Get Albany to reverse the course of school taxes

To the editor: After the third budget rejection in a row, it is obvious that property owners, even those with children in the school system, are no longer apathetic - they will no longer just approve budgets with annual tax increases that are far above the rate of inflation or increase of the cost of living. Just how angry these taxpayers are with the current funding system was shown by the rejection of the last Warwick budget when the difference was only $200,000 to force an austerity budget. Since all property owners want to maintain the excellent level of education that has been attained in our district, the question is how can we pay the ever-increasing cost of education? The funding of public schools is a civic duty of every citizen of the state and not just property owners. Of the more than $33 billion spent annually to fund public schools throughout the state, property owners are forced to make up more than half of this amount through local school property taxes. This inequitable burden of school tax on property owners is discriminatory and should be declared unconstitutional. It was acceptable when education cost were reasonable, but now, the insatiable rising cost of education is pushing lower income families and retirees from their homes. The current school funding system is not sustainable and must be changed before we lose the quality of our education system. As I see it, the only way to save our quality education system is to force Albany to change the system of funding the public school system. In our current budget the Albany remits “State Aid” at about 28 percent ($20.1 million) while local property owners pay about 68 percent ($49.5 million). I would suggest that the Albany should be remitting the 68 percent as “Public School Funding” and the Warwick taxpayers pay the 28 percent (with a maximum limit of 30 percent) as “Local Aid.” The state would then raise the $29.4 million through the state income tax, spreading the cost of education over a larger and more equitable base. I would give odds that unfunded mandates would disappear. How can we convince Albany to change the public school funding system? The Warwick School District is not different than all the other school in the state. They are all facing potential rejection of budgets because of the unfair and inequitable burden on their taxpayers but they all need more funding to maintain the quality of education that they strive for. I suggest that the school boards and their superintendents become pro-active to promote the change of public school funding and do it quickly before the quality of their current programs deteriorate for the lack of funds. Do not rely on board members lobbying local politicians or groups associations - get the public to sign petitions and when you obtain the appropriate numbers of signatures, present them to the local state legislators at public meetings. A grass-roots ground-swell will motivate our state legislators or flush them out as being ineffective and we can replace them. William A. Fullerton Warwick