To the editor:
At age 67 I struggle to pay my more than $7,000 in annual property tax. I’m told that public education takes a 63 percent share of my tax contribution. I have never had a child to educate here in New Hampshire, yet I have contributed over $100,000 for local education and state colleges during my 26 years of New Hampshire home ownership. I am abused by our present educational tax funding system. Parents of students who “have skin in the game” should directly pay a reasonable portion of their children’s education costs through student enrollment fees. Exceptions for financial hardship should be allowed; but, absolutely no one should go “scot -free” and pay nothing!
I read that Dublin property taxpayers contribute around $30,000 per student annually, to have them attend public high school. Dublin property taxpayers could send these students off to private prep-schools at that price!
Shouldn’t parents pay 50 percent of the actual cost of educating their kids? If not – why not ? Actual user fees are an equitable way to share the burden of funding public education.
If I were the parent of a newborn daughter, I would do well to create an education savings account starting with $2,000 the first year, and add to it annually, in in order to fund her freshman year of college. Why should there be “free lunch money” extracted from my fellow citizens to fund her education? My (theoretical) daughter would need to have a plan to fund the balance of her college tuition costs, especially if there were younger siblings to educate as well.
My nephew volunteered two years of his precious youth in the Peace Corps teaching rural Haitian villagers how to fabricate efficient solar powered ovens for their homes, along with “best practices” for vegetable gardening, and he was later rewarded with educational assistance funding. A friend’s son took my advice, joined the U.S. Navy, and was trained in photo journalism. He does the photo news stories when U.S. congressmen come aboard the aircraft carrier to visit and inspect navy operations in action. He will re-enter civilian life with not only a professional skill and professional experience; but, he will also be entitled to educational funding from “Uncle Sam” (AKA – American taxpayers ) if he desires further education. Young men and women need to be resourceful, and learn to become good citizens by committing time and work in public service – if they expect public funding of their college educations. Higher education is a privilege, not a right! The responsibility for primary school education costs should rest upon parents first, and society second. If not, then why not ?
Thomas Carney
Dublin