Wasserman's Briarcliff School District Tax Cap Compliant Budget

The proposed “Administration’s Budget” contemplates a tax increase of about 6.7%, and possibly as much as 10% for residents of the Town of Mount Pleasant. Should this budget be adopted, contractual obligations may necessitate similar-sized tax increases for at least the next two or three years. 

If a budget stays within the property tax limit of about 3.3%, a 50% vote is required. To bust the property tax cap limit, a 60% supermajority vote is required. If a cap-busting budget fails twice, the consequences to our children’s education may be drastic. 

The BOE has not provided information it is required to make available to the public. It has actually promised this information, but hasn’t delivered on the promise, despite FOIL requests. Accordingly, I have worked diligently, using the information they have made available, historical information, and data from other districts to develop a budget myself. I have been able to formulate a tax-compliant budget that will not require any teachers or teaching assistants to be fired, and will retain modified sports teams and co-curricular clubs.

The Administrators have generously offered to take a pay freeze and we should all thank them for their dedication to our children.

The Property Tax Cap Law imposes a necessary discipline on the School Board to find ways to best look out for the taxpayers’ interests. Our Board needs to adhere to its charge.

I can come up with a tax-compliant budget and so should the School Board. I have offered to sit down with them and other interested residents to help them with their budget, as our District used to do, and as Pleasantville does.  The offer stands – let’s work together to solve the District’s challenges. If the public does not have the information to make an informed decision, a vote is likely to fail. Do you want to gamble with our children’s education?