Incumbents win school board election, budget passes

I hope that the board will now look at next years budget with giving students the necessary funding for opportunities they wouldn't receive otherwise, instead of passing a budget that increases Administrative salaries and funding.

It's unfortunate that the voters didn't see fit to elect Mrs. Scott.
I'm in agreement with her position that the school budget is not lean enough especially in the administrative end and that what the district spends per pupil is no where near where it needs to be.
Both Mr. Burk and Mr. Mountain are to be commended for their service to the school board and to the community, but I believe some new blood would have been good for the board.
It will be interesting to see when the school district ratings come out for this year, whether the district has improved its standing in Cost Effectiveness (68th out of 97 districts) and Administrative Efficiency (77th out of 97 districts).
These rating speak to what I've been saying and what Mrs. Scott ran to change.
I guess the voters don't care that - if you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.

If Mrs. Scott had gotten out earlier and let people know she was running, in person, on this site and in the Daily News "letter to the Editor", she very well might have won. Mr. Burke didn't beat her by much.

I know people who did not know there really was a choice until this past weekend and just didn't know much about her.

Phil,
You hit it. Nobody knew she was running, and she still almost beat long term member, Mr. Burke. I hope she runs again next time and gets out earlier.

Howard, I would have liked to have seen you cover this election. I also do understand that a school board election isn’t all that important but, this is where I and most of my friends get our local news. No one in my circle of friends including me had any idea until Monday who was even running.

I also find it interesting that a virtually unknown person with no campaign to speak of was within 45 votes of a win. You would have to think that any kind of token coverage or advertizing by Mrs. Scott would have probably given her the seat.

I'd like to point out Leroy's budget passed as well, with newcomer Tom Dambra winning a seat on the school board, beating out incumbent Mark Boylan handily. I think the message is clear, no matter what the election is for, people are going to vote against the incumbent.
Mrs. Scott is a good example. With absolutely no name recognition, or campaigning being done, she nearly beat the incumbent.
It's coming and it won't be stopped

Charlie,
Considering how many votes Mr. Mountain received, I think the low vote for Burke had as much to do with his wanting a new sports park as with an anti-incumbent vote.

Phil, I've given you credit in the past for serving as a budget ambassador and because of that you've defended how things are done with the school budget.

That being said, I will continue to "quote those same bullet points" because I think it's indicative that things still need to change and there's still more room for change.

To paraphrase the article in yesterday's Daily News, Mrs. Scott wonders (as do I) why it costs nearly $11,000 per year to educate a student in the Batavia district while in other districts of similar size (no I don't have the specific district(s)) the cost is just under $9000 per year?

*THAT* is why I continue to "quote those same bullet points" and I will continue to do so in order that people know what's going on.

Can anyone tell me why if there,s around 2200 students in the city school system and the budget is almost 40 million where they come up with $11,000 per student and not $18,000 that I come up with?

Terry- the website "education.com" lists Batavia's expenditure per student at just under 16,000. It's a lot of money.

I'd think another question to ask is how come only 636 people gave enough of a crap to actually vote on the budget one way or another. I'm not surprised. I'll bet more than the 223 who voted against it will whine when they get the bill.

John, it’s hard to say if the sports park issue had any effect at all. Remember, in the last election we had a county candidate run against the new sports park without much success. I also really haven’t heard much anti-school board sentiment that would lead me to believe Pat Burk would see a backlash. In fact, the only negative I have heard about the school board revolves around cutbacks of teachers.

I’m tending to believe that there is just a higher than normal percentage of voters looking to vote for someone new.

Charlie,
Maybe your right, but over in the 1st Ward, there are some that looked at Burke as the leading advocate for the park. On the other hand, Mr. Burke was much better know than Mr. Mountain, so there are probably some who thought Mountain was new also.

We'll never know, but I hope it serves as a wake up call.

John, I guess you could test your theory by looking at the first ward election results. If the results were very low there, then your assumption of a park backlash would be the most logical reason for the low numbers.

In order for my theory to hold water the results would have to be more even across all the voting districts.

Charlie,
At this point, it doesn't really matter. A win is a win and we'll have to wait until next time.

Good morning Gentlemen,
I'm Denine Scott. I appreciate all the feedback about the election results. I dropped the ball on this. I very well should have been out much earlier than I was. I really was just trying to get some exposure for next year, I was extremely surprised by how close the vote was. I spread myself via word of mouth, and really wish that I would have also included in that to ask everyone to vote ONLY for me. I think that Mr. Burke and Mr. Mountain received some votes from people voting for me primarily!!
If you read the article in the Daily you would know some of my back round, I am just a concerned parent and taxpayer who was in sticker shock from the school tax bill. Some of the figures in the Daily were ones I gave to the reporter, they were not presented the way I intended. What I meant to show was that over the past ten years the cost of educating our students VS. other comparable schools has continually grown a larger gap. The approx. 11,000 dollar figure was that of 2008 not 2011, which is now even more larger. Our ranking amongst other schools has not increased!! We have lived in other districts that are able to manage there finances much better, and pass it along to the taxpayer, like Alden.
I was blindsided when Mr. Burke and Mr. Mountain represented themselves as a duo for the election via there lawn signs, very misleading to the taxpayers! If I were not aware of my choices I would be led to believe if you vote for one than you should vote for the other.
I also over the short process learned some interesting information... such as Mr. Burke has a son who has the job of going to the classroom to get a student for the principle!! Why don't they use a phone or intercom like we did in our day? Our taxes pay for that!! I also learned how long he has been a board member, and am sure he has done some terrific things for the school district however, he has had his position way too long and is getting some extra benefits that he should not utilize.
I have decided to attend monthly to the board meetings , take notes,make suggestions, and ask plenty of questions and update the residents, perhaps by blogging with the Batavian(if that is okay Howard) and making an attempt next year at a seat!! I strongly feel I owe it to my children and our citizens!! I would like to know how we can improve the district and keep the taxes from being higher than they already are. I know that I don't want anything to be taken from the kids!!!! Thanks

Mrs. Scott, I think people are looking for a change. From what you wrote, I think you represent that change. I’m glad that my shot in the dark vote for you was well placed. I have no doubt that with a real campaign you will have no problem getting elected. You have my vote in the next election as well. Good Luck!!

Let me also say that I don’t agree with your characterization of Pat Burk or the comments you made about his son.

Ms. Scott,
I agree with Charlie. I voted for you and hope to next year.

Phil,
First I don't think Burke, or any School Board member is getting any "extra benefits".

But I also don't think that while a person is on the School Board, like Mr. Burke, any of their family members should be hired. That's a personal opinion.

I have also objected to the practice of paying retired district teachers twice as much for substituting as others.

But I also know that this election is over for now. Time to fight this is next year.

Dear Ms. Scott,

First of all, I wish you had attended ONE MEETING, ONE BUDGET HEARING or ONE PARENT TEACHER MEETING or ANYTHING in the district before you started to blast off on the City of Batavia School District.

Second, I respect your right to run for the Board of Education and indeed applaud your efforts for it BUT, Mr. Mountain and I ran as a team because or our mutual respect and knowledge of what we can do for this district and what we have done in the past.

Third, You should be aware that we are an award winning district with four years of tax rate declines and probably also this one. I will not state that as a fact because we work blindly with the state budget year after year and like Mr. Ricci said, there are too many state fixed costs to make that a certainty...BUT the Board of Education did its best to make this budget a saving budget regardless of the state budget outcome. We also have been listed as one of the TOP TEN SCHOOL DISTRICTS in New York State for balance and affordability.

Fourth: I have been on the Board of Education since I was in my mid twenties and had no children in school. I stay connected and travel to each building every month and have tackled some very hard issues. I also have hugged many students, dried tears and invested a great deal of my influence and resourcess in helping the students of this district. I volunteer my time with many events and work each week for our students and families. Since you find that "stagnant", I would like to know your true definition of the word.

Fifth: HERE IS WHERE I GET REALLY, REALLY UPSET.... My Son Nicholas is one of my heros. HOW DARE YOU TO PERSONNALLY SINGLE HIM OUT WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING WHAT HE DOES. I assume you are ignorant on this issue so I will inform you here. My son Nicholas has worked for this district on his own volition since he was 16 years of age. That is 15 years. His first job included crawling inside the furnaces in our buidlings ... and yes I did say inside... to clean the boilers. This was a hot, messy job that he did willingly. He cleaned floors,painted walls and scraped gum and crap off of lockers, floors and desks. He has coached in this district since he was 19 years of age and his teams take sectional titles year after year after year. HE has been the School Safety and Security Officer for many years. In total my son also volunteered just as many hours that he is paid for. By the way HE PLACED FIRST ON HIS CIVIL SERVICE EXAM AMD SCORED A PERFECT SCORE ON THE TEST. Gee.. I thought school districts were supposed to hire the best!!!! My son's position is vital to the safety of our students. He is NOT a lacky for the Principle. AND LASTLY... When a student doesn't have sneakers or something for school or a sport...WHO DO YOU THINK BUYS IT... When the students need someone to help with raising money or working on a project...WHO DO YOU THINK DOES IT. When a student is in danger or needs a solid person to depend on...WHO DO YOU THINK IS THERE FOR THEM. When a student needs a ride or is walking in the rain or snow or late at night...WHO DO YOU THNK GIVES THEM A SAFE LIFT HOME.

My son's wages in this district leave him at practically poverty level with two children to suppport. He drives a ten year old car and lives extremely modestly. He also has been offered many jobs that would pay higher and be better for him economically...BUT.... he stays here because he is proud of this community and this school. HOW DARE YOU BELITTLE HIS EFFORTS FOR THE SCHOOL HE LOVES SO MUCH. He is a rare breed that works hard, gets paid and gives back.

With all that being said, and it is a mouthful... Please know... You have the right to run for anything in this community. You need to be better informed and you need to do your homework. I am fair game...go on and continue your unfactual hits on the "stagnant one"...BUT you leave my family out of it.

Thanks for listening,

Patrick Burk
PROUD TO BE RELECTED TO THE CITY OF BATAVIA BOARD OF EDUCATION...

Shame on you Ms. Scott. Sounds like sour grapes. You know, it is not always necessary to bash the other candidate in order to win an election. Attend a few board meetings and maybe donate a fraction of the time that Mr. Burk does to this community and then come back next year.

And Ms. Scott - you said "I think that Mr. Burke and Mr. Mountain received some votes from people voting for me primarily!!" What makes you think that? Just wondering. Are you suggesting that the voters are too dumb to know who they are voting for?

Pat, the kids do love "Burk". He is definatly a Positive Roll Model for the students. He assists in every way he can at the school. I dont know what my "Rebel without a Cause" would have done without him. The kids need him to keep tabs on them. He has become wise to their tricks, like putting pencils in the doors, so they can sneak out and smoke their darn cigs ect.(Busted) (: You should be very proud of him, as I know you are.
P.S. ask him if he remembers Jesse, My Rebel, turned Angel
Thank You both for all you do for our kids!!

Beth,
There are many people who think when there are 2 slots open in an election, you have to vote for 2.

You and I know you don't have to, but many don't know that you can vote for just one. So, some people probably wanted to vote for her, and then voted for one of the others also.

That does not change the fact that she did not get the word out she was running. I saw it the Buffalo News last week, but when I didn't see anything locally, I thought it was an error.

It also does not change the fact that an unknown almost beat the most well known school board member.

Mr. Burke

First and foremost, I am not here to wager a personal attack against you or your family. I am simply a taxpayer/parent trying to understand how our tax dollars can be better spent to meet the upcoming state fiscal crisis. I most certainly think over the years you have provided the district with many wonderful assets. I feelfresh insight is also very critical in growth of a community. I have no political agenda here, just personal interest in my children and money.
I would love to see first hand how much of our dollars go to the cost of educating these kids. Like I pointed out the amount per each student here vs. comparable districts is much higher.
If anything as a board member you should welcome my interest and insight. Like I made mention before I will be attending most of the meetings in the upcoming year and investigating what some other districts around the state and nation do to better prepare their children for the real world personally and financially. The ultimate goal should always be to improve the quality of life for the people in our community and their children.
I have no "sour" grapes for the loss, truth be told I should have put much greater of an effort in it and the results most likely would have been in my favor. I am very proud to stand up and support my community. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting and hope we can work together for the interest of our children. Denine

That is wonderful that your son is such a role model for the kids. These are exactly the things as a community we should be doing to help each other in our day to day lives. his effort should be commended!
Another point I just wanted to make mention of is how truly appreciate I was that Mr. Mountain was so gracious to me concluding the result of the polls. It was a very difficult situation. Thanks

Mr. Ricci

I will most certainly not apologize for any of my comments. Nothing was a personal attack. It is well documented in any type of management that fresh ideas are always a great tool for growth. He has been on the board for several years! Furthermore, I never attacked or belittled Mr. Burkes son, I simply questioned the need for his position, is it fiscally responsible, are those ways that we can cut costs here. I simply wanted to know!! Of course providing jobs in the community are very important, good solid teachers are important to our kids as well. Please Please read my response again and have specific remarks that I made that could be interpreted as personal attacks, and I would gladly apologize. Every figure that I came up with came from the boards website as well as the NYSDOE!!!! I will arm my self very very well from here forward, don't you worry about that.

Ms. Scott - in my opinion, your statement "he has had his position way too long and is getting some extra benefits that he should not utilize" is clearly a personal attack.

HOWARD better MODERATE the school board is acting like children again. And I want to know why we need so many administrators for a small town school.

How much is Batavia Players paying Batavia City Schools to rent out JK Aud for this weeks show? Mr. Burk has an agenda and always has .The taxpayers have been paying for his productions since his twenties . The abuse continues . Pat Burk is good talker and writer . Taxpayers take off the wool over your eyes . How many different job titles have been created for his son? The answer , too many . Pat is full of half truths .You cant call him a liar , nor truthfull. Term Limit is the answer.

I also realize that in our nation we are clinging to the hope that old politics will be changed. I have volunteered in our community a large amount of my time and energy. I was frankly(like I stated above) starting to prepare my self for next year and decided to get my name out!! I can see the result of the current system first hand. ie my kids. I have heard the concern from other parents as well! I am not going to battle on line. I am going to spend my extra time volunteering, listening to parents and of course seeing what works in successful districts. If that makes me a bad person, than so be it. Have a great afternoon.

Denine Scott has left the building.

Posted by Bea McManis on May 20, 2010 - 3:34pm

"Denine Scott has left the building".

I will supply the "rim shot".

(Badum-Tisch) !

Great shot Gabor!

Phil
I agree with many of your political views, per your debate for city council. I'm sorry if you feel my scrutinizing of Mr. Burke to have his son be an employee of the very district he governs is ignorant on my behalf. I would like to redirect you to my points above where I said his dedication to the community is commendable. Maybe "utilizing Benefits" is harsh phrasing, however personally I would not have anyone I know become an employee of something I reside over, and that is me.. If anyone has been attacked here today, I have. Luckily my skin is tough and my mind much tougher. I am quite sure we will meet someday soon. Hold your rim shots girls, I make my own exit!!!!

HERE AE A FEW NUMBERS FROM NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL STATS (IES) These are all figures everyone should be aware of

Batavia City School district (average expenditures per/child 06-07) 20,548

Greece City School district (06-07)
13,621

Penfield School District (06--07)
15,044

Please Please if someone can explain this, I would love to hear it.

You can look up every little detail!! Great tool to use.

Posted by Phil Ricci on May 20, 2010 - 11:08pm
Denine,

Funny line on the rim shot by the way.

I wonder how Gabor felt about becoming one of the "girls"?

Several questions regarding the school board and the budget for Denine.
1. Are you in favor of closing neighborhood schools?
2. Are you in favor of closing the BOE administration building?
3. If you were to eliminate departments and thus reduce the number of teachers, which would you eliminate?
4. Should the BOE eliminate all extra activities, for example - baseball, football, basketball, etc.?
5. Do you know which programs are already shared with other districts?
6. If you feel you can be a serious contender in the next BOE election, what would you do differently than you did this year - either before or after the election?

Bea,
I thought you wanted all incumbents voted out? You should be hoping she runs again.

I'm not discouraging her from running, John. What gave you that idea?
I've asked questions that she should be happy to answer.
Interesting that you would bring up voting out incumbents. Would you take that leap and vote out all the incumbents on the city council and the county legislature?

Bea,
As for City Council, I'd still want to keep Rose Mary and maybe a few others, but I'd like to see some go, depending on who is running against them.

As for the County Legislator, I'd like to see them all go, especially Ed DeJannerio. Don't you?

Now a question for you. Do you think the Assembly Democrat incumbent majority should be reelected?

We are getting far afield from the original topic of school board and budget.
As far as incumbents are concerned, I'd wait to see who is running before I make any concrete decisions.
If Denine wants to run in the next school board election, she is certainly entitled to do so. However, I have a feeling she will face stiff competition from other new faces who also have the childrens' best interest at heart and who will equally be armed with facts and figures to support their positions.
The questions I posed to Denine are the same questions I would ask anyone who runs in the next school board election.
To be quite honest, I would NOT support anyone who feels that the school board election is a podium for 'harsh' attacks on the families of those who run, regardless of who it is. Nor would I have respect for those who would foster their own private angst against candidates by feeding half truths and innuendo to use as fodder during a campaign.
It's Friday and I have a busy day ahead of me. I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy the weekend.
Bea has left the building.

Bea,
You asked me a fair question, and I answered. But, for the second time, you duck answering the same questions put to you.

Enjoy the weekend.

Here we are again....Phil if you would like to get together sometime, I think I could use your help and advice. If I offended anyone for questioning Mr. Burkes son being employed through the district(which is not a benefit) I am sorry. He sounds like a wonderful person in our community. The reason I mentioned it was that several people have brought this up to me!! Like I said above that is not something I personally would be comfortable with. Please except any apology for my harsh wording, Mr. Burke. I had nothing else negative to say about him, the fact of the matter is he has been in his position a very long time.
Phil, I reviewed several figures, I'm sorry the dollars don't add up. Have you read the comptrollers review from the previous year in full. I was shocked!!
As for how to approach ways to cut cost.......maybe not having the building on Washington could work!! As you so crudely have pointed out I am not aware of every detail in the district, what I do know is there are some essential that we should have for how much the district spends. Living in the city we have no transportation for elementary children. In the winter I see them walking and it breaks my heart!!
I don't have all the answers, but what I do know is that I would like to make an improvement. The district is good but can be great!! I want to draw more young professionals into the city, schools are important. People are always going to consider that before they move here, I did. If you appeal to people they will set up their lives here, spend money here, create business here. I am in the process of doing that myself. If this is my community I want it to grow. It creates a tax base and helps everyone.
As for the competition, bring it on. I know what I can offer.

Phil
I don't think you need all the answers all the time, I think thee is a learning as doing. What I do STRONGLY think you need are....

!. The ability to see what our schools and students in general need to compete with other nations. I love sports, I am a loyal football fan(not just my Bills)they are great.....so is MATH AND SCIENCE AND MUSIC AND ART!!

2. You need to realize that in all levels of business there are too many mid and upper management. It creates layers of bureaucracy and wastes valuable resources.

3. I would like to see some incentive for teachers to live in our community, is there? I know that the superint. does. That is fabulous!!

4. I have several ideas that I think are worth investigating, I plan on presenting them to the board. That is why new, passionate blood can sometimes be good! Not always though.

5. Last point here is not a popular one..Sometimes the only way to make people wake up and pay attention is when someone like myself comes along and makes some waves!! I have had the benefit of being in another stellar district(Orchard Park) and Alden. My taxes in Alden were a fraction of what they are here, and yes I have factored in the difference in homes!!

6. This is just an off the record type detail I feel important to share with Mr. Burke. We too lived near poverty level for several years, we recently have started to make some money(in our late thirties), we also have both had our share of shitty jobs.. I worked at UPS loading trucks and going to school during the day, I cleaned houses and waitressed, AS did my husband. We both value education. It is the one thing KNOWONE can take from you. As for the community, Last year I did do some christmas shopping for several of the students at RM. I plan on doing the same thing this year, I wasn't raised with much money and know how hard it is to not have anything at Christmas time.. For those reasons we decided to set up our life here, I want to help my community flourish. I will and I can!!

Phil my personal email is hischbine@yahoo.com

Bea,
Now that you're back, can you answer the same question you asked me; do you think all incumbent City Council members and County Legislators should be voted out next year? If not, why and who would you keep?

Sorry Phil,
hirschbine@yahoo.com

Wow things really get ugly fast, I must admit I am very ashamed that I said what I did about Mr. Burkes son being an employee of the district. I had no business repeating what other people have mentioned to me. You live and learn. On to real business, did you ever read the comptroller report?

Ms.Scott.
I wish you well next time around, and you got my vote.Speaking of costs, I can't help but wonder how much the district and the county have spent in their relentless pursuit to persecute my child.My child was diagnosed ADHD over 5 years ago. Since that time the district has written well over 40 behavior referrals on my child. The district never offered a psychological eval. only the star program.I could not believe my eyes when I read Beth Kinsley's comment on May 28, 2010.I cannot recall ever being more disgusted with a group of people than now.Instead of an IEP, my son got a PINS. When the time came to discontinue the PINS as promised, I was lied to by the district and the probation dept.Each side blamed the other for wanting to extend the PINS beyond the promised release date.The district claimed absenteeism as their reason. They never called the absences "illegal" until I read it on a family court petition. After disproving this theory, the district then came to court with an amended petition, citing some 44 items. The first petition had only 9, with 6 of them for illegal tardies or absents. After I requested a psych.eval., other problems were found. Then, and only then did the district recognize my child's disability. They then wrote up a bare bones 504 plan that did not address behavior. I had to request another CSE meeting to come up with an IEP for my child. I now have to go to trial for this case, with a judge who is on record as saying" ADHD is no excuse for problem behavior". How much taxpayer money is this going to cost?. To add insult to injury, the county atty. disputes what has been diagnosed by a child neurology group at a well respected hospital.The tab is running taxpayers, and when all is said and done,there is surely going to be an unbudgeted item cropping up, can you guess what that might be. My attorney knows.