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School bus proposal defeated
District plans to lease
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
GLOVERSVILLE — A majority of Gloversville school district voters gave approval Monday to purchase four new buses, but the proposition failed anyway because a supermajority of 60 percent was required by law. The 405 to 320 vote tally constituted a 55.8 percent majority. District Business Administrator Steven Schloicka said the supermajority is required because the district is already over its debt limit. Peter Semione, board vice president, said he was astonished that residents passed up an opportunity to buy four new buses — totaling $190,000 — at a local share of about $19,000. With the defeat, the board reacted immediately by voting 5 to 2 to seek bids to lease the four vehicles at an estimated cost of up to $60,000 for the school-year. Board members Betsy Simek and Harry Wiggins opposed leasing. Board President Perry Paul said voters may have been trying to save money but instead forced the district to spend an extra $40,000 to cover this year’s bus routes. He said the loss to taxpayers is actually greater because leasing will prevent the district from realizing the $250,000 in savings projected from using district buses and drivers — not private contractors — to make special education runs to Albany. Paul said the savings after leasing may now be $150,000. To maximize the savings, the board voted to institute student bus stops and implement that plan by Oct. 1, if possible. There has been door-to-door bus service, a time consuming approach. Consolidating the stops would free up buses for other runs, officials said, saving an estimated $53,000. Semione pointed out leasing the buses is a temporary solution. The following year, he said the district will face the same bus shortage dilemma. Had the voters approved the four buses, Semione said they would have been in the district fleet for 10 years. Superintendent Robert DeLilli said he understands the perception by some that the board was arrogant when it adopted a contingency budget with the same 6.9 percent tax increase offered by the budget defeated soundly in May. Now, he said, the district and its taxpayers will have to spend more.
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December 2, 2008
6:03 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
"supermajority is required because the district is already over its debt limit."
Debt LIMIT!
Words have such different meaning to tax spenders than they do to us taxpayers.
On the radio this morning Mr. Paul, the head of the school board asked what the voters wanted.
How about a school board that spends what it has instead of demanding more and more from us?
7:13 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I believe and I speak for myself and not all voters of gloversville,maybe its time to stop step back and find a new way. Lets start with the truth getting out to the public you took back the albany run, the driver sits down in albany area for the entire day and returns after school to save fuel.
If we can put this much thought into saving fuel there consolidating runs is next if you are saving there and freeing up busses what exactly is the reason for threatening the public that you will be leasing busses at more expense to the area? Also according to what the district has said the change in the school time starting was to save money less busses on the road and saving energy costs? Do you all forget from one lie to the next?
7:52 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
We have put a nice "FOR SALE" sign in front of our "retirement home" in the Gloversville School District. We have had enough of rising taxes, yearly revals, grieving assessments and finally small claims court. It seems the Gloversville BOE does not care for the taxpayer and I am really getting tired of paying school taxes that are 78% higher than any state in the Union, with a dismal 68% graduation rate (in a good year).
Many people in my area are doing the same. It's sad, because we live in a beautiful rural area. We don't perceive arrogance of the board, they have proven it three times. 1. Voters voted down 7% increase in the budget, BOE took $4,000 off original budget and passed a 6.9% increase. 2. Senator Farley sent money to the district, the BOE decided to put in in the "Bank" instead of giving the tax payers relief. 3. Now this.
10:39 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
The school district has little leeway when state mandates force the retirement of buses when they reach a certain age or accumulate a certain amount of miles. Buses simply must be systematically replaced each year. And to get $190,000 worth of buses for a net cost of $19,000 to the district is an awfully good bargain to turn down.
Taxpayers may be frustrated, but voting down budget items like buses as a knee-jerk reaction only backfires. And even with the general budgets, the vast majority of the budget, again because of state mandates and union contracts, will remain in place under an austerity budget. The voters are realistically only approving a small fraction of the budget.
Change must come in the state legislature for tax relief. School officials' hands are pretty much tied at budget time, and they do a considerable amount of work at paring those budgets the best they can before presenting them to the voters.
1:43 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Why must change come from the State? I think it's about time the unions gave in. As I said before, the BOE KNEW a vote for the busses was coming in the summer. This is politics, not rocket science. You treat the voters with respect, and you get the things you really need. The article stated that $53,000 could be saved by combining bus routes. Why didn't they do this when the first budget was proposed. There is a lot of waste and a lot of anger. And it started when the voters turned down a 7.0% increase, and the BOE took off $4,000 and passed a 6.9% increase.
4:45 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Their hands are not tied its called controll spending. There is no reason bus repairs should be farmed out of the district.They begged the voters for the state of the art transportation facility. At that time it was to save money. If the public had any clue at the internal waste of tax payer dollars for nonsense and politics its actually rather sickening.If you want new busses fine bring to the public what you have what needs to be replaced and why.The truth goes along way thus far all the public heres is one lie after another and watch our taxes go up and up.