To the Editor:
Thirty Nine Thousand Four hundred ninety three dollars. ($39,493)!!!!! That’s how much Onteora School District spends to educate each student. It is fully 50% higher than the top 10 rated school districts in NYS spend to educate their children and is even more than the cost of many of the best private schools in the Country. In a recent presentation to the Shandaken public Onterora Acting Superintendent, Victoria McLaren suggested that the BOE “could have” recommended a sharper tax increase but is “leaving some increase on the table for the future”. Despite the continued significant reduction in district enrollment, the budget continues to grow unimpeded.
With Per capita income in Ulster County only $20,846, perhaps the BOE should not be so removed from the struggles of the working families of our area. One can’t help but wonder if parents, given the choice of where to spend their $39, 493 for each one of their children, would choose Onteora or an exceptional private school.
John Michelotti
Big Indian
