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Pleasantville HS Students Take Part in Mock Debate

Before Tuesday's election, Pleasantville students held a President Barack Obama vs. Gov. Mitt Romney debate.

Posted by Sarah Studley (Editor), November 11, 2012 at 09:15 pm

Students from every grade of Pleasantville High School spent a portion of the day before Tuesday's election weighing in on the two major party Presidential candidates—President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney.

Participants debated issues in a strict debate format and stuck to the facts thanks to researchers and fact checkers Lizzie Gellman, Shane Howe, Sean Cotter, Aidan McDermott and Benji Taubenblatt.

Click here to view all of Patch's election coverage.

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Lisa Jenner May 19, 2013 at 05:57 pm

I also agree with Mr. Venditti with his assessment that more money does not necessarily mean better…Read More education. The districts to which we like to compare ourselves outperform us in many areas, and they do so at a better cost. Our BOE and administrative team need to look at other districts and learn from them.

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Lisa Jenner May 19, 2013 at 05:51 pm

I agree with Mr. Venditti regarding the tax burden in Briarcliff, and, as usual, I disagree with Mr.…Read More Valenti. My oldest son, a Briarcliff High School graduate, has secured a job in Westchester and is looking to purchase his first home. Briarcliff is not even in the running for him, because the taxes are so high. He is looking in nearby communities where the taxes are not so burdensome. While this story is anecdotal, it does support the statement that potential buyers steer clear of Briarcliff because of the taxes.

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Mike Valenti May 19, 2013 at 04:59 pm

Mr. Venditti and his crew are the same folks who sponsored the likes of Janet Marinaccio, Guy…Read More Rotundo, Eric Bashford and Rosella Ranno. The community has spoken loud and clear in the last several elections as candidates sponsored by this group have been soundly defeated. The track records (and more importantly the comportment) of the aforementioned board members spoke volumes as to the agenda of this group. They are out of touch and out of clout. The community has made it clear that candidates sponsored by this group must never again control our school board. Continued...

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Mike Valenti May 19, 2013 at 09:31 pm

This year’s school budget is a REDUCTION in spending by the district versus last year’s…Read More budget. We are the ONLY district in Westchester to forward a reduction for our community to vote on. The reason we will slightly violate the tax-cap is due to the fiscal irresponsibility of a prior board using fund balance to cushion the budget and create the illusion of a cap-compliant budget. Please join me in re-electing Jon Satran and Sal Maglietta. Please also join me in voting YES on this year’s school budget.

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Mike Valenti May 19, 2013 at 09:30 pm

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Mike Valenti May 19, 2013 at 09:30 pm

On a related note, Mr. Venditti also displays a very disturbing understanding of what drives…Read More property values here in Westchester. Property values are driven by the perceived quality of the school district and the perceived support within the district for academic excellence. For a community like Briarcliff to vote down a school budget because it raises taxes approximately $27.50/year for an $800k home is suicidal from a property value standpoint. Go ahead folks, follow the advice of Mr. Venditti and vote this school budget down, then watch your property values plummet for years to come. Continued...

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Mike Valenti May 19, 2013 at 09:40 pm

The damage done by the prior BOE majority has begun a cycle of meaningful healing under the current…Read More BOE majority. Please join me in re-electing Jon Satran and Sal Maglietta. Please also join me in voting YES on this year’s school budget.

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Mike Valenti May 19, 2013 at 09:39 pm

Mr. Rubich and his crew are the same folks who sponsored the likes of Janet Marinaccio, Guy Rotundo,…Read More Eric Bashford and Rosella Ranno. The community has spoken loud and clear in the last several elections as candidates sponsored by this group have been soundly defeated. The track records (and more importantly the comportment) of the aforementioned board members spoke volumes as to the agenda of this group. They are out of touch and out of clout. The community has made it clear that candidates sponsored by this group must never again control our school board. Continued...

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Mike Valenti May 19, 2013 at 09:38 pm

While I respect Mr. Rubich's right to voice his alternative point of view, it is hardly objective as…Read More he clearly states that his purpose is to illicit votes for the imploding campaign of Paul Wasserman and Louis Linder. Mr. Rubich's encouragement that the community vote down the school budget further tarnishes his judgement and credibility. Continued...

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Mike Valenti May 19, 2013 at 02:53 pm

Mr. Linder, This is YOUR post folks are responding to and your ideas. I find it curious at best…Read More that you began a public forum comment blog but advocate throughout your responses that the discussion should be taken off-line and out of public view. this really doesn't position you well as an advocate for transparency.

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Sonny (Louis) Linder May 18, 2013 at 05:07 pm

CORRECTION TO LAST POST: The last sentence should read: "Let's continue to share, but…Read More face-to-face." Thx - Sonny

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Sonny (Louis) Linder May 18, 2013 at 06:06 am

Thanks, Jon - you raise important considerations and in a calm, dispassionate way, which I…Read More appreciate. As for alternative funding mechanisms, in hindsight I believe they should have been examined and addressed this earlier this year had the decision-making been opened up to the public in a completely bidirectional manner much earlier in this year's budget cycle. A real take-away from this situation, in my opinion, is that we in the community were not given the opportunity to sit down together with sharpened pencils in a public forum and allowed to vet and actually challenge the Administration's assumptions in order to arrive at budget alternatives with the Administration and Board. The comparison you make with Washington is indeed apt in that it reflects the way decisions have slid back to being made in a vacuum and handed down to the voters instead of in a democratic fashion based on budget-to-actuals instead of budget-to-budget figures combined with the practice of over-reserving for expense items while under-estimating revenues. Although the Board did indeed reach out to me and 2 others asking for suggestions, when we re-iterated our request for an open meeting format to include other financially savvy community members, these requests were consistently ignored. Which is why we are in the current position we are in having to decide on Tues on a tax levy cap-busting budget requiring 60% super-majority. Which the public will decide, of course, and we will live with the consequences: either it passes, or the Board and Administration will be forced to rein in the excesses. And much as I love open debate, I restate that online posting leaves does leave a lot to be desired. Let's continue to share, but not face-to-face. Respectfully - Sonny

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McKey Rivers May 10, 2013 at 07:36 pm

Thank you Dr. Sternberg for your thoughtful letter. You hit on an important facet of this election…Read More few if any others have stated: electing Mr. Wasserman and/or Mr. Linder will provide the added benefit of diversity of thought as the Board continues to address difficult, ongoing educational and financial issues. There is a woeful absence of synergy produced by articulation of different views among the current Board members. The absence of a “check and balance” on the current Board is reflected in the inexplicable decision to cancel the May 13 BOE meeting (scheduled since last summer), which is the last meeting prior to the May 21 budget vote and board election. Is there no business for the Board to conduct at this critical juncture or could it be that the Board does not want Briarcliff residents to hear members of the community question the Board about the proposed budget right before the election? Electing either Mr. Linder and/or Mr. Wasserman will immediately benefit the public as the highest vote getter will be seated on May 22 and thus participate in formulating a second budget for public vote that, notwithstanding current BOE scare tactics, can be tax levy compliant and not involve additional program elimination or reduction. There is no doubt that electing Mr. Wasserman and/or Mr. Linder to the Briarcliff School Board will substantially benefit the entire Briarcliff community and provide a much needed check on Board decision making.

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