No More Games of Telephone

There are many reasons I enjoy community journalism. Among my favorites is a classic; the game of telephone. You remember, one person makes a statement to another and then passes it on to someone else. And the message at the end does not resemble what it was at the start.

Well, a recent phone conversation was the latest version of this game. The call I received had to do with the January West Islip Board of Education meeting. The question revolved around a whether there was a discussion about salaries of school district administrators at the board meeting. “There was not,” I replied. “Why?” I then inquired.

It seems as if some in the community are concerned about the salaries of West Islip school district administrators and whether the community can afford them given the current fiscal environment. A legitimate concern, but I asked the caller if those concerned about administrative staff salaries are aware that West Islip’s were among the lowest in the county? I also asked if those concerned were aware that the school district has one of the lowest administrator-to-student- ratios in the county? The answer to both questions was no.

I'm not sure if the conversation about administrative salaries stemmed from a lack of information or mis-information, but which ever, neither is good.

With the board of education about to embark on the budget formation process for the 2010-11 school year, it might behoove more local residents to attend budget hearings to let the trustees know what their concerns are. The meetings are also wonderfully educational, providing a plethora of information about what the school district spends, the burden placed on local homeowners (that homestead rate can be a real…well, it’s tough), and how West Islip ranks in spending compared to surrounding school districts.

No matter what one’s personal views are on school spending, it is important to have the correct information before forming an opinion or speaking publicly on an issue. If not, it only leads to a dissemination of incorrect information. And that helps no one.