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Today's Poll: Do you support Cuomo's plan to cap school superintendent salaries?

By Howard B. Owens
John Roach

I voted no. While I don't think any of them are worth $200,000, they are local hires.

We vote in a School Board and they set the salaries. I don't think having Albany setting how much a locally elected board can pay is a good idea. I think it's a small step away from Albany telling us how much a Fire or Police Chief can be paid, or how much the County can pay a Nursing Home worker.

If you don't like school salaries, vote out the School Board. This is just passing the buck.

Mar 2, 2011, 8:15am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

I agree with John. It's a local school board decision, not the governor's.

Also, again, the law of unintended consequences -- Gov. Cuomo's just told eight of Genesee County's superintendent's that they're all underpaid, giving them stronger bargaining power for a raise at next contract renewal.

Mar 2, 2011, 8:28am Permalink
Bob Price

I have a thought-why doesn't the governor cut ALL the politicians salaries(Congressmen,Assemblymen,Senators) and cap them-I ****think**** more people(us taxpayers) would be more accepting of budget cuts if he started truly at the top.

Mar 2, 2011, 8:38am Permalink
Jeff Allen

Lorie, Cuomo actually took a 16% pay raise from his AG salary plus the additional perks as Gov. I'm sure his household budget will be able to adjust to the 5% cut.

Mar 2, 2011, 9:17am Permalink
Jeff Allen

The salary of the NYS Governor is $179,000. Governor Patterson took a 10% pay cut from that amount. Cuomo is taking a 5% "pay cut" from the original $179,000. Now if my math is correct, Cuomo is actually taking a 5% raise from what the previous Gov. was paid. Only a politician could increase the net cost to the tax payer and call it a cut.

Mar 2, 2011, 10:10am Permalink
Lorie Longhany

By taking the 5% cut, Governor Cuomo is making a good faith gesture for shared sacrifice in the midst of a fiscal crisis. I agree that the senate and assembly should vote immediately to do the same for their body and staff.

Mar 2, 2011, 10:56am Permalink
Dave Olsen

In addition to a cap, school district superintendents, anyone supervising a government entity and all elected people in NY State ought to be on a "Merit Pay" program. Then they can stop blaming the working folk & the unions.

Mar 2, 2011, 11:04am Permalink
Jeff Allen

Bea, so far he has "talked" like a fiscal hawk, I hope he delivers. What I am not a fan of is raising the cost to tax payers of paying their Governor by 5% and calling it a cut. No more B.S. please. The amount may be small, but misrepresenting it as a cut and patting yourself on the back for it is just further perpetuating the distrust of government. Do you like it Bea? If a Republican Governor had done it, wouldn't you be calling out the hypocrisy?

Mar 2, 2011, 11:25am Permalink
Jeff Allen

Come on Bea, it is political. Lorie brought it up and it's not opinion, it's fact. Do you like the fact that Cuomo raised the cost to tax payers by 5% and called it a cut?
I think the question is very relevant since he is asking Superintendents to take pay cuts and at the same time, he is taking a pay raise, and calling it a cut. How does that equate to a good faith gesture? How does that equate to anything else than pure political B.S.

Mar 2, 2011, 11:43am Permalink
Dave Olsen

The more I think about it, if we didn't have public schools, none of this would be a problem. Eliminate the bureaucracy, make education private; then the individual schools can decide how to deal with the mandates or not be a school. Of course, it won't happen, bureaucrats love their bureaucracies and will do whatever it takes to keep them. Screw the teachers, students, parents and taxpayers.

All you gub'ment lovers right and left will scoff, I'm sure.

Mar 2, 2011, 12:09pm Permalink
Sarah Malone

lol @ Chris Charvella, thanks for the laugh!!

I voted yes, in a "duh moment"; I forgot that it's up to the school board to vote.

This subject has been weighing on me since Howard posted the "top ten genesee county salaries"..or something like that.

I was fuming over the Pavilion superintendent's salary!! My daughter goes to school there, and I would love to see the music program expanded (offer string instruments) OR SOMETHING...other than that guy making over $200,000 (which was more than the super in batavia)!!!

Guess I'll pay more attention to the school board from now on....

Mar 2, 2011, 1:03pm Permalink
Michele Case

Did I miss something, Howard? Where did Gov. Cuomo tell eight G.C. superintendents they were underpaid? Tell me more!

Jeff makes a very good point, and Bea I am disappointed in your answer (or lack of one).

Chris, You funny...made me laugh too!

Mar 2, 2011, 2:10pm Permalink
Michele Case

Nevermind...I just had to read further Howard! And btw...scott makes alotta sence in his post of that article though undoubtedly many will disagree with approval of a $230,000.00 salary. The rest of his comments were well thought out.

Mar 2, 2011, 2:49pm Permalink
Lorie Longhany

Jeff where's a link? I've been googling and I don't see this any where.

I do see that Paterson took a symbolic one time 10% pay reduction in 2009, but didn't do so in 2010.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/paterson-will-not-take-a-p…

I see this -- NEW YORK, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and his top aides will take a 5-percent pay cut to help restore the state fiscal health, his office announced on Monday.

Cuomo, who took office on Jan. 1, will return to the state treasury 5 percent of his annual salary of 179,000 U.S. dollars. The salary for the Governor is set by state law and has not changed since 1999.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-01/04/c_13675221.htm

And it appears that $179,000 is the pay rate that Governor Pataki got, too. http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId…

Mar 2, 2011, 3:29pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

Lorie, you are correct, state law sets the governors salary at $179,000. In 2010, Governor Paterson voluntarily cut his salary by 10% or $17,900(net income $161,100). That is what it cost the taxpayers in salary. Enter Governor Cuomo, who as the article correctly states voluntarily took a 5% "cut" from his $179,000 state mandated salary or $8,950(net income $170,050). That is what Cuomo will cost us in salary for 2011.
Although it is small in the grand scheme of things, the $8,950 MORE it will cost us to pay the governor this year is about as disingenuous a "cut" as you can get, or as some people would define it, lying.

Mar 2, 2011, 3:33pm Permalink
Lorie Longhany

Jeff, when people in the private sector go from CFO to CEO there is a pay increase and most likely much more than 16%. The pay rate has been set for more than a decade with no increase. Cuomo's staff also took the 5%. Does it amount to much? No. Does it send a message of shared sacrifice? I believe it does.

From Cap Con --
Because the governor’s salary is set in statute, Andrew Cuomo will return 5 percent of his $179,000 annual pay to the state — and so will Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy and newly hired senior members of the executive staff.

In addition, “The Secretary to the Governor has initiated a review of all Executive Chamber expenses to determine where the reductions will be made.”

On possible translation: Oh, you don’t like the idea of a pay freeze? How about if I and my team actually take a pay cut?

Mar 3, 2011, 7:47am Permalink
John Roach

Lorie,
You're right. When you get elected to a position, the salary is set by law.

In some cases, such as the legislature, you can not even voluntarily cut your pay. You must take it, by law. Now you can give part back or give it away, but that's your choice.

Mar 3, 2011, 8:00am Permalink

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