Sunday, November 24, 2024
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Tax burden reduced

| September 25, 2007 9:00 PM

This letter is in response to the public notice recently circulated at the Three Mile Corner.

First, I'd like to address that the taxpayers didn't get a vote. If you failed to vote in the election of school board trustees, then I suppose you didn't get a vote, however this is precisely why we elect trustees. We defer to their judgment and choose them for the purpose of making decisions for us, their constituents.

Second, the additional students numbered more than 58. According to the enrollment figures for Sept., 6, our district had 1,576 students, which is 78 more than one year ago. Our board could have levied additional monies based on the higher number of students, but they chose to lessen the taxpayer burden locally and at the state level by levying enough, rather than a maximized amount.

Third, the levy is here to stay; it isn't additional money — it is the amount of local dollars required to run our district. It is our local investment in our future. The term emergency levy should be replaced by influx of student's levy. No matter where these kids come from, whether they are home-schoolers choosing a Boundary County public education, or they are from families moving to our hometown, they are here.

Last I would like to take this opportunity remind everyone a public education is one of the biggest government programs we have a local impact on. We elect our trustees, who in turn make the tough decisions. Our board has in fact taken many opportunities to lessen our tax burden, and this latest one is no different.

As a post note, the best advertisement for a good education is poorly written, misspelled public notices.

Shawn Watt

Bonners Ferry