Like we've stated a few dozen times since we moved back to Long Island, the property taxes suck up here. People pay more in taxes than you likely do for the mortgage. About 60% of that tax bill goes towards supporting the 124 school districts here. Unlike South Carolina, teachers and cops are very well paid here. Finding one making six figures is not uncommon, along with the Class A benefits and retirement that you and I pay for. A couple weeks ago, those school budgets went up to it's annual vote. With everyone facing tough times, there was a lot of questions whether they would pass this year...
Thanks to some rare budgetary restraint, fear and the usual voter apathy, only five of the districts budgets failed. To their credit, many of them saw the handwriting, and wrote budgets with small increases in the 2-4% range, although there were tricks. Many have statutes with 'alternate budgets' if the listed one fails. For example, one district had an alternate budget with a whopping 22% jackup if the 2% increase failed. Nothing like voting with a gun to your head, is there ?????
So, another year has passed, and the neverending mantra of 'It's For the Kids' has worked again. I don't expect anyone Down South - especially if you're more liberal - to understand. I'm single, so I can apartment the next 20 years away without concern for how impossible it is to own a house here, which is why I left in the first place. Not everyone is that lucky. For example, my friend John is moving to Virginia in 2 weeks. Want to guess why? Maybe we'll make our kids so smart, that they can figure out how to fix this mess...
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1 comment:
VA seems to have it together, but with the voting this state has done recently and in the past, it will be a long time before worth while changes happen here. We are still planning on putting Caitlin in private school if we can afford it.
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