To the Editor:

I started to write this letter after the March 21 Enterprise article on the Voorheesville Central School District’s budget crisis [“Prescription drug costs blow a hole in VCSD budget]. I convinced myself to just forget about it, nothing changes, the May vote is always passed — why bother?

But it is Tax Day — April 15, 2019 — so I am inspired.

The weeping and excuses from Superintendent Brian Hunt continue. He has been here for four years, he has been paid well over $600,000 in salary and benefits, while giving the store away.

The favorite budget-failure excuse being the union contracts. Well, the school boards and administrations approved them, including Cadillac health-insurance plans for teaches, their families, and of course Mr. Hunt.

Please review Hunt’s most recent employment agreement that provided him with a salary increase of 2 percent (the famous tax cap) to his base salary of $147,656 — plus Article V. of the agreement: “Health insurance will continue into retirement.”

Will the teachers and administrators cry foul if single-payer health insurance is passed or just demand another exception for themselves — after all, as they love to protest, “It’s all about the kids.” Nonsense, it’s all about the teachers’ union and the administrations they are in bed with … New Yorkers are lucky to have, on average, the highest paid teachers in the nation, according to a Rockefeller Institute of Government report.

Last year’s school taxes “blew a hole” in the taxpayers’ budgets. Our neighbors and representatives fought for a little relief and equity. But as residents of Guilderland, forced to be part of the town of New Scotland tax district for the VCSD, we really have taxation without representation.

As reported in the April 11, 2019 edition of The Enterprise, the Guilderland Central School District board adopted its budget, and “residents will see their tax rates decrease by 28% in Guilderland … .” How different here in the Voorheesville Central School District.

So, happy retirement to Superintendent Hunt, four years was more than enough, enjoy your retirement on the backs of your neighbors and taxpayers from the next town over.

Keith J. Christiansen

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Keith Christiansen lives in the part of the Voorheesville School District in the town of Guilderland. Residents on the edges of Guilderland, who live in other school districts, saw a huge hike in their taxes because of the state-set equalization rate for Guilderland, which is currently undegoing town-wide revaluation for the first time since 2005.