CSEA Slams Suozzi Commission Tax Cap Proposal as Attack on Education

ALBANY, NY (06/03/2008)(readMedia)-- CSEA today blasted recommendations by a state commission, led by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, calling for a school district property tax cap. The CSEA leader said the proposal is an outright attack on New York’s school children and school employees.

“Never has investment in education been more important than it is today,” said CSEA President Danny Donohue. “Calling for a cap now will surely mean cuts in programs and services tomorrow, and slams the door on the future of our school children. We deserve better ideas than this,” the union leader said.

Donohue said instead of cutting resources to teachers and support staff who keep schools running, the state would be better off eliminating the financial perks school districts have been lavishing on law firms they hire to represent them against their workers. He was referring to a recent investigation by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo over allegations that some school boards have allowed private attorneys to double dip financially, including collecting pensions from the state retirement fund.

He also criticized the commission’s recommendation to exempt educational employees from the Taylor Law’s Triborough Amendment, which allows most of the terms and conditions of an expired contract to remain in place while a new agreement is being negotiated.

He said the safeguards provided by the law were vital since school district officials often drag out contract talks long after the workers’ contracts have expired. Triborough requires public employers to bargain in good faith.

“We have members who have been working without a contract for years while their school boards nickel and dime them to death,” Donohue said. “We’re talking about people who clean the classrooms, shovel the snow, fix the plumbing and drive the buses. It is hypocritical for the commission to recommend savings on the backs of these workers while lawyers are allowed to siphon tens of thousands of dollars from the public trough.

“Every year, the voting public in the vast majority of school districts vote to accept or reject their school budget and its cost,” Donohue said. “Their judgment should be valued better than an arbitrary cap.”

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