Wanted: Mayor With A
Metropolitan Vision
Mayoral Election 2009
Candidate Long Answer Responses
Education:
Education
Davis / First, I would like to thank SYRACUSE 20/20 for your indefatigable efforts for adequate funding for the Syracuse City School District from state and local sources, your emphasis on increased accountability for education related outcomes, and your advocacy at federal, state and local levels on education policy issues.
As a native of Syracuse, educated in the Syracuse City Schools, Onondaga Community College and SUNY Oswego, as well as teaching in the SCSD for eight years, I have had a great opportunity to experience first hand the opportunities and challenges that administrators, teachers and students face. Most recently, I had the opportunity to visit the four high schools (Henninger, Corcoran, Fowler and Nottingham) and a number of middle schools (Levy, Lincoln) to talk with students, teachers and administrators about challenges they face on a daily basis.
In my position paper published in Urban CNY, June 2009 edition, entitled “A Message to the residents of Syracuse” I wrote, “We must invest in our education system. Most people who move from the city do so because of issues or concerns with the school system. I believe that our schools can improve the outcomes for our students when there is an emphasis on raising expectations. We must believe in our young people and expect them to do their best. Simultaneously, we must raise our expectations of our schools’ teachers, administrators, and support staff. We must give them the financial support they need and the diversity in the teaching staff they deserve.” In that article, I continued by stating, “In doing that, we must equip students to be either college bound or workforce ready. The Say Yes to Education Program is an excellent way to support college bound students, and yet we need a similar incentive for those students who are not going to college. I believe an internship program that partners with existing businesses and trade associations offer those students a concrete way to gain valuable skills. We can no longer tolerate a 50 percent drop out rate. We must look at the total student from kindergarten through high school. Under my administration, I will establish a positive working relationship with the school superintendent and board of commissioners. We must all be on the same page to insure our students’ success.”
My vision for providing adequate funding to schools, ensuring strict accountability measures, and having appropriate assessment tools for effectiveness will come only after a thorough review of where we are presently. So, my first objective in this process would be to evaluate our present situation.
According to Mayor Matthew Driscoll’s 2009 State of the City Address:
· Half of the combined $624 million City and School District budget is
Funded through various State Aid payments.
· Sources of State Aid payments are business & income taxes.
· Locally generated revenues such as sales tax, fees on real estate transactions, interest on bank deposits are sensitive to economic downturns.
· Syracuse City School District budget constitutes more than half of all city spending.
· The Mayor and Common Council are limited to providing a total budget ceiling and levying the property taxes necessary to reach this amount.
· Specifics of how money is spent are the responsibility of the Superintendent and the Board of Education.
The dilemma that most municipalities are facing, as spelled out in the “State of the City” Address is that of large property tax increases or severe program and service cuts are needed in order to address budget gaps. Because the City of Syracuse had a fund balance of $63 million in June 30, 2008, the Mayor used that fund balance to freeze property tax rates.
The next Mayor will be confronted with the dilemma as to whether he or she should continue using the fund balance in lieu or raising city and school property taxes or come up with other methods to raise money for the schools. The other question that arises is how do your ensure strict accountability measures and institute effective assessment tools when the Mayor and the Common Council only provide the funds, and the Superintendent and the Board of Education determine their use? My vision as Mayor would be to convene a Taskforce or Commission composed of the Mayor, Superintendent of Schools, Members of the Board of Education, along with community residents and organizations, elected State and Federal officials, etc., to explore solutions to resolve the problem. It may require Charter revisions that would be put to a referendum on which the voting public will weigh in. To achieve accountability, it will take the collaboration of all the stakeholders. As Mayor, I envision convening such a Commission to address this problem. The Mayor, in collaboration with the Common Council and Superintendent of Schools must engage the entire community in a dialogue as to how this problem is best resolved. If legislation is necessary then the Board of Education and the Common Council should act accordingly.
Once the City School District and the Mayor and Common Council have a mechanism for adequate funding, the SyraStat Program, already in place, which includes a review of the performance of all city departments, could be utilized and the SCSD would be added to this process whose keys are:
· Development of measurable performance indicators tailored to a department’s specific mission.
· Systematic collection of data to determine if performance is improving, deteriorating or staying the same.
· Creation of a hands-on review panel.
Other indicators, in regards to the Syracuse City School District, would be stats to indicate an improvement in graduation rates, a decrease in truancy, and an increase in the diversity of staff and administrators.
Harlow / I would continue the utilization of SyraStat to monitor the school district’s finances. The SCSD finance department would be monitored by SyrStat, but there would also be on-going dialogue between the Common Council Finance Committee and the SCSD to encourage a pro-active approach to budgeting and spending. State representatives (Assembly and Senate) need to be involved in discussions regarding state aid, as well as the NYS Education Department. In addition, discussions would be held with the NYS Lottery to ascertain the portion/distribution for schools.
Jennings / Now, more than ever, we must stop waste and maximize our resources. To reduce costs and eliminate duplication of services, I propose the consolidation of school district departments with coordinating departments within city administration.
Of primary concern is the disproportionately large population of city students who suffer from the inequitable availability and distribution of funds. I insist that our district receive any and all funding to which we are entitled – including the entire $40 million promised to Syracuse city schools, promised when the state settled the “Campaign for Fiscal Equity” lawsuit. I will go to Albany to fight for these and other funding sources that the state can provide. But I won’t do it alone. I believe locating and developing adequate funds for our schools requires a collaborative effort by school administrators, city and county government and state and federal lawmakers.
Continued investment in our educational system will attract more city residents, increasing our tax base. This makes more money available to meet the needs of city schools in our most challenged neighborhoods, and to contribute to the Say Yes to Education Program.
As for accountability, I would continue the use of Syrastat; not as “bully pulpit,” but as a tool to ensure fair and equitable distribution of school funds and resources.
Kimatian / Adequate funding means insuring that the maximum funds available are received from State and Federal governments. The City should align itself with other similarly situated cities to have the greatest impact in State discussions. In addition, there are Federal monies available for certain programs, and I would be sure that the School Board is attentive to these opportunities.
Close coordination of budget creation and monitoring of expenditures with the City CFO would be incorporated into the City / School District relationship.
Success would be measured by demonstrating that all curriculum needs were met for instruction and in attendance by students, performance of the students on standardized testing, graduation rates and the positive presence of the students in the community.
Miner / In order to have an honest discussion about adequate school funding, we must first address a question that consistently permeates the Syracuse City School District, namely is the money spent well? Is the available funding expended on the priorities that we, as a community, believe to be the most essential? There is a prevalent dichotomy that exists in the Syracuse community, where there is a
perceived need for additional funding and yet skepticism as to whether or not the money the district already receives is spent in the most efficient manner.
The evidence of this conflict is most apparent in the 2009 Syracuse City School District Survey, published in January, which questioned the views of parents and guardians whose children are enrolled in the Syracuse city schools. The results revealed that only 41% of survey participants believed the school district “make[s] good use of funds.” It seems difficult to advocate for additional school funding when the community involved holds the view that dollars are poorly spent.
To resolve this uncertainty and ensure accountability measures, there are several steps I will take as Mayor. The first would be a comprehensive and professionally executed audit. The numerous audits that the Syracuse City School District has conducted have done little to assure the community that money is spent well. In a full audit the results would be more than just accounting, more than just
a balance to check that the district’s bookkeeping matches its expenses. As previously stated, the larger and more important question is whether that money was spent well. An audit would assess whether the district is truly budgeting, namely setting a list of priorities and assuring money is expended on those concerns first, without waste or diverted funds. With an accurate and reliable budget, the district as well as the community at large would face some difficult decisions, but it
would establish our goals and clear outcome measures. We could then use that document as a means to measure our success in budgeting and using our funds appropriately. Without the public’s confidence in the district’s handling of expenses there can be no honest advocacy and widespread support for additional funding.
In order to foster a more collaborative partnership I will encourage the City Hall financial staff to meet regularly with the school district budgeting team. Since New York State and the city charter give ultimate approval of the budget to the Common Council it is essential that these bodies create a cooperative relationship.
The staffs from both City Hall and the school district would meet not only on the large projects that would significantly impact the city budget, but also throughout the entire budget process. It is time that these stakeholders work together to recognize their joint duties and responsibilities. If our schools continue to deteriorate in physical appearance, academic achievement and community-wide perception the ramifications will be felt throughout the city and region.
Another strategy to ensure more accountability measures in terms of finances is to increase transparency within the district as well as the Board of Education. As a financially dependent school district it would benefit the Syracuse City School District and the children to hold a more open process regarding all budgetary aspects of the district’s operations. There could be more meetings held at a more convenient time to encourage the public’s attendance. A freer exchange of
information through the media and outreach efforts would create more engagement and input from the public. There are questions that need to be posed to the school district; with increased transparency the public would take a greater stake in the process. For example, in the last ten years the budget for the school district has nearly doubled while the city’s population has consistently declined. A more open process would allow such issues to become more public and discourse would not simply take place behind closed doors.
As Mayor, it would be rash to dictate to the school district the transparency that is needed. However, I believe that we as a community, including educators, parents and City staff could rapidly generate the transparency that is required, including all stakeholders in the decisions made, thus achieving the accountability that is so crucial for success.
Nicoletti / I understand the importance of a quality education. To invest in our children is to invest in the future of our city. Providing a quality education goes beyond textbooks and computers, beyond chalkboards and chairs; beyond the physical artifacts of a classroom. What we must do, is strive to foster an environment, a community, in which the children of our city have all of the resources and support they need to achieve their dreams. We all want this, and I believe that with hard work and the expansion of our current programs, such as Say Yes to Education and the Westside Community School Strategy, we are well on our way to achieving this goal. The one caveat to this worthy endeavor is, as it always is, the question of finance. In order to provide the necessary funding for our schools, we must examine possible sources of funding from a variety of perspectives.