Today is the day when voters across New York state get to vote on their local school budgets and for school board members; in most districts, voting is from noon to 9 PM. While some media outlets will tell you to vote solely based on the proposed rate of school tax increase (or decrease), responsible voters should weigh a variety of factors, including the tax levy but also the quality and variety of educational programs.
It's tempting to vote against a school budget to "send a message" about taxes and spending. But in school budgets, you're really only voting on a small percentage of the budget (10% or less typically), the part NOT mandated by the state and federal governments. If defeated, schools will adopt a contingency budget, whose spending and/or taxation levels are often only negligibly less.
So make sure you cast an informed vote and understand the full effects of pulling the yes or no lever.
No comments:
Post a Comment