The Bond Vote and The Aftermath

As I write this, I think I am talking to a large group of readers. But I may be talking to the same 20-30 people who routinely write and comment on the Patch. There is no real way to know what size audience you reach through this medium. If the Patch follows its current trend I imagine the numbers will keep getting smaller. This story is already fading from the front page while many a fluff piece takes its place, and the State of the County address by Ed Day is nowhere to be found. The Patch started its downward spiral when Bill Demarest left. But I digress …

When I moved to Rockland in 1980, it was because my parents looked to things like the quality of the school district, the overall safety of the community, the parks and recreation and the aesthetics of the neighborhoods and the proximity to NYC. The various times I have moved the same considerations come into play. At one point I built a home in Valley Cottage, about 3 houses away from the Clarkstown School District. Many a prospective sale fell through when the prospective buyers found out we were in the Nyack School District and not Clarkstown no offense to the Nyack district but it was at that time a clear deal breaker.

It really was about the district - no one asked which particular elementary school we were zoned for. All CCSD kids go to the same middle school, and we have two high schools. So this notion that each of our elementary schools is invaluable just doesn’t resonate with me. I’m sure Birchwood, Street and Chestnut Grove were thought of in the same light, yet the district carried on despite the loss or change of use of these buildings, and would continue to do so today if any other elementary school closed. 

I fully understand the emotional attachment. If my kids were still in Link and we were told Link was going to close I’m sure I would have the same emotional response the Congers parents are having. Being able to view this from a point free from the emotional detachment gives a different perspective. Most of my bad decisions in life were ones that were emotionally driven. 

I’m not sure what the best answer is because I do not have anywhere near the amount of valid information that I could use to evaluate for myself and make an informed decision. The board, the superintendent, the diehards from both sides of this issue - none have put forth what I believe to be sufficiently reliable information. Plenty of misinformation and plenty of emotion, but not enough that I can say I have a firm grip on the true costs and potential impacts. Could I do more to be better informed - no doubt. But for those who can’t make board meetings, we need to get commitments from our cable providers (both Optimum and Verizon) to televise these meetings (town board and county legislature as well). I have a ton of public access channels with nothing on them, and both these companies rake in mega-millions. Make it happen!

Having read through all 157 posts (and that in itself was no easy feat), some made points that really stood out to me over this very emotional issue.
The first by Karen Kasman - to have a vote of this magnitude without proper notice to the constituency is absolutely wrong. There is no acceptable reason for this failure. Just another sign that the process itself is broken. Regardless of your feelings on this volatile subject, you can’t argue against giving adequate notice.
The second point of interest was from Clarice Hair (going out on a limb that this is a pseudonym). I had not previously thought about the point that perhaps you should have some skin in the game if you are going to vote on something. An interesting thought to say the least. Would of course require legislative change and may in fact be unconstitutional, but it makes a lot of sense, at least to me.
The third thought came from Congers240. Yes, a second opinion is called for here. But you need someone with experience in the field to know what jives and what doesn’t. The board is not equipped to make these decisions and needs to have someone they can turn to for proper guidance.

The fourth from ADK (and others) - I too have no problem with any group organizing themselves and getting the vote out. Kudos to them. I do have a problem if other residents (and clearly there were others) do not have a similar opportunity because of a lack of notice. Now, if once put on proper notice they sit on their hands and can’t mount an effective anti-campign, as may well have been the result anyway, that too is fine. But you can’t organize if you and your neighbors aren’t told about the vote. Yes, you would need to have your head in the sand to not be aware of the vote, but there are many reasons well pointed out here, and we really have very few modes of obtaining info to start with. So no proper notice puts some parts of our collective community at a disadvantage. I have to disagree with INTHEKNOW (sorry, this one I have to disagree with you on) in the notice department.
 
Fifth comes from Augustus Fay. Part of the blame lies on past board members. Probably so, but which ones? I know quite a few members personally, and I can’t tell the players without scorecards. There are many alliances talked about over the years, and it is hard to tell who was doing the right thing, who has ulterior motives, and who caused long-term damage. It may even involve some who still sit on the board. It varies depending on who you ask. One thing is for sure, we are in a mess, and need to find a way out. Placing blame is easy - finding ways to get the school system back on track is hard. But frankly, I’m amazed at those who are willing to give their time and energy to sit on a school board, take the constant public scorn, for the whopping salary of zero dollars. And the public only sees a portion of the work these people put in. I don’t like many of the decisions, but I don’t want their job either.

Next, Taxestoohigh - boycotting Congers businesses just makes no sense. When I lived on that side of the causeway I had some favorite haunts, and I may do just the opposite. I feel like a slice from Nicky’s II or Primavera’s and some cookies from Anna’s will hit the spot.

Mike Hirsch summed it up well - time to move on, communicate MUCH better and work as a team, both internally as a board and externally as a community. We all have much at stake, and we need to work together to pull us out of the distress we currently find ourselves in. I think the County is headed in the right direction; hopefully this district will find its was as well.

And for the record, had I voted (and not spent the whole day in the ER with a family member) I would have voted no. Mainly because I don't think this bond should have been put up for a vote at this time. But I certainly recognize those that cared enough to vote carried the day and we need to find a common ground for the good of all Clarkstown schools.