A Resident’s Letter

Protest Letter RCS CSD 2013-14 Budget

Some Local Residents Would Sell Their Souls Based on Dysinformation

Careful what you sign on for!

Some Will Even Abuse their Privileges and Commit A Serious Violation of HIPAA and FERPA Laws Governing Privacy and Confidentiality of Information!

Parents are being flooded with emails urging them to contact the BoE for a higher tax levy! The e-mail campaign is selective—some parents and familes are being excluded from the mailing—and is spreading misinformation! So we’re asking where did the senders get all those specific, target e-mails? Are you wondering, too?

Electronic health-care transactions:

Since the Central New York Regional Information Center (CNYRIC) submits all Medicaid claim data to the electronic Medicaid system in New York State (eMedNY) for processing; it is a covered entity under this act. The electronic transmission of Medicaid data is now HIPAA compliant.

Privacy:

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act-Buckley Amendment (FERPA a.k.a. Buckley Amendment) is more restrictive than HIPAA with respect to the protection of privacy and security of all health related services. Since all school districts /§4201 schools/counties (and any other educational entities that have access to student data) are obligated to be in compliance with FERPA, they are also HIPAA compliant.

Read More on this Subject

That Excuse Won’t Work!

We call for an investigation by the Interim Superintendent Dr Alan McCartney and the RCS Central School District Board of Education! Is your privacy and household information being abused? Find out before it’s too late!

If Gerald “Dirty-Hands Jerry” Deluca can make a public statement to the board of education that he is aware of how they voted in their private voting at the polls, are you safe from scoundrels like him? Deluca recently made a very disturbing remark at a school board meeting when he stated that he knew how people voted. (Board of Education Meeting of 3/26/13. Deluca: “Last year there was a number of people on the board that voted for the budget here at the meeting. I am concerned that some of those who voted for it at the meeting went out and voted against it.”) Now how and where would he have access to such information. Isn’t our vote supposed to be secret? Is Deluca misusing police information resources? Isn’t anything safe from these villains?

We posted the facts about the tax levy at More Dysinformation Misinformation by the Ignorant Pundits and we warned you all of the Deluca-Coeymanazi propaganda at Deluca, Miller, Teachers Clique Want More Money!!!!. You need to click those links and read those articles if you haven’t done so already.

A Resident’s Letter
To Superintendent MCartney and to the
RCS Board of Education

A resident has addressed a letter of protest to Dr McCartney and to the RCS Central School District Board of Education. We are reprinting it here.

Dr Alan R. McCartney, Interim Superintendent
RavenaCoeymansSelkirkCentralSchool District Office
15 Mountain Rd.
Ravena, NY12143
e – mail: amccartney@rcscsd.org

Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk CSD
Board of Education
P.O. Box 100
Ravena, NY12143
e – mail: BoardMembers@rcscsd.org

Dear Superintendent Dr McCartney, Board of Education Members:

First of all I and my family would like to thank you for your fine efforts at navigating the RCSCentralSchool District back on course. Your untiring study and analysis and your leadership together with a team spirit when working with the RCS board of education to arrive at some level of collaboration is truly appreciated.

The purpose of this letter is not to give you a big head nor to second – guess results, however.

I am sending you this letter to expressly state that I object to any tax levy that exceeds 2 % and urge you to even further reduce the tax levy to 0 % and make appropriate adjustments to the 2012 – 13 RCS Central School District budget.

The fat in the budget not only hurts the property owner and business base in this RCS district, it has far – reaching secondary effects on our local economy, including a negative effect on our property values. Those effects are not restricted to this community alone but adversely affect the entire region and beyond.

I am aware that such abuse and misuse is a criminal violation of both the HIPAA and the FERPA.

I realize that there are elements in this RCS community who are using or misusing resources, very likely RCS CSD resources, such as parents’ e – mail addresses, that should not be used for political purposes, to get their partisan message out to the community. Most of us do not have access to those resources and, even if we had such access, would probably not misuse or abuse them for the purpose of propagandizing the community. That having been said, we also urge you to investigate whether such RCS CSD resources are being abused and misused for such purposes.

Once again, I wish to make very clear that I do not support a tax levy in excess of 2 % and would urge you to reduce the levy to 0 %, if possible, and to make appropriate adjustments to the budget, and to further sanitize RCS CSD programs and services.

Thank you for your efforts!
 [Names Withheld by Request]
Concerned RCS Resident

We have processed the letter, which we feel is very good and says what it has to say clearly and briefly, and we are providing that processed letter for your use as a pdf and as a word document. All you have to do is click the links below print or download the letter, fill in the personal information at the top, sign it and mail it. Make your voice heard!

• Get the MS Word letter here: Protest Letter RCS CSD 2013-14 Budget
• Get the pdf letter here: Protest Letter RCS CSD 2013-14 Budget.

 And please don’t forget to read the facts about assessments, tax levies, and tax rates at our recent article: More Dysinformation Misinformation by the Ignorant Pundits and Deluca, Miller, Teachers Clique Want More Money!!!!

And Tell Them So!
Invest a Stamp and Save Your Community!
The Editor

 

More Dysinformation Misinformation by the Ignorant Pundits

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The “Just Curious” Trivia Question:
Who can identify the stupid blond female Coeymans cop who was sitting in a Coeymans patrol car parked on the wrong side of the street (at the end of Russell Ave.), no lights on, car’s nose stuck out in oncoming traffic on Main Street, forcing Main St. traffic across the double line into the oncoming lane to get by her. She was slurping s.t. from a paper cup.
Spotting Time: Saturday, April 20 at 10:07 a.m.
That must be Coeymans’ idea of public safety, right?

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You can fight and win ONLY if you have good information about the lies of the enemy!

This article is NOT intended to provide tax or legal advice. It is purely for general information and discussion purposes. It is not being provided to assist the reader in making specific or general decisions regarding specific tax questions. If you feel you need tax or legal advice regarding the subject matter discussed in this article, please consult with a professional tax advisor or with a licensed attorney. Thank you for your visit and understanding.

“Fitness Club Floozie” Cathy Deluca, “Dirty-Hands” Jerry Deluca Should Keep Their Cakeholes Shut if They Don’t Know What They’re Talking About!

Caution! They may talk but they’re solid wood, nothing in there but dead wood!

That’s the impression we get when we hear Cathy Deluca or Jerry Deluca or any of the teachers clique speaking: It’s like watching a ventriloquist’s dummy talking. We know it’s a dummy and we know someone else is doing the talking but we still watch the dummy and listen to what it has to say. Go figure!

Who’s doing the talking?

At the April 16, RCS board of education meeting, “Dirty-Hands” Jerry Deluca waddled to the speakers podium to “Give his voice” to the discussion.  Here’s what he had to say:

Deluca: “If we cut the budget too much this year, we will pay for it next year by cutting programs or raising taxes…You cannot continue to cut this district to the bone…Just because we have some extra money doesn’t mean we have to just cut the tax rate.”

Now, I want you to note that Jerry Deluca refers to the “tax rate” in his statement.

Cathy Deluca, of course, has to get her two cents into the discussion and in a public statement writes:

Cathy DeLuca: “After watching the video of the BOE meeting it appears that some people are confusing the tax Levy with the tax Rate. Understandable, it can be quite confusing. Please understand that the tax Levy is NOT the same as the tax Rate…it appears that with a tax levy between 2% to 3% we would have a tax RATE of -5% to -8%, YES that means a Decrease in your tax bill. The key word is tax “RATE” not levy.”

Can you two Delucas get it straight for just once in your lives? It seems that the local loudmouths, Cathy and Jerry Deluca, don’t know what they’re talking about and, although they’re cohabitating, they don’t seem to communicate much.

[Editor’s Note: While the two Delucas, Cathy and Jerry, give a lot of advice about taxes etc. neither of the pair has any qualification or training to give such advice. Neither has training in accounting, finance, or law. Neither of the Delucas has been licensed or certified by any agency to qualify them to give such advice or information.]

What Cathy doesn’t mention is that her own partner, Jerry Deluca, is actually the one person, not “some people” Cathy, Your husband, Jerry Deluca, is the one who is “confusing the tax levy with the tax rate”! Bring it where it belongs, Cathy, right at home, your husband doesn’t know what he’s talking about. But that’s nothing new, is it?

Here’s another point you residents need to keep in mind regarding the so called speakers at the April 16, 2013, RCS board of education meeting:  The speakers were almost exclusively teachers and all stand to profit from a higher levy (more than 2%).  By profit, I mean receive personal and professional enrichment; I mean they personally profit from more programs and fewer cuts! (It’s highly unlikely that RCS students would notice any change at all with a lower levy!) Here’s what they had to say (not in order of speaking):

Alice Whalen: Retired Teacher and Board Member Wants More!
“I’m completely against the 2%“
Why is she talking to a water bottle?

The first speaker: Sarah Engel is a teacher and the wife of sitting board member Howard “Bray” Engel (but she seems to be silent on both points). She wants a higher than 2% levy. Why? As a teacher and wife of a teacher, she stands to profit.

Maureen Perrot, identifying herself as a “faculty member,” “taxpayer,” and “parent”–in other words, someone who stands to profit from a higher levy–spoke in favor of a higher levy (more than 2%).

Elizabeth A. Varney, another public school employee (but didn’t mention this fact) and a member of the New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS), got to plug for the higher levy.

The second speaker: A lovely little 5th grader, Maddie McTigue, was apparently put up on exhibit to sell middle school programs and to put in a good word for a favorite teacher and her program. I think it’s scandalous to use a child to parrot the agenda of the adults! It’s downright abusive! That’s downright devious, putting a child up to pitch your agenda! Shame on you! Parents and teachers!

The third speaker was our local double-dipper, bully-monger, NYSUT union rep, Matthew J. “Matt the Mutt” Miller. It’s only natural that he run at the mouth in favor of a higher levy because it will benefit his constituency, the teachers, and their union, the New York State United Teachers a.k.a. NYSUT. But he had the gall to act like a Joe Average taxpayer and flaunted his own tax returns (When was he last audited, I wonder?) as “proof” of something (We’re still not sure what it was to prove. Maybe his stupidity and insincerity?). According to Miller, 2% is “imprudent” and he wants a levy between 3-3.5%. But please note, readers, anything over 2% can cause complications in the number of votes required to pass such a budget.

New York State United Teachers
Matt Miller’s Godfather

Did you know that NYSUT filed a law suit to prevent the tax cap? According to NYSUT president Richard “Dick” Iannuzzi:

“… whether children attend a low-wealth or a high-wealth school district, they should be able to receive a quality education and local voters should have the opportunity to decide how much money their district spends on education.”

“We believe very strongly in the principle that every student, no matter where they live or go to school, should have the opportunity to receive a quality public education,” Iannuzzi said in a statement. “In challenging the constitutionality of the tax cap, we are fighting for that principle, just as we are fighting for the democratic principles of ‘one person, one vote’ and for the right of citizens, through local control of their schools, to determine for themselves how much they want to spend on their own community’s schools.”

What You See versus What You Get

That’s a pile of teachers union bullshit!  Pretty words hiding an ugly message. Like powder and paint hiding someting you don’t want to see. We think this means that the teachers union, NYSUT, wants no cap and wants to go hog-wild on the property owner with taxation. What it’s saying is that if you own property, you need to foot the bill for your local social services recipien’ts’ children, even if you have no children. Now is that fair? but that’s the teachers union and Matt Miller talking about your property and your money.

According to our analysis (Yes. It’s oversimplified): Those who want a levy of more than 2% can benefit in two ways, at least:

• If the higher levy demanded by the teachers and the Delucas is approved by the board and the voters accept the budget, the teachers and the teachers union benefit by having more taxpayer (property owner) money to spend.
• If the higher levy is approved by the board (the deadline for the budget  is April 26, 2013) and is sent to the public for the vote and fails, the Coeymanazis will blame the present board for putting out a budget that is too high, and the district will have to go to the contingency budget. Not a pleasant thought and that could mean more negative publicity for the community and the district.

[Editor’s Note: For those of you who want more information and greater detail, please visit the links below.]

Either way, the community and the district suffer…that is, the taxpayer suffers.

Did you know?

That 2% you’ve been hearing so much about is only a small part of the so-called “Tax Cap Law.” In reality, it’s just one part of an eight-step formula that determines the maximum allowable tax levy the school district can pass with a simple majority. You can read more about the process of how the levy is determined here:

NEW YORK STATE’S PROPERTY TAX CAP A Citizens Guide
Understanding New Yorks Property Tax Cap

This is a short video put out by the Bethlehem School District:
Understanding New York State’s New Property Tax Levy Cap
But keep in mind that the video was produced by an organization with a bias in favor of schools, teachers, and superintendents. But despite all that, some of the content is helpful.

Since the state government allocates a portion of property taxes received each year to the various public school districts and the government also provides tax relief to property taxpayers in the form of a credit (STAR), the relief is in the form of the school levies credit. Tax rules govern the annual levy and relief.

Every property owner must pay the school levy property tax even if he has no children attending public school in this state. And, as the law now stands, you may own property in the district, such as if you are a business, but don’t reside in the district and you will not be able to vote on the budget! Now that’s fair, isn’t it? This is based on the government reasons on the founding principle that all children should be educated at the public’s expense (this actually is a Protestant, Calvinist, principle that entered the government’s principles). Since the state and local governments have the legal responsibility and mandate of managing public education, it levies taxes for this purpose.

Tax Cap: In 2011 the New York state legislature passed, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law the historic property tax cap. The law requires the local governments and school districts to raise taxes no more than 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. As important is that the tax cap is not a dictate from Albany.  Communities may raise or lower property taxes according to the needs of the community. If the taxpayers want to pay more taxes they can, and they can override the cap with a 60 percent vote for schools and by a 60 percent vote of the governing body for local governments.

Tax Rate: The rate at which your local government determines your property will be taxed. For example: You own a home assessed at $100,000. Your tax rate is $30.00/1000. Your tax bill will be $3,000.

Property owners often confuse property taxes and assessments. For instance, some taxpayers attempt to “grieve” their taxes. You can grieve your assessment, but not your taxes.

Assessments not taxes – Assessments are determined by local assessors when they determine the value of your property

[Editor’s Note: We have it on unconfirmed information that the Town of Coeymans will be announcing on or about May 1, 2013, the news that single-family homes in the town of Coeymans are decreasing in value. Do you wonder why? Just check out the town’s feeble-minded plan for rezoning! Or would you want to live in a place that gets the pubicity that RCS has been getting from the Times Union? Sure, everyone likes Nazis, especially everyone wants Coeymanazis to run their lives for them! Sure buy property in the town of Coeymans and regret it for the rest of your life…]

Tax levy – is the term used to describe the amount the school board, town board, etc. needs to recoup to meet their budget requirments. If the budget goes up (more staff, more services, more programs, more spending) the levy is likely to go up. If staff, services, programs, spending are cut, the levy is likely to decrease to zero or even become negative. (The terms “tax levy” and “to levy taxes” are only distantly related; they are not really the same.)

Taxes are determined by school boards, town boards, city councils, county legislatures, village boards and special districts.  These jurisdictions are responsible for taxes, not assessments.

• Your assessment could increase, and your tax bill decrease.
• Your assessment could increase, and your tax bill remains the same.
• Your assessment could decrease, and your tax bill increase.

For example, the illustration below might help to understand this:

This figure illustrates how tax assessment, levy, tax bill interact.
[Source: NYS Department of Taxation & Finance, Assessments vs. Taxes]

(If you feel your assessment is too high, you should discuss it with your assessor and consider contesting it.)

So, you see, dear readers, it’s confusing only if certain people want to make it confusing. I guess they figure if your head’s spinning and your ears are ringing you’ll do anything just to make it go away. Even vote they way they want you to vote. We’re here to make certain you vote as an informed voter and not as a ventriloquist’s dummy.

[Editor’s Note: If you want to read about how the state formula works for figuring out the levy in relation to the tax cap, here’s an interesting read from the NYS Education Department: Tax Cap Guidance (NYS) March 2012.]

Listen Carefully to Reason,
Not Ignorance and Hype!
The Editor

P.S. for John Rousseau, who  recently publicly commented that he

” …had some time so I thought I’d pull out some old records and do some ‘math.’ Did a quick random sampling (that’s an actual statistical term, for all you math-folk) [Editor’s Note: Very impressive, John; thanks for prejudging everyone to be ignorant! But maybe you should take a closer look at the socio-demographics—that means the affiliations and the composition of the board at the time, John.]

• Under Scott Hughes – 98%
• Under John Bonafide – 99%
• Under Gerry Deluca – 99.875%*

That’s as far back as my records go. I’m sure they aren’t completely complete. But why should accuracy get in the way of statistics.
Mathematically speaking, those guys were pretty good too, right?”

Wrong! All that your figures show is that you’re a sure winner when you play with loaded dice or with a stacked deck! All you have to do is get your clubmembers on the board and Hey, MAGIC! The numbers soar! That’s not statistics nor is it math. It’s Coeymanazi politics!

Moreover, if Rousseau has that much time on his hands to do that kind of statistics he really needs to find a life.

JR, You’re a Dancing Turkey!

* Judging by the number of “significant figures” John Rousseau is a member of the Deluca fan club, and is an outspoken contributor to the Times Useless blogs.

This article is NOT intended to provide tax or legal advice. It is purely for general information and discussion purposes. It is not being provided to assist the reader in making specific or general decisions regarding specific tax questions. If you feel you need tax or legal advice regarding the subject matter discussed in this article, please consult with a professional tax advisor or with a licensed attorney. Thank you for your visit and understanding.

 

Waxing Whimsical: Why the US and You Have no $$$ !

We Have Been Following the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District Budget Deliberations and Reading Some of the Local Comments Lamenting Possible Cuts. Why Do We Have To Worry About These Things…?

Ever Hear of USAID?
United States Agency for International Development

We’re getting less and less federal aid and less and less state aid. Superstorm Sandy victims had to wait more than 90 days to get any disaster aid by an act of the United States Congress. Food prices are soaring. Fuel prices are soaring. But we have billions to give away to people who do little or nothing to help themselves, who seem to thrive on war and atrocities, who are more corrupt than the Ravena, New York town hall. And we’re giving it away to people who either steal it from their own people or to people who hate the United States.

And it’s not just about foreign countries and what is going on outside of the USA. By no means. Right here at home we have a POTUS who wants to be King Obama, we have the crown prince Governor of New York, Prince Andrew Cuomo, who acts like corrupt royalty passing unconstitutional laws right under the electorate’s nose. We have a state legislature that is corrupt, indifferent, and self-serving. We have a Supreme Court giving away the People’s rights to the corporations who then turn around to beat us up with the Corporate Greed Gorilla Stick, while they and the federal government reward their immoral practices and incompetence with bailouts. And we have a Congress who rubber stamps on the one hand anything that benefits them and stymies anything that might benefit the man on the street! We pay our potential enemies both inside and outside the country! But we have billions in taxpayer dollars to give away while cutting programs and benefits at home. What a bunch of morons!

They can’t give us a minimum wage but they can take pay raises, accept premium benefits, and enjoy the high-life while we have to acquire a taste for cat food! Times have changed dramatically; the USA is no longer the Oz of the rest of the world, we are in recession, we are suffering, we are having to tighten our belts. We no longer can give generously because we have our own hungry ghosts to feed. We have not managed our own greed well enough to have anything left to share.

You might well ask!
Or we could ask our elected officials!

Yeah. I thought I’d ask that question myself. Here are some very interesting bits of information and some places to go to read more:

Israel got more than $3.075 billion (that’s close enough to $3.1 billion) in 2012.
Israel’s special relationship with the United States pays off when it comes to foreign aid. The Jewish state has long been a top recipient of foreign aid, receiving nearly $3.1 billion in 2012.  We have to ask Why? when its loudmouth leader, Bibi Netanyahu (Wotayahoo) badmouths the US on a regular basis. And, besides, King Obama loathes him (but Obama loathes everyone not Obama) (Source: U.S. Foreign Aid By Country at Huffington Post)

Israel is currently the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II.

To date, the United States has provided Israel $115 billion in bilateral assistance. It is currently the second largest recipient of aid worldwide, with Afghanistan now first.

The fiscal year 2013 budget request “includes $3.1 billion in Foreign Military Financing [FMF] for Israel and $15 million for refugee resettlement. Within the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s FY2013 budget request includes $99.8 million in joint U.S.-Israeli co-development for missile defense.” (Source: U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel: 2012 Congressional Report at Journalists Resource)

You can get an overview of the top 20 countries receiving USAID and the programs receiving money in spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel)  at USAID Where Does The Money Go? (USAID Where Does The Money Go?) But the really troubling part of this story is this is only what the government is making public. It doesn’t even consider the covert programs. And it doesn’t include the operating expenses of the agency nor the wages and salaries or benefits paid to the government employees administering the foreign aid agency!

So, before you start badmouthing the local board of education or bitching about your property taxes, you might want to ask your legislators: Where does the money go?

Losting our jobs, losing  our homes, no disaster relief, can’t afford food, no healthcare.
The New American Reality!

We can and should ask our state and local elected officials Why? are we seeing our rates go up Up UP and our local, state, federal, and unions putting the overspending on the 99% of taxpayers who are carrying the burden. Why?

Do you wonder now why they want to take away your guns?

Maybe we should keep some for ourselves, at home?
The Editor

 

I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag…Oh Yeah!?!

Warning: If you are a student or a minor, please leave this blog NOW!

I Was Struck By an AHA! Moment When Reviewing the Video of the June 5 RCS Board of Education Meeting, and Wonder If Any Of Our Readers Are as Awed As I Am With this Observation

New Sign On Entering Coeymans

The president of the board of education announces the meeting and asks the assembly to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence. Everyone accepts the invitation, rises, and recites the words, then stand in silence. Happens every time that way. But it struck me that you pledge like you pray: MEANINGLESSLY. If it weren’t meaningless, you’d take that moment of silence and think about what you just pledged. But isn’t it kinda silly you’re pledging allegiance to “the flag?” Not to the Constitution, not to the People, Not to the Nation–and if your recitation of the so-called pledge is sincere, how do you explain your behavior after the pledge and the moment of silent reflection that should follow that recital?

Lynch Mob

Well, all you patriotic, loyal, pledge-spewing dyed-in-the-wool Americans, almost immediately after the pledge you turned like a pack of rabid rats on each other! On the board one evil twin continues the attacks of the ostracized other evil twin and demands the resignation of the board president! Others disrespect, insult, and interrupt other residents’ exercise of freedom of speech! Still others complain that they voted for something but aren’t getting it (Perhaps because they didn’t know what they were voting for?). Maybe you’re all in the wrong country, the wrong world, maybe the wrong universe. But one thing is damned certain: You are wrong-headed!

Did you know that Francis Bellamy (1855 – 1931), a Baptist minister, wrote the original Pledge in August 1892. He was a Christian Socialist. Yes! A Socialist!!!!

Francis Bellamy in his sermons and lectures described in detail how the middle class could create a planned economy with political, social and economic equality for all. The government would run a peace time economy similar to our present military industrial complex.

In 1892 Francis Bellamy was also a chairman of a committee of state superintendents of education in the National Education Association. As its chairman, he prepared the program for the public schools’ quadricentennial celebration for Columbus Day in 1892. He structured this public school program around a flag raising ceremony and a flag salute – his ‘Pledge of Allegiance.’

In 1940 the Supreme Court, in Minersville School District v. Gobitis, ruled that students in public schools, including the respondents in that case, Jehovah’s Witnesses who considered the flag salute to be idolatry, could be compelled to swear the Pledge. A rash of mob violence and intimidation against Jehovah’s Witnesses followed the ruling. In 1943 the Supreme Court reversed its decision, ruling in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette that public school students are not required to say the Pledge, concluding that “compulsory unification of opinion” violates the First Amendment. In a later opinion, the Court held that students are also not required to stand for the Pledge. That’s democracy for you! Sounds a bit like RCS doesn’t it?

One objection states that a democratic republic built on freedom of dissent should not require its citizens to pledge allegiance to it, and that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects one’s right to refrain from speaking or standing (also a form of speech). Another objection lies in the fact that the people who are most likely to recite the Pledge every day, small children in schools, even many adults, cannot really freely give their consent, and many adults don’t completely understand the Pledge they are taking.

Now back to YOU! How do you reconcile your Ravena village slogan “The Friendship Community” (we’ll have more on this when we publish our “Incest and Better than Banjos” geneology of corruption article this weekend), the principles of the Pledge, and your behavior in the community and at public meetings, a right and a privilege of freedom of assembly to exercise the right of freedom of speech (a freedom interpreted to be limited by what you say and how you say it in the company you say it in)? And what do you reflect on during that holy moment of silence? Murder? Mahem? Hate? How you’re going to degrade or shame your neighbor? Whose resignation you’re going to demand tonite? Or how to justify the LIE, “It’s for the kids!”

I have a pretty robust GI tract but watching that video and listening to some of you people made me pretty much physically SICK!

Just a couple of closing observations:

• You who think that you’re getting short-changed by finding that class sizes are being increased or classes merged and the number of classes reduced have no basis on which to complain. In the Superintendent’s budget presentation at the May 1 board of education meeting there was nothing said about not reducing the number of classes or increasing class size. In fact, those were options that were being considered as austerity measures, and no statement was made that they were somehow connected with a defeated budget nor that they would not happen if the budget were accepted by the vote. The superintendent, in fact, opened her presentation by stating that the budget is a “financial roadmap” but that the “road is uncertain.”
• The 2012-13 budget was NOT accepted unanimously by all board members at the April 17 board meeting! Be clear on that point. So don’t go lumping the entire board into one box and don’t attack the very board member(s) who opposed the budget. The ones you need to go after are the members of the teachers’ clique on the board who voted to accept the 2012-13 budget and put it on the ballot (H. Engel (teacher and husband of a teacher), J. Latter (husband of teacher), J. O’Connor (wife of teacher and whose tenure she voted to approve), T. Traver (evil twin of J. O’Connor), A. Whalen (retired teacher)) and those in the community who did everything conceivable to get you to vote YES!
• If I’m not mistaken, those of you who are now complaining about class sizes and class reductions are the very ones who voted YES! You jumped on the propaganda wagon and sucked up all the pretty, soppy slogans, and condemned those of us who were urging caution and prudence! You don’t present a very pretty or happy picture now in the video, especially you Ms Hommel…you seem a bit unhappy, if you’ll allow us the observation.
• Did any of you read your dear teachers association’s  Memorandum of Agreement, written by your double-dipping atheist darling Matt Miller? Did any of you listen to the Superintendent’s budget presentation? Most of you agreed to it all with your vote. The actual promise made in the Superintendent’s presentation was: No reduction that impacts students or programs, and jobs were protected. Nothing more. In fact, she actually outlined possible austerity measures. Go back and review the video; it’s still available on line. It is purely ignorant and baseless to argue that a modest increase in class size will adversely affect students. So Shut Up! It’s your behavior that’s adversely affecting the students!
• The Superintendent emphasized that to make things work the district needed the help of the community. So far that’s not happened. All the district has gotten has been complaints and insults. And all the abuse is coming from the YES! voters. Funny, that. The same people urging consensus and collaboration before the vote are still appealing to the trouble makers to stop the infighting, make peace, and work together. But there’s still so much unhappiness. That may be because certain of those people who before the vote urged acceptance of the budget are the same ones who after the vote  have been very busy crucifying others and creating all sorts of lunatic distractions and chaos. But they’re a bunch of nut cakes! Why aren’t the rest of you getting your heads together and getting the real work done? Let the Coeymanazis and the Deluca Losers Club do their looney tunes. They’ll soon fizzle if you learn to ignore and shun them. You don’t have to dance to their tune! Even if you have made your bed and your neighbor’s bed by voting Yes! you don’t have to be so damned disgruntled. You don’t have to dance to the Coeymanazi tune!
• And stop being so damned complacent. You don’t have to give a standing ovation for Cathy Long Deluca’s proposal of a Bottle Campaign!
  

  Be Bad! Be Bad, Little Monkey!

  Most of you just voted to accept a more than $41 million school budget with a 6.8% tax increase and now they want you to go out and pick up bottles to support programs you still want to keep!? At 5 cents a bottle…Good Lord! Did you all flunk math!?! Tell Cathy Deluca to pick up her own damned bottles, cash them in, and write a check. You have to take a third job to pay your school taxes, and she wants you to pick up bottles! You’ll be doing that soon enough just to put food on the table! Has she no shame? (She doesn’t, we know that!) Or maybe Deluca Public Affairs can help out. Or maybe Jerry Deluca can use his “political connections” with the DEC to get some help for the Bottle Campaign. “Come little monkeys, my pets, let’s collect bottles!” Our advice: Be bad, little monkeys, be very bad! Tell her where to stick her bottles!

There are some real problems and you’re not dealing with them:

• Get the loonies off the board of education (luckily Traver and O’Connor are soon to leave). Don’t wait til the last minute. Start looking for intelligent, honest candidates to run (No teachers or teachers relatives, please! Your love affairs with teachers has caused enough problems already.). Protect and support the good ones you have on the board.
• Deal with the bullying in the schools, especially the RCS High School. If you don’t there’s going to be a rash of lawsuits! There’s the Dignity Act now to deal with, and it’s going to open a number of cans of worms. You wait and see!
• If you feel you have a gripe, there’s FERPA, The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. (Read more about FERPA at Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).
• There’s too much power and too little accountability. Teachers and coaches have a long history of abuse. Administrators have a long history of brushing off parents and concerned residents. Make them accountable.
• Stop being SHEEPLE! One of the major reasons this community is in the dire straits its now in is because too many of you have been sitting back, riding the waves, and delegating your power and rights. The police and courts are corrupt because you let them become corrupt. Clean them up. If you don’t like the corrupt power structure that’s been in the community and operating  behind the scenes for more than 30 years, boot them out. We’ll be telling you who they are in future articles.
• Most importantly stop being led around by your nose rings and spoon fed by the mouthiest and loudest cows in the community, and get the facts. That means not relying on the crappola that sells newspapers but doesn’t educate you, like the Times Union (a.k.a. Times Useless) that rag tears down and destroys more than it has ever built in the past 25 years. Its journalism stinks. Unless you make the local rags more reliable and less beholding to their drinking buddies (Ravena Halfway House crowd) you’ll never know the truth! It’s been legend for years that the local politicos and godfathers get to read the Ravena News Herald before it goes to print and decide what goes in and what goes out! Maybe legend but all legend is based on some truth! Collect the news yourselves! Make sure it gets into print. Or don’t subscribe or cancel your subscription to make your voice heard!
• Complain! Comment! Compliment good work! Reward good! Complain and then compliment and reward; don’t just be negative!
• And, of course, READ THIS BLOG 😉
• And the next time you recite the Pledge of Allegiance, think about what you’re saying and what it means; then, in your moment of silent reflection, think of how you can make things work in your community, one community under God!
  

  Stop Being Village Idiots!

Reminder: Stay Tuned for our Geneology of Corruption Series

Special Notice: We make every effort to be truthful, complete, fair, and balanced on this blog; therefore, if you see anything that you know to be false or incorrect, or if you have additional information to clarify any issue, please let us know by e-mailing your information or by leaving a comment. It’s very important to us that we don’t fall into the same category as those whom this blog is intended to expose. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation and assistance!

 

Schools, Superintendent: No Response to Allegations of Bullying…

 Warning: If you are a student or a minor, please leave this blog now.

Don’t Let Them S–t On You or Your Kids Anymore!

A 2005 Study Discovered that 39 Percent of New York Students Reported that Bullying and Harassment is a Serious Problem in School; In 2012 New York Gets an Anti-Bullying Law.

Ask your kid how’s school?

Most of the studies have looked at student on student bullying; surprisingly, quite a few have studied teachers as bullies or the involvement of teachers in the bullying process.

The ‘Dignity for all Students Act’

The goal of the ‘Dignity for all Students Act’ is to provide all students with a safe and nurturing school environment conducive to learning by putting an end to harassment on school property and to discrimination based on, but not limited to, race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or sex.

The NYCLU is participating on a statewide Task Force that the State Education Department established to help local school districts successfully implement the new law. The Task Force is composed of a range of stakeholders, including teachers, students, parents, school administrators, advocates and state and local education officials.

Senator Shirley Huntley, who co-chairs the Senate Committee on NYC School Governance said, “The Dignity for All Students Act was a much-needed bill I supported that will help curb bullying and harassment of students in public schools based on individual characteristics. Such bullying and harassment creates a hostile environment and often involves verbal threats, intimidation or abuse that negatively affects students’ educational performance and should not be tolerated.”

Specifically, the law reads:

7. “HARASSMENT” SHALL MEAN THE CREATION OF A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT BY CONDUCT OR BY VERBAL THREATS, INTIMIDATION OR ABUSE THAT HAS OR WOULD HAVE THE EFFECT OF UNREASONABLY AND SUBSTANTIALLY INTERFERING WITH A STUDENT’S EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCE, OPPORTUNITIES OR BENEFITS, OR MENTAL, EMOTIONAL OR PHYSICAL WELL-BEING; OR CONDUCT, VERBAL THREATS, INTIM IDATION OR ABUSE THAT REASONABLY CAUSES OR WOULD REASONABLY BE EXPECTED TO CAUSE A STUDENT TO FEAR FOR HIS OR HER PHYSICAL SAFETY; SUCH CONDUCT, VERBAL THREATS, INTIMIDATION OR ABUSE INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO CONDUCT, VERBAL THREATS, INTIMIDATION OR ABUSE BASED ON A PERSON’S ACTU AL OR PERCEIVED RACE, COLOR, WEIGHT, NATIONAL ORIGIN, ETHNIC GROUP, RELIGION, RELIGIOUS PRACTICE, DISABILITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER OR SEX.

S 12. DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT PROHIBITED. 
1. NO STUDENT SHALL BE SUBJECTED TO HARASSMENT BY EMPLOYEES OR STUDENTS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY OR AT A SCHOOL FUNCTION…  

Teacher Bullies a Serious Problem

Out of curiosity, I did a search for articles on teachers who bully using the university search system and found, to my surprise, that there are a good number of articles that have looked at the problem of teachers as bullies. I’m reviewing several scholarly articles on the subject but two have really caught my attention: “Teachers Who Bully Students: A Hidden Trauma” and another  (S.W. Twemlow, 2006) and another “Perceptions of teachers’ support, safety, and absence from school because of fear among victims, bullies, and bully-victims” (R. Berkowitz, 2012). Conclusion: This is a real problem; teachers can and do bully students directly or thru other students. The phenomenon exists, is well known and has been studied by researchers. We are not crazy! Some teachers in the RCS schools, especially, according to reports, in the RCS High School, where teachers publicly stigmatize students who are then bullied, while the teachers refuse to intervene.

And what do you do with a teacher who doesn’t respect the kids, who forgets the essential boundaries, who steps over those boundaries? You can’t even make him or her a bus driver! They are like an animal who tastes human flesh; they’re no good anymore.

School Bullying–Teacher Misconduct

Our readers know that we have already written about this problem in the RCS schools and that we have notified principals and the superintendant of schools, Elizabeth Smith, but it seems cronyism wins out over the welfare of the kids; teachers stick with teachers, principals stick with their teachers, the superintendant sticks with the principals, and the kids suffer the trauma.

Trauma at School

Well, friends, enough is enough; this writer cannot and will not stand by as parents feel that they cannot raise a stink because of the Coeymanazies or for fear of further worse retaliation against the defenseless kids.

So today we wrote to the sponsors of the “Dignity for All Students Act,” all NYS Senators, and to the local Assembly representative, to the Board of Regents, to the NYSED Office of Counsel, to the School Safety Committee of the NYSED, and to the ACLU demanding that they look into the situation in the RCS CSD system, but especially the RCS high school. Bullying has no place in the schools; teacher bullies even less of a place.

We commiserate with the parents who are anxious, even afraid of agravated retaliation if they speak up; so we’re taking the reins and doing it for them.

We’re getting the ball rolling but we need your help to keep it rolling. Stand up to the bullies with us and we’ll get them and their accomplices booted out of the schools and on the street where they belong!

It’s all incestuous! Scandalous! Pathological! And it’s all in Coeymans, NY, right in your own back yard…or on your front lawn!

You can’t turn to the Coeymans Police, either, they’re compromised, tainted! So, if asked why you are not going to your local police, tell the NYSP or the FBI that the Coeymans Police Department is compromised and biased in the matters you are requesting assistance. They cannot be trusted. Give names!

Read the whole story on how the Corrupt Coeymans Police Effectiveness is Compromised.

Did you know: The office of the Albany County District Attorney’s office is also compromised in that the wife of the chief of Coeymans Police is David Soares’ secretary! Can the office of the DA be trusted to handle any misconduct without being unduely influenced? We think not.

We have therefore recommended and would like to further recommend here, that any concerns for personal safety, any complaints of harassment or intimidation, and all incidents of campaign or Vote NO! sign vandalism be handed over to the New York State Police or directly to the FBI in Albany. In all cases of campaign sign vandalism, the FBI should be informed.

The contact details for the Albany Field Office of the FBI are:

FBI Albany Field Office
200 McCarty Avenue
Albany, NY 12209
Phone: (518) 465-7551
Fax: (518) 431-7463

Read the whole story on how the Corrupt Coeymans Police Effectiveness is Compromised.

Send the Bullies and the Corrupt Police a Clear Message: NO!

Vote NO! On May 15th

Special Notice: We make every effort to be truthful, complete, fair, and balanced on this blog; therefore, if you see anything that you know to be false or incorrect, or if you have additional information to clarify any issue, please let us know by e-mailing your information or by leaving a comment. It’s very important to us that we don’t fall into the same category as those whom this blog is intended to expose. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation and assistance!

 

Readers Corner: A Readers’ Contribution…

Warning: If you are a student or a minor, please leave this blog now.

A Reader Writes…

Mr Laszlo Polyak of Ravena submitted this article:

I guess I will be the advocate for the children, and RCS  High School seniors, who have commented on this blog and try to present it in a  way that both sides can understand.  First off, I have a business teaching degree so I have my bias too.  Second, there are good teachers all around not just greedy ones. [Editor’s Note: While I am still adamant that the seniors who commented in the way they commented were uncivil and inappropriate, I would be the last to overgeneralize and condemn an entire group, teachers or students.]

Let’s start from some carved in stone facts that are beyond the control of this community.  Two million people have moved out of NY in the last 10 years.  Locally this means there are 2,000 fewer people in our school district.  Fewer students means fewer teachers needed.  Example – sixty kids in third grade in any district. – six third- grade teachers.  Obviously at least of 3 teachers have to go.  That is beyond our control. There’s also the loss of two million dollars so there is even less money to support the situation. Less money from government sources (state and federal). Thank you! Governor Cuomo! The state legislators and the governor of the Empire State don’t seem to give a damn whether your schools sink or float! They just push it on to local governments and pass the ole buck! [Editor’s Note: Mr Polyak makes some good points here.]

The recent concert at the high school the principal said it best — everyone will be receiving some information and facts at home.  I really urge you all to read it carefully.  Do your homework and make a reasonable, informed decision when you vote.

If you want one fine example of a truly great teacher, you have Mr Wamsley.  As a music teacher he has done an excellent job with the kids in band and drama.  He entertains us with high school plays that are Broadway  quality.   He has been here only a few years.  There was talk when budget cuts were needed to let him go. The public stood up and backed him. [Editor’s Note: Music and language/literature are foundations of our culture. I would agree with Mr Polyak that a gifted teacher in the humanities is a must in any school.]

Perhaps I can explain some of the issues this way.  There are residents on fixed incomes  such as social security and retirement pensions.  Perhaps your grandma or grandpa.  They have not received an increase in their check for two years straight.  And yet their taxes have gone up and up and up.  Of course, they want the best education for their grandchildren, great grandchildren and children [But do they have to forego medicine or nutritious food to make that possible? There’s a moral dilemma here. The ed.].  But they are down to eating cat food.  How do you expect them to afford a 6.8% increase? Some of them, simply frustrated, are a portion of the two million who have left New York state. 

Take a walk down Main Street.  Again you’ll see fewer people there, fewer businesses than you did last year: this means less of a tax base and more of a burden on those still here.  Then we have three big industries.  plastics, railroad and the cement company.  The reason why we have this short fall is because they went to court and got their property values dropped 10 yrs ago and will do it again. [Editor’s Note: Excellent point! They’re paying almost no tax and yet you jump up and down with glee when they make a pitiable gift or donation! See thru the smokescreen!]  And they can afford to go to court.  Or just close their doors and move out.

Have you forgotten that we are in a depression, and I will call it that. We are in a depression its over the place.  I wrote a letter to the blogger questioning their motives about the kids blogs. I told the blogger that these are children/young adults. And they are trying to express their opinions.  In a week some people will go and vote Yes! and some will vote No!  And we will cross that bridge when we get there.  But we need to remind ourselves that it is OK to be conservative, it is OK to be liberal.  And we need to express ourselves without bitterness, frustration and hatred. The young people tried but sadly, their teachers were laughing and not explain to them the truth  The kids don’t lose  we do!  [Editor’s Note: I disagree. The young people were cheated of a very valuable lesson and experience; the teachers lost nothing. The community lost something, too!]  Are we name calling just because we have different viewpoints? Are we the children or the adults, the educators?  Every community has at least two viewpoints, and they can co-exist in harmony.  A healthy community might have hundreds of viewpoints and solutions, too, but can pull it all together and get the job done .

Perhaps when you write to the blogger, you should show some examples of solutions for the current situations and problems that we face. [Editor’s Note: Great advice, Mr Polyak!]  As I showed my leg brace for my cerebral palsy at the RCS board of Ed meeting, I did not bother to show my ID showing that I was a walker or I had to walk over a mile each way to my junior high and high schools.  I even attempted to link and show different school districts for comparisons and email sites too. There were NYS dept of Ed individuals who were present and willing to assist us to find solutions.  Some of them even came down and sat in the audience and took notes but to their disappointment.  If they have to take control it wont be the kids who will be hurt; it will be half the teachers and the Administrator. They noted that no one really placed the kids first.  And some of those followers of the blog are the Dept of Ed officials, as it is part of their job to monitor the situation.

I also set out examples of the YMCA taking over the pool.  It doesn’t matter whether the teacher’s contracts were handed in weeks before or 5 minutes before.  The teachers’ unions are not as powerful as you think they are, and they give nothing back. Some good teachers are struggling to make ends meet, too, and are not greedy at all!  They answer to a much more powerful organization, the NYSED who certify and license them; they can’t teach if their license is revoked. And NYSED answers to “us, the People”.  They are just sitting back, waiting to see what the district votes . You haven’t read about Rhode Island, where the state fired all their teachers.  And then a few months later all the teachers begged for their jobs back at 80% of what they had.

We are in depression; deal with it  people! Don’t believe me, please go on the internet and check.  There are people who have worked in the RCS school district for 10, 15, 20 years who are not teachers.  And they still make under $20,000 per year. [Editor’s Note: In the RCS central school district the teachers average out at about $63,000, up to over $70,000. You don’t want to know what Superintendant Elizabeth Smith is pulling out of the district!]  Some of them would have a better life living on welfare!

Again If anyone wants I will personally bring them to the Dept of Ed  personal so they can hear it straight from NYSED If its a No! votes them teachers and staff are gone and the kids still have sports and music. If it’s a Yes! vote the Dept of Ed  brings in its auditor line by line and the waste goes! This is what the Governor wants to see happen across the state because he does not want to see another 2 million residents leave the state!  The kids will not lose they will have music and sports at the bad or not so good teachers’expense! [Editor’s Note: Thank you! Mr Polyak! That’s a very important point you’ve just driven home. I hope the readers pick up on it. Teachers beware!]

On of the main  issues here is the inequity of employment.  Where and how we are going to fund programs.  And avoid another 2,000 people moving out of our community or a major company from shutting down or moving out.  So what is your solution?  I will always be out in the open. All are always welcome to knock on my door to discuss any issue and I will present them with the government records so they can draw their own conclusions.

Just stop dragging the kids in the middle they enough problems growing and finding their own identity; they don’t need to be made pawns in the battles waged by the adults!

Editor’s Comment: Thank you Mr Lazlo Polyak for a very reasonable and balanced article. We may not have agreed with everything you write but we do appreciate the time and effort you put into this. We are pleased to publish it with minor edits. Note: Mr Polyak is solely responsible for the content of his article; we have not checked the facts but are assured that Mr Polyak has done so.

Our position is and remains that the residents of the RCS Central School District should vote NO! on the budget and all other issues on the ballot on May 15, 2012.

Vote NO! on May 15th

Special Notice: We make every effort to be truthful, complete, fair, and balanced on this blog; therefore, if you see anything that you know to be false or incorrect, or if you have additional information to clarify any issue, please let us know by e-mailing your information or by leaving a comment. It’s very important to us that we don’t fall into the same category as those whom this blog is intended to expose. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation and assistance!

 

Topple the Teachers Tower on the Board of Education

Warning: If you are a student or a minor, please leave this blog now.

The Teachers  and False Prophets Are Building A Fortress to Push For Their Special Interests on the Board of Education. We Have Some Suggestions On How to Topple the Teachers’ Tower!

Teachers Association Building a Tower of BS

Step 1:

Stop being afraid! Stop fearing your neighbors! Fight back, damn it! That’s exactly where the perps and the pervs want you: afraid and quiet. They’re bullies and as soon as you come out and defy them, watch the bastids run for their rat holes! 

You’re Being Bullied! Stop the Coeymanazis!

 Step 2:

Urge your fellow residents to Vote NO! on the entire ballot on May 15th. Discuss the vote everywhere you go. Print out pages of this blog or the Vote NO! flyer we provide at  Why You Should Vote NO!

Step 3:

Get the Vote NO! signs up and watch for sign vandalism. There have been a large number of reports of sign vandalism in the district. When the Vote NO! signs are being destroyed you can bet it’s not the residents who oppose the budget! What more needs to be said? If it’s kids, where are the parents? If it’s adults, well, that’s why we need to be getting the cops involved…but then with people like Deluca, Darlington, and the perps in uniform on the Coeymans Gestapo force…Nah! Small chance. The best bet is to call Agent Holly at the Albany FBI (Telephone No. Phone: (518) 465-7551).

Confidential = Secret!

A reader is asking for help in getting text and graphics for Vote NO! signs; you need to get together to create the signs, to form groups to put them up, to form groups to distribute flyers. Let us know in a CONFIDENTIAL comment if you’ll be willing to host a sign-party, be an organizer, join a Vote NO! group. Send us the CONFIDENTIAL comment and we’ll make sure it get into the right Vote NO! captain’s hands (CONFIDENTIAL comments are secret!). You need to act NOW! Time is running out!

Step 4:

Start drafting write-in candidates. Find people who are not teachers or married to teachers, good role models, no criminal or anti-social skeletons in the closet, intelligent (intelligent doesn’t mean having an MA!), and truly interested in the community. Spread their names around as write-ins. Spend $10 to have some flyers printed and distribute them. Write yourself in, if necessary, to prevent the Teachers’ Choices from getting the numbers!

Step 5:

Put a Vote NO! sign on your lawn or in your window! Let everyone know your position on this issue of uncontrolled spending and giveaways.

Step 6:

Be unafraid! Be a role model for your neighbors! Stand alongside victims of intimidation! Be a fighter, damn it! Be the anti-bullying champion in your community! 

Topple the Tower!

 

A Sincere Invitation from the Editor

Warning: If you are a student or a minor, please leave this blog now.

This post is so important it has been changed to its own page. To view it please click A Sincere Invitation from the Editor or click the link at the top of the page.

Original readers’ comments are still attached to this page to avoid losing them.

Thank you!

The Editor

 

INCREDIBLE!!!

Warning: If you are a student or a minor, please leave this blog now.

This Blog Has Been Publishing News on the RCS Community Almost Non-Stop Since About March 29; As of Today We Have More than 11,000 Readers! We Notify Almost Every School Official in the Albany-Schenectady-Schoharie BOCES, officials of the NYS Department of Education, and Others, who Have A Need to Know.

Bailey, Is that You?

Can Someone Please Explain to Me How the Principal of RCS High School, Mr Brian Bailey, Can Write that He “Been Focused on the Teaching and Learning Within My Building and Have not Accessed This Blog.”

Some of our readers may have missed the main point: Bailey should not have to access this blog to know what’s going on–that is, if he’s interested–in his school, district, and community. On the other hand, he might simply be playing a game, he’s a teacher after all, and doesn’t want to s–t where he eats. He’s a member of the teachers association, the teachers union, and he works with the very people he’d be investigating. “Ignorant” he may really be–or just playing ignorant–but stupid he’s not. Right?

RCS high school, Bailey’s school, is a hotbed of the problems we’ve been discussing, his seniors, under the influence of their teachers, authored disgraceful comments, the Superintendent of Schools was notified (didn’t she even mention it to Baily?!?), the RCS Board of Education was notified (didn’t the teachers on the board recognize the seriousness of some of these issues?), his teachers are implicated in improper behavior. What in hell is Bailey doing all this time? Sure, he’s “focused on the teaching and the learning” but Where? on Uranus?

 What is RCS Superintendant Elizabeth Smith doing when she receives notifications of possible misconduct, of teacher’s possible involvement in retaliation against students? Reports of bullying? Well, she’s playing in the sand, too!

Superintendent Elizabeth Smith Focusing on Problems in the RCS Central School District.

Almost everyone in the RCS district must be talking about this blog; we know that the teachers are discussing it…the kids are bringing the conversations home to their parents. By the way: Isn’t that what the teachers lounge is for? Are they that idiotic that they discuss everything in the corridors? They’re worse than the kids!

We are not going to be awarding the coveted DumbAss Award this week because this is an occasion for a truly special award, which we would like to confer on none other than Mr Brian Bailey, principal of RCS high school, for his level of knowledge and awareness of what’s going on in his school and his community. Here’s to you, Bailey!

The Coveted Head-up-Yer-Butt Award goes to Principal Brian Bailey.

Background: A reader/contributor contacted Bailey (principal of RCS high school) and Pam Black (principal of RCS middle school) asking:

“I would like to inquire what the RCS senior high school administration is undertaking in response to the allegations made on the Smalbany blog relating to (1) student misconduct in comments made on the blog, (2) the statement made by one student commentor that her teachers were involved in the comments, (3) the very serious allegation of teacher involvement in retaliatory bully gangs at the RCS middle and high schools.”

Bailey responded”

“I have been focused on the teaching and learning within my building and have not accessed this blog.  I will look into the information that you have shared with me and will work to discover suitable resolution to any possible issues.”

 

The issues have been published almost daily for more than a month. Doesn’t the man get out of his building? Doesn’t he listen or talk to his teachers?

 

Damned, if I received a request like that I’d be on that blog in a heartbeat…I wouldn’t come up with some asinine excuse like “I have been focused…” Focused on what? Someone should focus him out of his overpaid job!

 

Doesn’t he talk to the Superintendent of Schools? Doesn’t he talk to the members of the Board of Education? Is the man alive and on this planet????

We understand that Pam Black, principal of the RCS Middle School was contacted with the same questions. She’s apprently out to lunch (get my drift?) and apparently hasn’t seen fit to respond. We’ll get a report when she does, if she does, so stay tuned.

 

Parents, isn’t it time to ask some really tough questions? Is this how interested the principals are, the superintendent of your schools is? Is this why you should cough up more for their raises? Get a troupe of monkeys and get a better response!

 

I’m beside myself. I can’t believe this community. It’s scandalous!

 

Send a link to this blog to your relatives, friends, neighbors, elected officials. Make copies and hand them to those who don’t have access to the Internet. Vote NO! on May 15th! Send these leeches a very strong message…no more $$$ for ignorance!!!   

The Rule of Thumb at RCS

Special Notice: We make every effort to be truthful, complete, fair, and balanced on this blog; therefore, if you see anything that you know to be false or incorrect, or if you have additional information to clarify any issue, please let us know by e-mailing your information or by leaving a comment. It’s very important to us that we don’t fall into the same category as those whom this blog is intended to expose. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation and assistance!

 

In All Fairness…

Warning: If you are a student or a minor, please leave this blog now.

The Residents of the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk and the New Baltimore Community and School District Deserve Much Better Than They’re Getting.  The Only Description of the Situation that Comes to Mind is:

The Scandal is Everywhere!

This Blog, with the Cooperation and Collaboration of Many Residents has Recently Exposed the Snow Job and the Finagling that’s Been Going On and the Deceitful, Misinformation That’s Been Published and Circulated in Recent Weeks in Public Statements Made by the Teachers Association and in Letters to the Editor Written by the Major Perps and Pervs and Published by Needful Pulp Fiction Backwoods Reporters.

We’ve exposed the scandal of immorality in the major fingerpointers in a campaign to drive a fine member of the Board of Education from his elected seat; the very ones pointing the fingers were booted off the Board ostensibly because of their immorality and poor performance. As Matt Miller about his FaceBook promotions and his statements before and after the elections. But sit down when you do it.

We’ve pointed out that those very fingerpointers were the ones who saddled the RCS school district with a swimming pool that is worth as much to this community as a refrigerator is to Eskimos; built of materials that can’t withstand the stresses of blasting in the quarries behind it and so poorly designed it cannot host competions. Ask Jerry Deluca about this! (While you have him cornered you might want to ask him about the Coeymanazis and their secret meetings conspiring to undermine the democratically elected RCS Board of Education!)

We’ve argued against the disproportionate influence of the teachers and teachers association on the RCS Board of Education and how they favor anything the teachers association asks for and obstruct anything that might not be in the teachers’ interests. We’ve argued that teachers, former teaches, and the spouses of teachers need to be booted off the board and now! There has to be a level playing field! The Board must be able to exercise independence and autonomy in making its decisions and that is impossible if special interests have voting power on the board! Ask Schools Superintendant Elizabeth Smith about this.

 We’ve pointed out the problems in school sports and the fact that the coaches and assistant coaches may be endangering the players. We’ve pointed out a well-known problem with the aquatics director and his abuse (verbal) of the students–we repeat: a well known fact but he’s still there.

We’ve pointed out the questionable practices and concealment well-known in the RCS Sports Association and its code violations and vindictiveness. We’ve pointed out the total lack of transparency in its financial business and other suspect practices. Ask Bill McFerran about this, the financial recordkeeping (if there is any), where the money goes, the tax status of the Association, etc.

We’ve pointed out a number of discrepancies and misleading points in the Superintendant of Schools budget presentation and the impractical notion that a 6.8% increase cannot be sustained by this commuinity and we urge the community to vote down that budget. The contingency budget will keep the RCS districat at the previous year’s levy and even further require $1.5 million in cuts! We provided a list of a number of schools across the state that are biting the bullet and facing the reality that the policy of spending more to get less just doesn’t work nor or ever. The RCS community together with its neighbors in Greene County, in New Baltimore have no other choice than to VOTE NO! on the 2012-13 Budget!

We’ve pointed out the imprudence at this time of expanding the Ravena Public Library; it’s idiotic to consider a move and spending of that magnitude in a time when we need to be pushing AUSTERITY measures. The library board has no answers for such questions as HOW MUCH? WHEN? HOW? And the answers they do have are far from convincing. This is not the time! The library director and the library board must come up with concrete answers to concrete questions. You must not be asked to buy the Brooklyn Bridge (again)!

We are not aware of any figures in terms of library utilization or demographics that could support such a plan. In addition, the library board wants to more than double its space in an age when most libraries are reducing space in response to the trend in digitization and online resources that are replacing print-based newspapers, journals, and books! 1000 books fit easily on a Kindle or Nook but take up hundreds of square feet in a library. In 5 years the trend will only have become more obvious but the library board, to get any money from the state of New York, has to sign a 10-year lease for the new library and that doesn’t include adaptation work costs! It’s idiotic! Vote NO! on that crazy project.

Worse than all of the above is the situation with the teachers and their teachers association. Not only to they bully the Board of Education but Matt Miller, president of the RCS Teachers Association is consistently misleading the voting and taxpaying public to believe that the teachers are dedicated and sacrificing; that they have the students’ interests at heart. We’ve said in the past that they should put their paychecks where their mouths are. What do they do? The offer a LOAN, a half-year “pay freeze,” in response. But here’s the clincher: after the 6 months they get RAISES! Pay increases! It’s a win-win for the teachers. Here’s another fact: the average teacher ( called “instructional staff”) in the RCS district makes more than twice as much ($63,000-70,000 annual salary) as the average non-teacher (non-instructional staff) who makes an average of about $30,000 a year, and the teacher gets several months off every year, gets additonal support for “professional development,” and they still complain that they don’t have enough. Well, we think the taxpayers in this district have had enough. Don’t you?

Student or Teacher? You tell me!

The New Testament (Matthew 7:16)  tells us that we will “Know them by their fruits.” This has come unexpectedly to light in a recent development where a number of RCS high school students left some really nasty comments on this blog. One student actually wrote that her “teachers were there and laughing at the idiocy” of this blog. Since when is honest reporting and presentation of facts to the community and to taxpayers “idiocy.” If you read those comments–we published them on this blog and you can read the comments–you will have to ask yourself “What in hell is going on at that high school.” “What are those teachers doing all day?” “What are they doing with our kids?” You’ll have to read the students’ comments–they’re published on this blog– to understand the seriousness of what’s going on in the schools in your district.

After one of the students went over the top in escalating his abusive conduct, we had to advise him that he would be banned from the blog, that his comments would not be considered, that they would be immediately trashed. In addition, we had to advice the Superintendent of Schools and the School Board of the student’s misconduct. We even had to notify law enforcement of some of the threats the student was making. But that’s what’s going on in the high school. (For more information, read our two posts on the incidents.)

Speaking of the New Testament and Scripture, have you read our post on the RCS teacher who does not repeat the “one nation under God” in the pledge of allegiance and, when asked by his students Why? tells them that he’s an atheist! Ask Matt Miller, president of the RCS teachers association, the teacher, about this one.

Let’s be clear on one thing: We do not find the fact that the students commented or that they feell they have a voice in what’s happening. Commitment and dedication are important. What we are pointing out as a serious defect is that those students were on the blog all day long, from 9 a.m. through to about 3 p.m. and then from about 5 p.m to about 9 p.m. And the language they used and the thoughts they expressed were, well, not quite what you would expect from teenagers talking to and about adults! The language was filthy, disrespectful, arrogant…and “the teachers were there laughing.”

That’s what you need to be looking at. Where is your money going and for what? They can’t spell, they can’t write a sentence, the state report card shows that the RCS district is failing and it’s not because you are stingy with your cash…let’s be real, there’s a far more insidious and serious problem and you might want to start looking at the company your kids are keeping all day long!

And don’t blame the non-teachers on the Board of Education; they’re fighting tooth and nail for you…they have no special interests except an interest in justice and fairness but they’re hobbled too much of the time by the special interests of the teachers who are on the board.

Teachers Association Bullies

Read our report on the Superintendant’s Budget Presentation and read our recommendations and notes on the candidates. One candidate Edward Reville is married to Howard Engel’s (a board member) sister; Engle is a teacher and his wife is a teacher! It’s literally incestuous if you allow Reville on the board or Alice Whalen or re-elect Engel. You might as well make the RCS CSD Board of Education a department of the NYS Teachers Union, the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT)!

You need to seriously look at the postings on this blog. Then you really need to ask some really serious questions about what we are saying and you have to ask the people in charge. But for starters, you need to think realistically and not in terms of an ideal world.

Vote NO! on the Budget. Vote NO! on the Library. Vote NO! on the buses for now. Find out who’s running for the Board of Education and who’s married to the teacher, who’s the former teacher, who’s the teacher and get them off the board! Find reputable intelligent moral persons in the community and get them to run as a write-in candidate. Send us their bios and we’ll support them. We have 400-700 readers every day and those readers will pass on what they think is good. Give it a shot; it can’t get any worse than it is now.

If you like what you’ve read on this blog send a link to a friend, a relative, your elected officials. Make your voice heard. You have power but you have to use it to better your life, your community, the future.

STOP THE SCANDAL!

Special Notice: We make every effort to be truthful, complete, fair, and balanced on this blog; therefore, if you see anything that you know to be false or incorrect, or if you have additional information to clarify any issue, please let us know by e-mailing your information or by leaving a comment. It’s very important to us that we don’t fall into the same category as those whom this blog is intended to expose. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation and assistance!