School Budgets Fail in Saland's District

In what can only be called a total lack of leadership on the part of the New York State Legislature, voters in nine of 13 Dutchess County school districts defeated their 2006-07 school spending plans. According to an article in the Poughkeepsie Journal, residents had simply had enough.

Arlington Superintendent Frank Pepe wasn't discouraged by the budget defeat.

"This is not a vote against Arlington," but a vote against the governor and the state legislature for their inaction on school tax reform, Pepe said.

This is also a failure of leadership on the part of Senator Saland, who is the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

Property tax reform is an absolute priority, and the fact that neither the Senate nor the Education Committee has tackled this issue head on speaks volumes.

When I'm elected this Fall, one of my top priorities will be to reform the way our schools are funded. We need to move to a fair income based funding plan for our schools. The calcified incumbent laced Republican Senate majority refuses to ease the pain of skyrocketing property taxes for Dutchess and Columbia residents by ignoring the problem.

Want to reduce your property taxes and return to a fair and equitable system? Then you need a NEW team to help build a NEW New York.