After reading the superintendent’s report on the new day care treatment center for special education children SAD 43 is putting in place, I have to comment that it is going to be a costly mistake to SAD 43 taxpayers.

While on the board of directors a few years ago, I accused the Department of Health and Welfare and our special education director of collaborating to have special ed kids sent here from all over the country, at the expense of the taxpayers. It was denied. Five students and their families moved here from Georgia, Massachusetts, New York and a couple of Western states. All were welfare families and it cost from $80,000 to $125,000 of local taxpayer money for just one special education child, not counting welfare for the families.

My stance was we have an obligation to help our locals and should. However, we do not have the resources to pay for every out-of-state person because their state will gladly dump them on us. The federal money will dry up, and the burden will be on already over-burdened towns of SAD 43.

Instead of the school budget rising $1 million a year, it will be closer to $3 million. Can people afford the extra taxes? I can’t and that is why I will vote for the tax cap until sanity comes to our state and local leaders.

Robert H. Worthley, Roxbury

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