Are school budget votes actually democracy?


From my Campus Notebook column:

People like to grumble about property taxes and how much of them go to the local school district. They don’t like to voice those opinions at the polling booth, however. In fact, we’re quite complacent when it comes to supporting or rejecting school budget proposals, even though the results of such votes arguably hit us in the wallet more tangibly than any other.

Consider these numbers. In May, 95 percent of New York state school budgets passed. On the surface, that may suggest wild enthusiasm for our public schools.

Because voter turnout is so low — well below 5 percent in many area districts — it’s not difficult for a school budget to pass. For comparison, 57.5 percent of the country voted in the 2012 presidential election.

It seems a stretch, then, to even call the school budget votes democracy since so few of us actually care enough about them to show up to vote. In addition, schools hold bake sales, art shows, book fairs and foreign language award nights that coincide with voting, which further skews the notion of democracy because it invites in parents, who are far more likely to approve a budget.

Categories: General
Scott Waldman

13 Responses

  1. Charter School Advocate says:

    So true. I make sure I get out and vote no. I always vote no for a few reasons. 1. it always increases, never decreases; 2. the end results are the same-poor performing students, teachers who fail their students; 3. schools need to learn to operate within their budgets and stop depending on home owners to clean up their messes; 4. how much more can homeowners reallly afford? 5. why should my almost 80 year old father support your kid’s sports uniforms? 6. if I’m not mistaken, our state shells out more per student than any other and has the worst performing public schools. Oh, I could go on…….

  2. k says:

    Well, the other way to look at is–what other budgets do we as citizens get to vote on–do we vote on the budget for the city or town we live in? The county? State? Country?
    Look at how many times the NYS budget has been late–yet all of these school districts (how many of them are there–hundreds?) all have their budgets ready on a specific date year after year for a vote with a procedure to follow if the vote fails?
    What consequences were there for NYS legislators for all the times they failed to complete their work by the April 1 deadline. If the rest of consistently failed to meet a deadline at work, we wouldn’t have our jobs. Yet, the legislators’ job performance doesn’t seem to impact the choices voters make at election time given the incumbent re-election rate.
    While I do think the TU should pay attention to what the public schools do, how they spend taxpayers money, etc. I think you are just trying to stir the pot and rile up people, because it such an easy target these days. But if you are going to be critical of the school budget process and suggest that it isn’t democratic, then why not apply this questioning to other levels of the government as well? After all, they are all spending our tax dollars.

  3. J says:

    Don’t worry, school taxes will continue to increase. One reason is that more education funds are being diverted to allow families to send their children with disabilities to private and religious schools. One might be tempted to get a “diagnosis” of ADHD or other disability for their child so that they can get state funding to help pay the tuition at a fancy private school or a religious school. Of course no one will take notice…until someone uses this strategy to get money to send their child to a private Muslim school. Then there we will hear from Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity or Melody Burns who will be outraged because state funds are being used to fund “terrorism training.”

  4. ann says:

    I absolutely agree with #1 and #2. Except I do think it is the community’s responsibility to pay towards education as it benefits everyone to have well educated children and not just having them run around the neighborhood instead of going to school. The old folks always grumble but they need to pay just like I do even though I don’t have kids and most likely never will.

    #2′s point is great; we SHOULD be able to vote on other budgets in an effective way other than by voting people in and out of office.

  5. had enough? says:

    Art shows and other events are a chance to showcase what the schools do with the students in addition to academics. They are fun and meant for the whole community. You make it sound like a ploy. If you want a democracy so badly Scott, why not vote on the gap elimination which stresses schools and puts added pressure on taxpayers? Why not put all public services out for people to vote on? How about voting on the give-aways for businesses? Isn’t that our money too? Just because the people you want to vote a certain way don’t show up doesn’t mean its not a democracy. The word you are looking for is apathy. It’s the same kind that keeps cutting electives, clubs and opportunity. It’s good to know the cost of everything. It’s also important to know its value.

  6. mman says:

    Is a state cap on local property taxes that allows a minority to out vote the majority actually democracy?

  7. Mike says:

    To J (#3),

    Nothing like hearing from someone who has no clue about what they are talking about. School districts have to pay more when students become classified, especially when that requires the students to leave the district (per pupil expenditure can reach 40-50 thousand dollars). This covers social workers, psychologists, OT/PT. speech, etc.
    If you noticed, schools are working hard to NOT classify students, as a way of saving money. Vigilance is being shown and placement meetings are more and more scrutinized. Look at Schenectady City’s budget-laid off nearly 100 special education paraprofessionals as a cost a wing measure.

    Good try, though.

  8. Skipjack says:

    The reason so many people don’t vote is because it doesn’t make any difference; your taxes will go up either way because the contingency budget is higher than the previous years spending. I also object to having the vote at the school where some people are intimidated or guilted into voting yes. Why do we vote at the school? Why not vote at our regular voting place? I came from a State where there was no school tax; schools were funded via income tax. I think this is a much more equitable solution; let all participate in the education of our State’s children, rather than just propety owners. Some will say renters pay too via their rent, but that’s not entirely true. A person can only charge rent at a rate that the market will bear (and which may be lower than the mortgage plus taxes that the property owner pays). Finally, NY pays roughtly TWICE what other States pay (over $20K/student/year) and for what? Our results are NOT #1. Throwing more money at it doesn’t work. Time to do something different.

  9. J says:

    Mike (#3)

    Yes, I am aware of that. I know a Special Education teacher whose position is being eliminated for that reason. But, in some states if you get your child identified, you are allowed to send your child to whatever school, public, private or charter, that you feel would best meet your child’s needs with taxpayer money paying for it. My concern is that this practice may spread to New York State.

    I also question whether these cost saving measures mean that some children will not get the services they need and deserve. To what degree will it reduce the likelihood that they will succeed in school and graduate? How likely is it that they will become contributing (tax paying) members of society? Are the cost saving measures a short term solution with significant long term costs?

  10. Diogenes II says:

    As implied by k the votes that really count in most places are the votes for the board of education or whatever elected officials are responsible for constructing the budget. The vote for the budget is actually an extra benefit for the voters that they don’t have in most other areas of government. What’s undemocratic in intent is the fact that most school board elections aren’t held in the same time and place as most of the other election, and there aren’t the same sorts of provisions for time off for these elections as other election. This arrangement make it possible for corrupt teachers unions and politicians, and the activist parents of favored pupils to manipulate the electoral process for their school board to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of everybody else.

  11. had enough? says:

    Bring a friend when you vote. Those third graders can be intimidating!

  12. had enough? says:

    It seems like a stretch to even call this journalism.

  13. Skipjack says:

    I said “some” are intimidated. Trotting out little Johnny’s drawings hasn’t affected my vote; I’ve voted no every year since I moved here. Some are intimidated or “guilted” into voting yes. I remember one of the TV ads run by the Teacher’s Union some years back featured an elderly woman saying “of course I’m voting yes; I’d feel guilty not to”.