It's budget time for local school districts across Westchester County and it's not pretty. Not one of the many municipalities I speak with at any given time, has good, positive news for the community with which they are affiliated.

Superintendents are pointing the finger at Albany for constantly changing and decreasing revenue, which is forcing them to make tough, painful decisions. "Do I cut the number of teachers, increase class size, cut extracurricular programs, not fill vacant positions?"  No one wants to make these decisions -- teachers, nor parents, nor taxpayers nor the superintendents themselves.

During my recent interview with Peekskill Superintendent Judith Johnson on the issue of the upcoming City School Budget, she commented "My goal is, continue to prepare our kids to be career and college ready and at the same time be sensitive to the concerns of the taxpayer." adding "If I can figure out that algorithm, I'm writing the book..."