A Todd Parent Sharing Common Goals: Academic Excellence, Firm Property Values and Reasonable Taxes

By Mike Valenti

http://www.MikeValenti.org

I'm Mike Valenti and I am seeking to be elected as your representative on the Briarcliff Manor Board of Education. If elected to fill this Board position, my desire and commitment is to zealously represent all constituencies in the District, from parents with preschoolers to empty nesters. As a District, I believe we share three common goals:

• Academic Excellence
• Firm Property Values, and
• Reasonable Taxes.

Educational excellence must be maintained at all levels of the educational process. Our school district must maintain its standard of excellence and its position amongst the best in the County. To do this, we must work closely and carefully with the administration and the educators.

We must allow them the autonomy they require to guide the Board. The Board must defer to the administration and the educators on the issue of maintaining educational excellence.

We all agree that our children should receive an unrivaled educational experience and emerge from our District in a position to compete for admission to the best colleges and universities. As parent who will have two children in Todd next year (Kindergarten and Third Grade), I am well aware that the building blocks of academic excellence begin at Todd and culminate in the High School. Thus, it is imperative that we maintain our strong, competitive program from K through 12.

Please be assured that academic excellence is of the utmost importance to me on behalf of all children and families in the District.

Firm Property Values The quality, competitiveness and reputation of a school district, especially in our county, correlates directly with the value of properties in that district. We have seen the value and desirability of property in our District rise firmly, on a relative basis to other communities in the county over the past several decades, in direct correlation to the rise in the competitive ranking and reputation of our school District.

Each of us in the District, whether we still have children attending schools in the District or not, has a vested interest in maintaining the premium on our property value that is created by the association with a world class school district. We cannot allow any challenge, small or great, to impinge on the quality and competitiveness of our District schools.

Please be assured that as a fellow homeowner in the District, maintaining firm property values is of the utmost importance to me on your behalf.

Reasonable Taxes

Nobody likes to pay taxes. We all work hard each year to contain our tax burden via our personal and business income taxes. We happily pay what is due + but not a penny more. We are in full control of our personal taxes and/or the tax situation of our businesses.

Property taxes and school taxes, however, are controlled by others. This creates an uneasy feeling for many people. It is therefore vitally important that you have implicit trust in those who shape your property and school tax burden each year.

Please be assured that my objective as a member of the Board of Education is an agenda of strict fiscal responsibility with regard to the District's school tax burden. This agenda, of course, balanced by the agendas of academic excellence and sustainably firm property values.

Please feel free to utilize the Contact Mike page of http://www.MikeValenti.org to reach out to me.

Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration.

I shall hope to have your support on May 18.