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As a major northern Chautauqua County employer that serves 3,200 students deals with potential reductions, a smaller educational entity is rolling in the dough after a vote that included only 125 residents. Last week, the State University of New York at Fredonia announced it would be cutting academic offerings to rightsize a deficit of more than $10 million.
On the other end of the spectrum is the Brocton Central Schools. This week, it got the go-ahead to do a capital project that costs $16.8 million after 101 voters approved the plan.
While the cost to Brocton school taxpayers is minimal at best, New York state taxpayers from Buffalo to Long Island are subsidizing more than $15 million of it. Brocton enrollment - from kindergarten to 12th grade - is a little more than 550 students.
Brocton Central Schools is obviously a key cog in the village and town economy. It also is a place where the community can gather to swim, exercise - or participate in a Christmas festival that will be happening on Sunday.
All that cannot be discounted. What's troubling is how simple it was for the district to get the large sum of money. New York state is facing too much fiscal trouble to just be handing out $16.8 million because 101 people said yes.
That's far too easy.
SUNY Fredonia can only wish for a fix like that. In the last 10 days, the students, staff and even the administrators have been dealing with the pains of potential reductions facing an institution that has lost 2,000 students in the last 14 years.
Priorities in Albany need to change - with more emphasis being put on local residents having to fork over additional funds to do these major initiatives at small schools. If larger public institutions are faced with drastic decisions like SUNY, smaller public entities must also be held accountable.
In other words, there needs to be a lot more buy-in from the local community than just votes. It needs to come from the pockets of the local residents of that district.