Congratulations to those opposing Regional School Unit 16’s school budget. They won. They can keep the $35 per year it would have cost Minot’s taxpayers to educate the children. Our children’s already stripped-down, bare-bones education won’t require any more tax dollars than last year’s budget.

Through all of their hard work, they’ve convinced 12 too many people that education isn’t a priority. Money in their pockets is.

They’ve stood loud and strong, claiming no one can afford one more penny in taxes to educate our children.

The truth? I think they’re against quality education.

Their logic is a bit twisted. My family recently got a letter from an opponent to the budget trying to convince us that our children’s education isn’t worth the extra money. That’s right. Time, effort, electricity, ink and stamps were used to mail letters out to convince people that the budget costs them too much.

I don’t buy it.

What was spent on stamps and ink alone was as much as it would have cost in a yearly tax increase.

The wrangling over pennies in the budget process has made these towns very unattractive to young families looking to move here. Our schools are not what any educated adult could rightly state as “lucrative,” “Cadillac,” or “excessive.” Carefully check surrounding towns for that.

But don’t worry. I’m sure that my kids will grow up just fine, and will move away to raise their own families elsewhere — where a quality education isn’t the cause for community wars.

Brian Gagnon, Minot