Due to the property revaluation this year in New Ipswich, many properties will see a large tax increase.

The school budget is $21,146,355 and the enrollment is 880 students, which equals $24,000 per student. They could be individually sent to private schools for far less.

Concern for children’s well-being is good, but it shouldn’t end the minute they graduate. Soon they’re on the taxpayers’ side like us, owning property (if they can afford it) or renting (which is sky-high already). They’ll already be supporting the big baby boom retirees, and piling endless tax burdens on them just adds to their pain.

Our kids should be taught, like a business must, how to make the same goals for less cost, not easy-come, easy-go, and schools should lead the way by example. Furthermore, this lucrative economy won’t last forever, guaranteed, and with all the reckless federal debt spending, the crash could last a long time.

When the board comes out with a small percentage increase, it sounds minor. This past year, many taxpayers saw a $500 to $1,000 spike, but worse, it’s not a one-time increase. In 30 years, the same $500 adds up to $15,000, and averaging a $5,000 overall tax bill for 30 years equals $150,000. The small percentage is no longer a few dollars, as the board would like us to believe.

Public schools should never get so costly that it cripples our children’s futures, and we should educate them with these facts.

Brian Somero

New Ipswich