To the editor
Do you live in Hillsborough? Have you lost your job, been downsized, or have taken a pay cut? Has your property been reassessed outrageously? Are your real estate taxes out of this world?
Guess what, the Great Gulick doesn’t care. He doesn’t believe a world exists that isn’t ready to dump scads of money into his coffers.
He has determined that his fiefdom needs $82.1 million dollars of your hard-earned income next year. No excuses allowed for not contributing.
From Dr. Gulick’s March 4 presentation: Budget for 1999-2000 school year $65.6 million; Students 6860; budget amount per student $9,562.68. 2000-01 budget $70.8 million; students 7,153; $9897.94 per student; 2001-02 budget $75.9 million; 7,390 students; $10,270.63 per student; 2002-03 budget $82.1 million; 7,565 students; $10,852.61.
Interesting.
His budget presentation to the board on March 4 was psychologically befitting his doctorate and political savvy.
Mayor Joseph Tricarico take note and learn from a master.
The items Dr. Gulick asked for were presented in a desultory, vague manner without specific dollars, a couple pages of data to justify $82.1 million dollars of expenses. Most personal monthly checking account statements have more data and fewer dollars than this budget presentation.
For example, he recommended that the board renew the contract with Servicemaster and increase it (some of the increase is for additional work). This is the company that flunked the performance inspection at Woodfern.
But Dr. Gulick talked to them and they now see the errors of their ways so they got a larger contract.
He also recommended a need for funds to open new facilities. No dollars mentioned.
Dr. Gulick sadly informed the board of a host of items that he is unable to fund this year. Kleenex time. Wailing and gnashing teeth. Self-flagellation. Guilt trip big time. These items were presented in great detail-account number, description, dollar amount and employee benefit cost.
There is no money to pay a longer secretary day. Have any of you been asked to work longer hours at no additional pay?
And the crowning shortcoming is a failure to spend $600,000 to expand the high school parking lot. Why not expand this lot and set it up for reserved parking? Hey, Tom Venanzi, here is a source of income.
But Dr. Gulick had to take a back seat to Mr. Venanzi’s preposterous presentation of how the budget goes up but our taxes go down. Budget up 8.2 per cent. Tax rate down 3.6 per cent.
Now comes the hard part of the budget approval. Our elected school board members must take this outrageous boondoggle and do something with it.
Is the majority of the board composed of Dr. Gulick toadys? Or does the majority have enough testosterone to wield a large double-bit axe and knock hundred-thousand dollar chunks out of this budget?
We taxpayers will have the final say in April. We will vote on the budget and also for the new board. Those board members who are up for re-election must do a 180 and now convince the tax payer they really are good guys in white hats!
Taylor Avenue