything. As a result, they are currently working without a contract. Before you feel sorry for them, know that this means they still get paid all salaries and benefits from the old contract, indefinitely. This includes raises every six months. Thank you, Triborough Amendment.

Mike’s opponent is a woman named Jen Gerken. I’m sure she’s very nice, but my biggest concern is that she stated in the debate the other night that she didn’t think it was in Bedford’s best interests to have teachers working without a contract. This is precisely wrong. The alternative is simply to hand them what they want. We cannot elect someone predisposed to settlement.

As an aside, I am extremely upset with the behavior of three of our current board members, Susan Wollin, Paula Kumar, and Donna Marino. At the debate, they stood up and asked questions that clearly exhibited a bias against Mike. This was highly inappropriate behavior. Whatever their views, as board members they should remain publicly neutral. this goes for Susan Wollin in particular, since she will potentially serve with Mike very soon. I was frankly shocked. They should be thrilled that someone with Mike's experience is willing to serve.

As to the budget, I have a number of concerns, but I have spoken to Mike several times in recent days and he has persuaded me that the correct vote is yes. I will briefly explain my misgivings, and then say why the positives outweigh the negatives.

The stated budget increase is 1.7%, but this is actually quite misleading. 1.7% is indeed the increase over last year’s budget, but the district didn’t spend all the money in last year’s budget. They way over allocated to such things as medical expenses, and this left them with a multi-million dollar surplus. Rather than returning this surplus to the taxpayers, they kept it and used it as a down payment on this year’s budget. The real increase – which is to say this year’s budget vs. what was actually spent last year – is 4.8%. (To be fair, there was also a large forced contribution to the teachers’ pension fund. Subtract this out, and the spending increase is 3.5%.)

Then there’s the “message” we send, one way or another, to the union. The school board, and others, say that since the board is standing up to the union, voting for the budget says you’re supporting the board, and therefore supporting a tough stance with the union. This is tortured logic, at best. In New Jersey, a majority of budgets were defeated and it was viewed as exactly what it was: an anti-union vote. Public sector unions are killing both New Jersey and New York, and there’s no way anyone will interpret “yes” votes as anti-union.

On the other side of the equation is the fact that our board has been willing to not roll over and settle, and they deserve credit for that. The proposed budget actually assumes the union will make some concessions. (If they don’t, more layoffs will be necessary.) Also, in the wake of budget defeats two years ago, the board passed a very reasonable budget last year. Are they doing enough? Probably not, but they are between a rock and a hard place, given state laws. I do wonder, though, why many other districts seem to be getting union concessions, but we don’t seem to be able to.

Then there is Jere Hochman, our superintendent. I like Jere personally, and I think he is highly capable. The district made a great hire, and he has led efforts at community outreach, particularly on financial matters. I give him a lot of credit, and we should all be supportive.

Lastly, the difference between the proposed budget and a contingency budget is not all that great. If it were, I might have a different view. But on balance, this is not the year to turn down the budget.

See you at the polls Tuesday. Polls are open from 7 am to 9 pm at your local elementary school. (Note: if you are registered to vote in other elections, you are registered to vote in school elections as well.)

Teachers are Making Concessions Everywhere But Bedford...

This is from today's New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/nyregion/12teachers.html?hpw

Dinner Companion

I sat next to a woman at dinner last night who is the superintendent of a school system on Long Island with 7000 students. She told me that teachers are "definitely not paid enough," and "They should make more than you do."

(She said this without having the slightest clue what I do for a living.)

I asked her, for the sake of argument, what should teachers make?

"$250,000," came the response. Then she added:"People like you are destroying this country."

I told her that people like me were simply trying to prevent our country from becoming Greece, where people are literally destroying their country.

It was a nice dinner.