Berkshire Tioga County Teachers

Readers' Column for the week of April 10, 2011

You may call the Owego Pennysaver Readers’ Column at 687-2378 24-hours a day, or e-mail comments to readerscolumn@owegopennysaver.com. We reserve the right to revise or reject any message.

Happy Tails is looking for book donations (books, music, movies – all media) for our 5th annual book sale in September. We have about 2,000 books so far, and we are shooting for 20,000. We’re happy to give tax receipts for your donation. We’re also looking for nice rummage sale items and cans/bottles for our can & bottle drive. Call 341-7564 if you have anything to offer. We can arrange pick-up.

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Happy Tails Animal Shelter is looking for kids who want to do a one-time community project for our local rescue group (Owego, or nearby). The project is: “birdhouses with a twist…” Call for details if you have interest. We will pay for materials, and you will help homeless animals in your community. Call 341-7564 for more information.

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I read recently that the State of New York has restored $387,263 taxpayer dollars to OASD. As we all know, the Owego Apalachin Central School District faced a difficult fiscal year. The Administration proposed a practical plan in which everyone was asked to give a little. The toughest decisions management has to make are those which reduce people and jobs. At OASD these decisions have been long overdue. We taxpayers, who attend the Board meetings, now know for sure those who are concerned about costs and those who have more interest in themselves than they do in the mission of every school district: “To provide a quality education at an affordable price.” When the three Unions were asked to participate in a one year wage freeze as their contribution to a difficult fiscal problem, they said NO! Base on this decision, by the unions, I see no reason why the district and the Board should do anything other then pass on $308,888 of the $387k back to the tax payers, resulting in a zero (0) increase in taxes for 2011-2012 school budget and to send the remaining $78,375 back into their reserve fund(s). The current reductions as proposed, while not popular, is the right thing to do for the taxpayers of this district. While we believe there is more cutting that could be done, we applaud the district and the board for their practical approach to this years’ budget and will support you in your efforts to bring the cost ratios for educating the children of OASD back to an affordable level.

Extension Service news and Farm Bureau news

History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins, and Schuyler counties, New York, With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers

DELAND'S HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY,MICHIGAN

A survey of the secondary schools of Tioga County, New York

History and genealogy of the Eastman family of America, containing biographical sketches and genealogies of both males and females