Sunday, January 22, 2012

Kingston Schools are broke - Cancel $90 Million Building Program

The Kingston School District is broke.  It is closing schools and laying off teachers.  It is closing schools within the City of Kingston.  This is destroying city neighborhoods.  The district has no business pushing a building plan that spends close to $90 Million on the KHS complex, demolishing buildings and building new buildings.  Let's move the 9th Graders from KHS to Bailey and Miller Middle Schools and move the 6th grade from Bailey and Miller Middle Schools to the Elementary Schools.  This will use the unused space in the elementary schools and allow them to stay open, especially in the city. It will also allow us to use the KHS complex, as is, without spending money that we do not have on a major KHS building plan.  The Kingston School District is in survival mode.  It has no business starting a $90 Million building program.  NY State could be on the verge of taking over the operation of KHS due to the poor graduation rates and the poor progress in improving KHS.

Friday, January 6, 2012

What is missing from Cuomo's Education Budget

What is missing from Cuomo's Education Budget are simply the following 2 reforms.

1)  Repeal of the Triborough Amendment (which practically guarantees teacher's & other unions at least the same contract as the last one).

2)  School Voucher Grants to Parents which lower education costs via competition among public, private & parochial schools. (This grant system has created healthy competition & worked for years at the college level.)