With Indian Point Leaving, Hen Hud Has Failed to Live Within its Means
For many years Indian Point nuclear power plant has given the Hendrick Hudson School District tens, if not, hundreds of millions of dollars. That is about to come to an end.
They have been getting millions each year that other school districts in our area have not received.
What have they done with that extra money? The cost to educate a child in the Hendrick Hudson School District is $5,000 per student per year more than the Lakeland and Croton-Harmon school districts. What do we get for spending more than these surrounding districts? Both Croton and Lakeland have higher rates of graduation and Regents diplomas.
Now that Hen Hud’s slush fund is going away, they are looking to the taxpayers to make up the difference. What cuts has the district made? Not only did Henrick Hudson fail to make cuts in the adopted budget, they have actually raised their spending by more than 2 percent. This year Indian Point began shutting down. Hen Hud lost over $4 million in revenue.
In the 2020-21 adopted budget, they expect the taxpayer to make up for that loss. Why? Why can’t they do what other school districts have been able to do and provide the best education with less money? Is that too much for district residents to ask for?
There are many factors as to why Hen Hud spends more per child to educate. But the simple answer is, unlike Croton and Lakeland, it has had so much money they didn’t have to be frugal.
Unfortunately, that frivolous spending did not equate to better results. This is neither the fault of our children nor our teachers. This is the fault of an administration that was drunk on nuclear power. Now, we realize that if our school board did their job and acted as a check on the administration, we might not be in the spot we are today. But to think that you can just turn to the taxpayer and demand a bailout so you can continue your spending spree? Forget it! We can’t afford it.
The median annual income in the district is $10,000 less than Lakeland, $26,000 less than Croton-Harmon and $33,000 less than Yorktown. The money isn’t here.
It’s time for district officials to sober up and fix their spending problem. Take a look around you. There are plenty of examples for you to follow.
Data was compiled by the grassroots efforts of residents who care about you, the taxpayer, using Hendrick Hudson School District reports and Census Bureau data.
Say no to the status quo!
Adam MacNeil
Montrose
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