On Tuesday, May 17, New Yorkers from Buffalo to the Bronx are voting in school elections -- or, at least, some of them are. (Turnout for school budget elections is usually abysmally low. We're hoping local voters will buck the trend tomorrow.)
This year is a particularly tough one for New York State school districts, with $1.2 billion in state aid slashed from the state budget this year. (North Country Public Radio has a recent story that claims rural schools may be taking more than their fair share of the pain.)
Factor in the already-soaring costs of budget-breakers like heating oil and healthcare, and you have a recipe for voter outrage: taxes going up and services going down. The Albany Times-Union puts it succinctly:
By now, it is as much a rite of spring as a blooming daffodil: teachers lose their jobs, and our taxes rise.
Regardless of how you're voting on your local school district's budget, we hope you'll get out there and vote.
Photo by Flickr user owaief89. Published under Creative Commons license.
