School administrations must be breathing a sigh of relief throughout the North Country and the entire state, after seeing the resounding success they had selling school budgets to voters Tuesday.
In the North Country, of 26 districts, only one defeated the proposed school budget. St. Regis Falls voters were deciding on a budget with a 5.66-percent increase in the tax levy. The tax levy is the amount that must be raised by the property tax, after all expenses and revenue sources are taken into account. It is the most reliable measure of the local taxpayers' obligation.
The tax levy in St. Regis Falls had the highest increase in the North Country, except 7 percent in Newcomb and 13.9 percent in Schroon Lake, both relatively tiny districts.
For the most part, the votes weren't even close. That reflected a trend that swept across the state, as 97.2 percent of districts from Rouses Point to Long Island to Buffalo endorsed local spending plans.
This seems to say that voters had faith in their school boards, even in this time of lost jobs and economic hardship. Give the public the facts, and they'll respond sensibly.
We're not saying that there are never reasons for defeating a school budget or even that there were good reasons to defeat some this time. There may well have been. But voters apparently understood that education must be dispensed with continued quality in mind, even if other necessities of life are having to be compromised.
New York State United Teachers President Richard C. Iannuzzi offered this comment on the heels of the somewhat surprising vote Tuesday night: "Even in these tough economic times, we see that voters recognize the importance of supporting their local schools. By voting 'yes,' New Yorkers are saying they understand that as our economy turns around, students must be ready."
He had reason to be gleeful: The 97.2 statewide approval was a record, surpassing the previous high of 95.3 percent in 2007. Of 547 school districts in New York state, only 16 rejected their proposed budget. In the North Country, the percentage comes out to about 96 percent passage.
In rural communities, schools are much more than educational centers, of course. Schools are the heart of most social, athletic and cultural pursuits, and the residents seem to understand that.
Around here, teacher and employee unions have offered to sacrifice pay raises and boards have applied all the frugality to the budgeting process that they could summon.
Apparently, the voters recognized that and appreciated it.
Opinion
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Cheers and Jeers: May 28, 2012
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Cheers and Jeers: May 28, 2012
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In My Opinion: A new focus for mental well-being
