Are they really that far out of touch with the residents of this county?
My God shadow...YES THEY ARE! They have their own little empire (dictatorship) and will stop at nothing to finish what they have started. They are truly a bunch of arrogant, power driven, self serving politicians.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
SCHENECTADY SCCC seeking talks on music project $2.7M in funding for facility held up BY MARK ROBARGE Gazette Reporter
Schenectady County Community College officials say they are willing to compromise with county leaders to resolve a dispute over the expansion of the college’s music facility that is holding up $2.7 million in funding for the project. At Monday’s meeting of the college’s Board of Trustees, board President Robert Ruggeri said the college is trying to schedule a meeting with officials from both the county and Proctor’s Theatre to discuss how it could move a portion of its music program there. Specifically, Ruggeri said, the college is willing to move its planned recording studio to Proctor’s to “get our presence down there in a way that fits in well with the rest of the project.” The studio was included in the project to allow the college to add a new sound recording program and address the business side of the profession. The county has yet to release $2.7 million it promised in 2006 toward a $5.3 million addition to the Begley Building, which officials say is needed to provide more practice space and larger facilities for the college’s music program. The remainder of the cost is being paid by the state. Democratic leaders in the county Legislature have requested that the college move all or some of its music programs to Proctor’s in hopes of attracting more people to the downtown area, but college officials said they are hesitant to split up the program. Ruggeri said on Monday, however, that college officials recognize the need to cooperate with the county. “The college is amenable to moving part of the program to that location,” he said. “We thought that [moving the recording studio] was a reasonable way to proceed.” Design of the 15,000-square-foot addition has been completed, and college officials had hoped to begin construction in the fall and complete the project within a year. Delaying that construction could jeopardize accreditation of the music program by the National Association of Schools of Music, college officials have said, as that five-year accreditation is nearly up and the association said that to have that accreditation renewed, the college needs to add more space. While college officials hope to work out a compromise over the music facility, they had no choice but to accept the county Legislature’s decision last week against increasing its annual contribution to the college budget. Instead, the college will dip into its surplus to make up the $150,000 shortfall in its 2007-08 budget. The college had already included $400,000 from the fund balance in the initial budget it approved, and adding another $150,000 would draw it down to about $1.05 million, or about 5 percent of the $21.3 million spending plan. Trustee Nicholas Barber expressed concern on Monday about continuing to tap the surplus. “Where are we going with the fund balance if we have to take the $150,000?” he asked. “What will that mean in the future? It’s not good.” But college President Gabriel Basil said that the move is only a temporary one while officials fi nd other ways to offset the missing revenue. Basil said that the transfer is only being done to keep the budget balanced for a couple of months while officials seek either spending cuts or additional revenue. Legislators decided against increasing to $2,068,684 the contribution by the county as sponsor of the college after county Finance Commissioner George Davidson said the hike was unnecessary. Davidson said the college was among the strongest financially of the state’s 30 community colleges. Ruggeri objected to that characterization of the college, but said it was important to maintain a cooperative relationship.
Re the Aug. 14 editorial “SCCC should make music with Proctor’s,” I request that you revisit the thinking you have put into this matter for the following: reason and logistics. Having studied music at three colleges, I can tell you that students cannot make schedules, lessons and practice times. At SCCC we already have a wonderful place that works very well because everything is easily accessible, including the library. And thousands of dollars worth of equipment is secure. The black-box theater at Proctor’s is for the performance of plays and does not have the architectural history the music program is now using. College towns have great problems with college-age students. I so hope that they do not move these problems downtown: It will make more problems involving the police, etc. When you get into student housing, you get a lot of situations for law enforcement, people who bail and do not pay, etc. [Professor of music] Brett Wery has worked for years getting this program to be the highest standards probably in the state by making frequent trips to Ithaca [College] and other sites. To deny him the accreditation at this time would be simply cruel. My daughter studied under him for three years, then transferred to a local college with greatly reduced standards. You risk losing all of that. Finally, I really do not think you made careful consideration of the effect this would have on downtown! EDITH SANKOWSKI Schenectady
Are we the only ones that see how dysfuntional this bunch is? We gotta get the word out....
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I have found out that many younger people are far too busy with their own lives to bother to keep up with what's going on in this area. They are uninformed and when they vote for someone it's because someone told them to vote that way.
I have found out that many younger people are far too busy with their own lives to bother to keep up with what's going on in this area. They are uninformed and when they vote for someone it's because someone told them to vote that way.
Now that is a reason for fear....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
You are absolutely correct, shadow and senders! I hold the kids responsible, in part, but I also see a generation that has grown up on lack of respect for authority. Any authority. And since we are speaking of Government....the young ones are probably sick and tired of the bull***t comng out of Washington and their own state and their own community. When was the last time we or they have seen an admirable politician? One they had faith in, respected, listened to and believed? I certainly can't remember when. How can they? All of the admirable ones are the ones they are read about and are taught about in their history class in high school or college. Oh MTV puts the push on to 'get out and vote'. But clearly there is no direction or knowledge of the issues.
I wonder what the college kids at SCCC think of their city government holding their college/music department hostage for their own self serving gain? Nice impression, huh? The city council should be nothing but ashamed of themselves for this blatten display of arrogance!
Politicians are so busy mud slinging and playing games in the political play pen, that they have miserably lost touch with the people. And hence, the same in reverse.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
OK, so here it is, you have the SCDC (Schenectady County Democratic Committee), who sits, perched, looking out a window onto State Street. They see what their wonderful Metroplex has done to fix up a very small portion of the city, bringing the kids and the drunks right together in the heart of the city. They also have narrowed the road to give you more parking spots to go to places where you don't want to go and to go to these places, you have to pay by the 15 minute increment an additional fee. While you are in these lovely establishments, pid for by people from all over the county, you will still have to pay an additional sales tax to keep the place looking nice. But don't worry, you spend it there, it will stay there. You also have the County Legislators sitting just about right on the stage of Proctors for the meetings. They're demanding that the local STATE-RUN college now bow down to the COUNTY for how they are going to run their projects. If you want to go somewhere down in this area of town, there's no way for you to park there, so you'll have to walk an extra long distance past who knows who (or what) to get to these WONDERFUL places.
I wonder what would happen if there was a major Broadway play coming in on the night of a parade AND it was the originally scheduled date for a meeting of the County Legislators. Would Proctors bow to the Queen of the County and her cronies, or would they be asked to give up their parking spots and the front row / spotlight to the money hungry Proctors? And how much do you want to bet that if someone else wanted to get something from the Metroplex to build or grow something that might be cometition to Proctors for ANYTHING would be immediately told by the County Sledge and the Metroplex that they had to C&D the entire idea. Well, that would probably mean to get to that point that they needed to originally get some money from the State-Street-Plex in the first place.
BTW, anybody look to see what is just past where the Metroplex is putting all their money into, if you continue to travel State Street past Erie Blvd? Nice, huh? Almost like walking up onto Hamilton Hill. Make sure you protect yourself before you get to where the lights shine bright on Broadway!
Schenectady County OKs SCCC budget, declines funding
Posted on: 08/24/07 Written by: Jessica Harding, Schenectady County Reporter email: hardingj@spotlightnews.com
The Schenectady County Legislature approved Schenectady County Community College’s operating budget but without additional money from the county at its meeting Tuesday, Aug. 14.
Schenectady County is the official sponsor of the college, which means it provides a percentage of the college’s funding. According to college President Gabriel Basil, the county’s contribution accounts for 9 percent of the college’s operating budget. This year, SCCC asked for an additional $150,000, which the county declined to provide because it has been a difficult year financially.
Commissioner of Finance George Davidson recommended that the college impose a vehicle registration fee of $35 per semester to offset the needed $150,000. Hudson Valley Community College imposes a vehicle registration fee of $86 per semester.
Basil said he would not impose a vehicle registration fee because he didn’t want to put a burden on the students.
“We have already increased student tuition, and it is more than enough,” Basil said. “We don’t want to hit them up again.”
This year SCCC raised its full-time tuition rates by $70 to $2,890 per semester and increased part-time tuition rates by $6 per credit hour to $117. Basil said the college intends to use a portion of its fund balance, which is supposed to be saved for emergencies, and look for other revenue sources to offset the $150,000.
According to the memo from Davidson, out of 30 community colleges in the SUNY system, SCCC has the 27th lowest tuition rates and has the sixth highest fund balance as a percentage of operating costs.
According to Davidson, SCCC will have $1.8 million in its fund balance at the end of this fiscal year. Basil said colleges like to operate with a fund balance that is one month’s worth of operating expenses in case something goes wrong, and once the college dips into its fund balance this year it will be teetering on the edge of that.
“If this becomes a trend, we’ll have a problem,” Basil said.
According to Schenectady County Legislator Vincent Dicerbo, D-Schenectady, the Legislature agreed in 2000 to increase its contribution to the community college by $100,000 for the next 10 years. Dicerbo said after 2001, the county could not afford to keep its promise and has only increased its contribution three times in the last 10 years.
At the legislature’s meeting, Dicerbo, who is also a college trustee, said he supported the college’s budget but hoped the legislature would be able to increase its contribution in the coming years.
This year, SCCC asked for an additional $150,000, which the county declined to provide because it has been a difficult year financially.
Hey, the County Legisture's been batting 1.000 lately, haven't they? Since they're not making all the currectly residing sex offendors move, why don't they tell them that they either need to move or pay a $2,500 fine, that way, you can get the sex offendors to move if you don't want them there, or you can finance the school on their backs. It would only take 60 of these people to decide not to move to make up the money. We'll see how many of them couldn't afford to move, yet could come up with money to stay where they are.
SHOW ME THE MONEY TRAIL................................where are Ms.Savages constituents....will she pay for their parking fee?...doesn't matter-- education is of little importance and would cause a burden....
Quoted Text
Basil said he would not impose a vehicle registration fee because he didn’t want to put a burden on the students.
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
SHOW ME THE MONEY TRAIL................................where are Ms.Savages constituents....will she pay for their parking fee?...doesn't matter-- education is of little importance and would cause a burden....
Quoted Text
Basil said he would not impose a vehicle registration fee because he didn’t want to put a burden on the students.
Maybe the parking fee should only go to non-city of Schenectady residents?
If we tax the non-city of Schenectady residents then they'd be hurting the people who really need a car to get to the college, the people who live in the city can take mass transportation like the buses.
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