Syosset Teachers President Responds to Salary Cap

Editor's Note: n is the President of the Syosset Teachers' Association and a teacher in the

Why is the Governor of New York working so hard to point the finger of blame at the salary of Dr. Carole G. Hankin as if her income alone is responsible for the District’s property tax rate?  Why is he treating her with the disrespect one would expect from an Attorney General to an evildoer, instead of the respect due to a valued public servant? Maybe the answer is that he doesn’t want local property owners to ask why he is cutting aid to the Syosset Central School District in spite of the fact that the State of New York leaves 93% of the cost of educating children here to property tax payers. 

If Governor Cuomo is successful in capping superintendent salaries, he will have done nothing significant to reduce taxes. In fact, the savings per household would average less than $20. The fact that Dr. Hankin is highly paid is not a new issue in this community, and it is way past time to put it aside.  Her pay is a direct result of her success and longevity, her more than 21 years of leading one of the most successful school districts in the nation located in the most expensive region in the state in which to live.

The Governor rightly gets a great deal of attention from the media.  We would all benefit if he would use that attention to motivate everyone to work collectively to find solutions to the very serious problems we face.  This time needs statesmen, not bullies.