School district 'double dippers,' monitoring pet industry, Lou 'Coach' Carnesecca

Different views on LI double dipping

How long will we condone practices that drive up the cost of education and our taxes? Specifically, double dipping [“Retired educators return, with salaries,” News, Dec. 1]. Educators and administrators still getting pensions (and hefty ones, at that) is antithetical to what is happening in most of the public job market.

Mention a pension to young people in today’s public sector and they will laugh. They see that as a benefit their parents or grandparents received. Most know they will never get one.

The argument that it is cheaper to keep educators/administrators who are double dipping is nonsense. A younger, less experienced educator/administrator will surely cost less.

More important, the districts are not doing enough to plan for successors or trying to groom younger, more diverse people for promotion. Is this so they can get their own pensions while continuing to work?

Maybe younger individuals will bring new ideas, more enthusiasm and energy to the status quo. Meanwhile, we continue seeing the quality of education go down while our taxes go up. When will we learn?

— Robert Guida, Huntington

Oh, the horrors! Among school district employees are some “double dippers.” Look up that term and one might come across words such as “illicit.”

In reality, those employees are no different from others who retire from any jobs, collect properly earned pensions, and then go on to supplement that income by taking other jobs, often utilizing their skills in related companies or industries. No one seems to have any issues with that.

So, why should retired educators be chastised for coming out of retirement and allowing school districts to tap into this pool of experienced educators to help navigate the intricacies of educating Long Island students?

— Bill Ciesla, Northport

There is nothing sinister or problematic about this practice. If someone retires and collects a $50,000 yearly pension, and a replacement is hired at $100,000 yearly, the cost to the school district is $150,000 a year. If the retiree is hired at the same $100,000 a year, the cost to the district is the same $150,000. The article even points out that there is a savings since no pension contributions need to be made when a retiree is hired. Why does this merit a front-page headline?

— Glenn R. Schwartz, Levittown

To those who find themselves astonished by the blatant examples of double dipping by Long Island educators, I see Long Island as ground zero for nepotism, cronyism, and corruption in public education. That should make the situation easier to understand.

— Michael Cohen, Brightwaters

The writer is a retired superintendent of Brentwood schools.

The state should monitor pet industry

Many responsible shoppers won’t buy clothing with a label that is known for labor abuses, a company that is a known polluter or one whose politics violate common decency. It is not the job of the consumer to vet or investigate things that are the responsibility of governmental agencies under whose auspices and expertise they fall.

To ban pet shops in New York State from selling small pets because of the broken puppy mill industry is to shift the burden away from where it belongs [“LI suit challenges pet store ban on dog, cat sales,” News, Nov. 30]. New York State has compliance laws for everything from automobiles to zoos. Tighten up the breeder industry. Leave the pet shops alone.

— Howie Weinick, Woodmere

Coach’s friendship lasted a lifetime

For Lou Carnesecca, who died Saturday, even insignificant events were important to him [“Lou: A true NY sports icon,” Sports, Dec. 2].

A friend of mine who played for the St. John’s freshman basketball team sometimes had his practice sessions run by “Coach” Carnesecca. My friend, who never made the varsity, eventually moved to an assisted living facility.

Coach, at 99, learned this fall that the former player was having severe medical issues. Coach called my friend to offer comfort and support. My friend cherished the phone call.

I’m sure this is just one unknown instance when Coach went out of his way to reach out and help someone.

— Phil Grella, Rockville Centre

I remember during my time at St. John’s seeing Lou Carnesecca walking around the campus. He always had a smile on his face and a big hello, no matter who you were. He will be missed.

— Bob Horsham, Ridge