Dear Editor:
Our five school board members control one of the biggest expenditures that thousands of homeowners have to bear annually — school taxes.
Their decisions affect students, our cost of living and the value of our homes.
As a former Realtor, I know that S.A.T. scores are the benchmark by which a buyer judges the quality of a school system. S.A.T. scores and taxes have a direct effect on our property values, now more than ever before.
The rankings of all the schools in Westchester were recently printed in a local publication. Out of the 44 schools in Westchester County, Irvington is 15 down from the top in S.A.T. scores (66th percentile), but 2nd from the top in cost per pupil (95th percentile)! That huge imbalance between our cost per pupil (high taxes) and lackluster test scores should be very alarming to taxpayers.
Irvington’s publicized cost per pupil was refuted by one of our administrators. Nevertheless, those figures are now out there for the public to see. And that is our district’s big problem. We have over spent, taken on debt to build a new middle school, over hired and expanded programs. Now we are in a dilemma.
Taxpayers have not paid attention in the past thus allowing our school spending spree to go on too long. Even if some staff members were eliminated, how long can we taxpayers sustain our bloated school budget? It is getting too expensive to live here. I worry that prospective home buyers will think that also.
It’s time for a change. We deserve better oversight in regard to how we educate our students and where our too high tax dollars are being allocated. We must elect an independent thinker, listener and voice to represent our students, parents and taxpayers. That person is Robyne Camp.
Linda Leary, Irvington, NY
