Congratulations to The Daily Briarcliff for publishing this perfectly useless piece of journalism. The story is about an independent contender candidate but contains absolutely NO information about that candidate nor does it compare and contrast the candidates in any way. Better yet, how about a story on how the Briarcliff Peoples Caucus is nothing more than a group of Village insiders who nominate and appoint each other for office and run unopposed in most instances. The process is simply un-American. View Comment

The budget proposal iterations include progressively troubling reductions in essential educators. We are cutting bone here and it is an alarming situation. We need to pull together as a community to find thoughtful solutions and alternatives to what is being presented as a draft consideration. It is without question that the weight of rich pension and retirement benefits are major culprits in our current fiscal dilemma. Educators are the backbone of our school district. They are professionals like any other and should be compensated commensurately. However, the benefit packages they receive are unsustainably out of sync with what is made available to private sector employees. Some of this is beyond our control as Albany has been a paradise where teachers unions have been very successful partnering with our state government to create these unsustainable packages. On the other hand, some of it is within our control when we negotiate new contracts with teachers. In this regard, we have been contributors to our fiscal dilemma. View Comment

There is no cohesive effort/mechanism pushing back on all that Albany dumps down to the local level for us to figure out how to fund. We are now at a point where we must begin to diminish our educational component annually in order to financially sustain the monster created in Albany. However, we must recognize that we do negotiate contracts with our unions on a local basis. In that regard, we must re-examine and perhaps renogiate. And the teachers unions need to help us find other cost reductions other than instructional FTE's. Otherwise, the folks with the spreadsheets will take the easiest route and cut teachers. What teachers unions need to understand is that teacher layoffs are ultimately their OWN doing. THEY have been too pigish in Albany and too pigish in their negotiation demands with their districts. Now...to fund all of the goodies they get that the typical private sector worker doesn't get...we have to LAY OFF TEACHERS. View Comment

The prior Board (Rotundo/ Bashford/Marinaccio/Ranno) had keen visibility on the budget issues we now face. That Board was very aggressive in reducing our budget. They told us over and over that the cuts they were implementing were “financially sustainable.” That, as we can now see, was not true. That Board was well aware of the tax cap mandate we would soon need to live under. Their goal was to aggressively reduce our school budget so that future Boards would need to cut bone, rather than fat, from future school budgets. In other words, the prior Board set things up such that their aggressive cost cutting would continue well beyond their tenure on the board. View Comment

We clearly have tough decisions to make here. It would seem to me that the teachers union and other faculty, staff and administrators should be pulling together to find and present any and all cost reduction ideas and strategies that would save some of their brethren from the guillotine. Notwithstanding that, it may be time to think about renegotiating the teachers union contract. The percentage the district pays for their benefits is far higher than what private sector employees get and the retirement benefits are simply financially unsustainable. View Comment

The community all but demanded Jim Kaishian replace Fran Wills several years ago. The then current BOE wouldn't have it. That BOE ran Fran Wills out of the District. Then they strung us along for a year with Jerry Cicchelli and then mis-fired on their hiring of Neal Miller. This BOE has finally rectified the poor leadership decisions of a previous BOE. Jim Kaishian will be a terrific Superintendent. Furthermore, it is what the community wanted from the outset. It appears that this situation was handled with the appropriate level of discretion. Transparency is not always an option in Human Resource issues. View Comment

This policy was the brain-child of our new, over-paid Superintendent. It is time for him to answer for this. It is the only thing he really brought to the table as his own idea since he took the position. And as Sal Maglietta predicted, it has been a miserable failure. What is the turnover rate now? How does he sugggest we repair this broken. ill-conceived strategy? View Comment

If I am reading the title of this article correctly, it reads "Briarcliff School Board Change Concerns Residents." While Residents is plural in the title, it appears only one Resident voiced a concern. This causes me to recall a favorite quote by Dan Rather where he says "we don't report on the millions of kitty cats who make it home safely every night, we report on the ONE that gets stuck up in a tree." Dina and Michael coming onto our school board, and the "changing of the guard" referenced in this article may in fact be one of the best things to happen to this district in years. Our children, our property values and our tax bills are in good hands with Sal, Jennifer, Dina and Michael. Let's give them our complete suport as they turn this district back in the right direction. Mike Valenti View Comment

Regrettably, our Board of Education, together with our Administration, continue to choose to protect the school District rather than the children (from the death, cancer, tumors and serious illnesses that clearly trace back to the contaminated fields). Click this link or copy/paste it to your browser for the TRUTH: http://secure.campaigner.com/Campaigner/Public/t.show?ROCK--CkH6-s1PK93 Furthermore, one must question the journalism of a publication that is fully aware of the dark under-belly of this story but remains silent on it. View Comment

Concussions = BAD Death/Cancer/Sickness = OK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BOE Votes Monday Night To Say YES To Death, Cancer and Sickness This evening, our Board of Education will vote to adopt a resolution to continue to kill and seriously sicken the very same students they vow to provide with academic excellence, free from concussions (recall the emergency resolution to replace sports helmets earlier this year). The BOE, Administration and their well paid advisors and consultants have not been forthcoming with all material facts. Here is the truth (copy & paste this link): http://secure.campaigner.com/Campaigner/Public/t.show?RNPC--CkH6-R7L8L7 View Comment

Actually, the proposed budget is an increase of $1.5 million over the current year ACTUAL spending which is projected to come in at $46.3 million. More importantly, the proposed TAX LEVY (the portion of the school budget that WE actually pay in our school tax) is an increase of just over $1 million. View Comment

This process of excessing Teacher Aides and replacing them with Teacher Assistants was set in motion well before Neal Miller arrived. The BOE majority (clearly the three that voted FOR this) is behind this. Neal Miller is simply doing as he is told. This is a similar situation to last years fiasco with the changes to the High School schedule where Jim Kashian took all the arrows when he was told to stand in front of a fiery angry community and claim full responsibility for the new schedule. Let's now watch another card trick as I predict that a large number of students at Todd with IEP (Individualized Learning Plans) will magically be declassified in order to free up some of the Teacher Assistants we already have on staff that are dedicated to special education students. The only way the math works on the plan that has been put forth is if many of those TA's are removed from dedicated special ed and repurposed to general ed. If you have a child with an IEP, your antenna should be up on this one!! View Comment

This process of excessing Teacher Aides and replacing them with Teacher Assistants was set in motion well before Neal Miller arrived. The BOE majority (clearly the three that voted FOR this) is behind this. Neal Miller is simply doing as he is told. This is a similar situation to last years fiasco with the changes to the High School schedule where Jim Kashian took all the arrows when he was told to stand in front of a fiery angry community and claim full responsibility for the new schedule. Let's now watch another card trick as I predict that a large number of students at Todd with IEP (Individualized Learning Plans) will magically be declassified in order to free up some of the Teacher Assistants we already have on staff that are dedicated to special education students. The only way the math works on the plan that has been put forth is if many of those TA's are removed from dedicated special ed and repurposed to general ed. If you have a child with an IEP, your antenna should be up on this one!! View Comment

Remediation of the contaminated fields MUST put our children's health and safety ahead of cost factors. The Practice Field is very clearly the common denominator in what has become something of a cancer cluster, and has caused much serious sickness, among current and recently graduated Briarclifff students. One boy is dead. Others have cancer. Many, many have become seriously ill or sickened. All played and practiced on the Practice Field. A number of years ago, we added several feet of fill over the contaminated fill on the Practice Field topped with natural grass. The result has been grim. This time around, we MUST cap the Practice Filed with artificial turf - an impervious covering - in order to protect our kids from whatever is underneath. The cost differential between turf and natural grass is not great and certainly the right thing to do to protect the health and safety of our children. Respectfully submitted, Mike Valenti View Comment

To The Editor: Who wrote the title for this article? The title shoud be: Local Leaders Shun Transparency - Disagree With Cuomo Law Respectfully, Mike Valenti Briarcliff Manor View Comment