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Monday, 30 August 2010 18:30 |
This letter is in response to an article in the latest issue of the Fire Island News, Volume 54. No. 3.
In the article, Loretta Ferraro, superintendent of the Fire Island School District, asserts that a recent consolidation study indicated that Fire Islander's school taxes would increase six fold if dissolved. I find this very hard to believe.
According to the article, the district had a total of 50 students in [the] 2009-2010 [academic year], 20 of whom attended the Woodhull Elementary School in Ocean Beach.
According to a June 29, 2010 article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, the average spending in New York State per student is roughly $17,000. Astoundingly, the district with the highest per student spending is the Fire Island Union Free School District with a whopping yearly per-pupil cost of $90,146. To put this in perspective, this is $36,290 more than the estimated cost of a year at Harvard including tuition, room, board, books and personal expenses. (Source: collegesearch.collegeboard.com)
Another article sourced on the Internet indicates that the average spending per student in Islip is $15,526 (Source:HomeSurfer.com) Do the math. Do we really need to fund a school on Fire Island for 20 elementary students at an increased $74,620 per pupil when 30 middle school and high school students are already being bused to the mainland?
Sharon Fiyalka
Robbins Rest
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