There have been a number
of times since 1984
when we wonder why
on earth we keep writing this
column. Most of them, until
now, have been related to
anonymous notes of extreme
dissatisfaction with something
we wrote.
Now, however, we discover
we have been bombarded
for something someone else
wrote. In a recent e-mail we
were accused of ``...whining
about George Bush...’’ and
we should ``Get over it.’’ This
was followed by a long list
of what the federal government
either has or has not
done in the past year which
ended with the statement
``Wow that’s some record of
accomplishment...’’ By the
time we got to ``Your socialist/
progressive/ communist
agenda is so transparent it is
laughable. ``We were quite
positive that the e-mail had
been sent to us in error and
thus we forwarded it on to the
person for whom we assumed
it was intended. However, it
did make us feel we should be
able to apply for combat pay.
Of course we realize that
every time we pen a column
we are opening ourselves up
to reader response. Thus we
were not surprised to discover
that the ink was barely dry
on last week’s column when
we received yet another
e-mail intended to arm us
with even more ammunition
for our discussion of the
upcoming school budget. This
particular e-mail directed us
to a news release from the
Empire Center for NYS Policy
entitled ``School Payrolls
Grew in 2008-09, On-Line
Data Shows.’’ And although we
did not think this was exactly
new news, we nonetheless
dutifully read that ``Total
spending on teaching and
administrative salaries by
districts outside New York City
increased 5 percent statewide
to $14 billion _ a $670 million
annual increase _ in the 2008-
09 school year.’’
And while this information
is indeed interesting, we were
even more fascinated by another
website, SeeThroughNY,
to which we were directed
and where we could ``...
search or sort the database
by name, school district and
salary level.’’ And much to our
astonishment that is indeed
true. We were able without
any difficulty whatsoever to
access not only the current
CCS Faculty Association
Contract, but also the current
superintendent’s contract.
And what we learned from
that is that we made, some
forty years ago, a very tactical
error in only obtaining a
teaching certificate instead of
going for the gold and getting
administrative certification.
As a result we are not, upon
retirement, in the position of
buying back from the school
district sick days at $350/day
up to $30,000, having 100
percent of the insurance premiums
for a $200,000 term
life policy paid forever by the
school district or having 85
percent of retirement health,
dental and prescription
insurance paid by the district.
Obviously we have missed
the boat big time as we have
never been given a sick day,
we do not have life or dental
insurance and we pay 100
percent of our premiums for
health and prescription insurance.
We can but wonder if
it is too late to live our whole
life all over again in hopes of
improving our retirement.
Of course, there is undoubtedly
much about the
job of school superintendent
that we would probably not
enjoy all that much. Decisions
regarding snow days
come instantly to mind. We
have long thought making
such decisions is a completely
thankless job. For example,
just before the February
vacation Cooperstown was
but one of many area schools
which announced a snow day.
And given the weather predictions
it was a decision that
we would have made. In fact,
based on that same weather
report, we cancelled our
planned activities for the day.
Unfortunately, or fortunately
depending on one’s
point of view, the predicted
snow did not materialize for
which the school district, in
our opinion, took a great deal
of undeserved grief. We heard
about negative conversations
carried on in the grocery
stores and read various negative
remarks posted on Facebook.
But the comment that
troubled us the most, and we
heard it from several sources,
was that the school lost state
aid because the snow day was
used. We checked, and as we
originally thought when we
heard the comment, nothing
could be further from the
truth. Snow days are built into
the school year and, one way
or another, they will all be
used by the end of the school
year. So while parents may not
have appreciated the fact that
their children were home from
school, in no way were education
dollars lost as a result.
We note, since this is once
again the first Thursday of the
month when we try to include
information about the Literary
Discussion Group in this column,
that the next meeting of
the Literary Discussion Group,
sponsored by the Women's
Club of Cooperstown, will be
held on Thursday, March 25 at
2:30 p.m. in the Dunn Room
of the Village of Cooperstown
Library. The book for discussion
will be ``American Lion:
Andrew Jackson in the White
House’’ by Jon Meacham. The
meeting is open to the public.
In closing, one of our faithful
readers asked us why there
was no quote in last week’s
column. Our somewhat lame
answer was that we couldn’t
seem to come up with one
that made sense given the
nature of the column. So, to
make up for that oversight,
we are offering two quotes
this week which we hope will
mollify our reader. The first is
a Proverb, namely ``The more
you know, the less you understand.’’
And the second, from
Dr. Seuss, is ``The more that
you read, the more things you
will know. The more that you
learn, the more places you’ll
go,’’ which is fine as long as
the place you go isn’t nuts.
PLEASE NOTE: Comments regarding
this column may be made by mail at 105
Pioneer Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326,
by telephone at 607-547-8124 or by email
at cellsworth1@stny.rr.com.
