Here's the scoop on what readers were discussing and debating on Patch this week. You can click the links to the particular Sound Off to vote in this week's polls and leave comments on the topics.

Monday: Is The State Doing Enough to Fund Local Schools?

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that total state aid to local school districts would increase by 4 percent next year under his executive budget proposal. We asked readers if they thought the state was doing its part to fund our schools. By a 58-41 percent margin, readers sided with "No, state aid should be much higher, especially considering the new tax cap and additional state mandates."

Reader comment: "The state needs to get rid of all of the unfunded mandates, repeal the ridiculous Triborough amendment (which makes it difficult for districts to control labor costs), and return a larger percentage of long island tax dollars to our districts!"- clearvision

Tuesday: What's the Best Family Vacation Destination?

U.S. News & World Report has ranked the top 15 family vacation destinations in the country. Here's its top five (from 1-5): Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Orlando-Walt Disney World, Yellowstone and San Diego. We asked readers what their favorite vacation destination is. The top vote-getter by a ride margin was the land of Mickey Mouse--Walt Disney World.

Reader comment: "Our best family vacations have been to Smugglers' Notch, both winter and summer. It truly earns its reputation as the number one family resort. There is so much to do both in winter and summer, that you couldn't possibly do it all in one week.- Cindy MacDonell

Wednesday: What Do You Think of the Blackout Protest Over Anti-Piracy Bills?

In Tuesday's State of the Union address, President Barack Obama laid out a vision of America in which everybody – including "the wealthy" – plays by the same rules and gets a fair shot. We asked readers what they thought of the address and by a margin of 57-42 percent, readers said, "Nothing there. He's going in the wrong direction."

Reader comment: "Like Mr. Bush, he's a failure in the White House. Enough of this division, bashing just for the sake of it, and supporting our guy regardless of results...how about opening up our minds! He basically claims to have saved the automobile industry...nothing could be further from the truth. For one, the decision to bailout GM and Chrysler came under Bush. Both filed for Chapter 11 bankrupcy during Obama's regime. Ford never received a dime in bailout money. Don't listen to one the politicians say, read the reports of what has actually occurred. It's been awhile since we've had a great leader."- Andrew McClure

Thursday: Recommend a Book

On Thursday, we mixed readers to tell us what their favorite book of 2011 was and also to recommend a book to their neighbors. "The Hunger Games" led the poll on favorite book of 2011.

Reader comment: "I loved the Help but read that in 2009 -- In 2011, I loved the Hunger Games series but some other favorites were Sarah's Key, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Room, BossyPants, Sing you Home. So many good books last year!"- Jennifer Honadel-Wilson