I read in the Sept. 15 Sun Journal that Sen. Garrett Mason supports public education.
He neglected to mention that, by supporting LD 1866, Gov. Paul LePage’s bill that would have forced the public and business community to pay the costs of the statewide religious school system, he would increase state costs by $24 million per biennium and increase local property tax burdens by $28.4 million per biennium (H-835).
The Senate roll call on LePage’s bill (S-409) shows that even a majority of Senate Republicans joined Democrats and independent senators to kill the bill, agreeing with the Maine Municipal Association that Maine’s property taxpayers couldn’t stand it.
Shockingly, Sen. Mason supported increasing the property tax burden.
Colleen Quint has successfully worked for years to support and strengthen the public K-12 and college education system. She doesn’t support forcing the public to also pay the costs of a statewide religious school system.
She deserves support on Nov. 6.
John Nutting, Leeds
Editor’s note: LD 1866 would have repealed language in statute stating that only nonsectarian private schools may be approved for the receipt of public funds for tuition purposes. Mason supported the bill in committee after it was amended to include a fiscal note, but a majority vote “ought not to pass” prevailed and the bill died.
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