So, I went to the next MP budget meeting....

It was Groundhog Day Live.  Presentation by the business superintendent on faculty and staff costs.  Of course, and a mite bit conveniently, the talk was all round-about like, as the "units" (I guess that is a new euphemism for "unions") are in negotiations with the district, so nothing could really be discussed.  Making this meeting another exercise in time wasting.  The only thing that matters is how much the unions (er, units) are going to give up.  Are they going to take a pay cut? Defer or eliminate raises? Pay more into their healthcare and pensions?  Until we learn this we have not learned anything valuable at these meetings.

If the board and the parents at the meeting think that the people assembled in the cafeteria on Wednesday night are a representative sample of the greater Miller Place community, and that by pleading for the theater program, and robotics, and clubs, etc is going to convince people to vote for a huge budget increase they are sadly mistaken. Unless the units (!) give back -- and give back substantially enough for the residents to feel that they are sharing in the budgetary pain -- the budget will go down to defeat. 

Please, unions (units) and administration -- get serious!  Get to the table and work out a deal that will show the taxpayers that you are serious about preserving jobs and the educational programs here in Miller Place.  And then let us know about it before we go to the polls.

A few more random thoughts:

To the slight guy who passionately urged the administration to cut itself, and to great applause.  You spoke at both meetings and said basically the same thing, but you bring the red meat and you had plenty of people on your side.  But, you then attempted to interrupt and shout down another parent who was having her say (admittedly, she was not making much sense).  You totally blew the goodwill you built up, and now you are going to be known as a crank.  Way to go!

Why are Seth Lipshie and John Magnani at these meetings?  Neither of them speak a word.

Ann O'Brien often brings up the bogeyman named "Unfunded Mandates".  Sounds like an episode of Will and Grace.  How about naming some, and their associated costs?  Until you do that most people aren't going to know what you are talking about.

And, Mr. Kramer.  You are way too smart to drop that silly line about Wall Street being bailed out while education is not.  The main similarities between the Wall Street banks and the education establishment is that they are both intertwined with politicians who do their bidding -- Wall St gives campaign donations and then pliable pols write laws favorable to them just as the unions extract dues from guys like you and them give them to pols who write laws favorable to them.  Same thing.  The unions are asking for -- and getting -- the same treatment.  Hence, we have Government Motors and Chrysler bailed out by us, but benefiting the UAW.  The teachers unions got -- albeit somewhat indirectly -- a bailout when Obama gave $billion$ to state governments in the "stimulus" package.  The problem now is that there really is NO MORE MONEY.