Sept. 7 is an important day for Regional School Unit 16 taxpayers to participate in working together to create an equitable school budget. The increases in the proposed budget will cause future tax increases and/or education cuts in the next few years. Further reduction is needed.

School board members have cited equalization of wages and benefits as the prime reason for budget increases; however, equalization of wages and benefits is not mandated by the state.

This was told to me by Jim Rier, deputy commissioner of education, when I was making an effort to find out about the validation process. It is mandated for the teachers to have one contract. They can have different wages and benefits.

Given the number of unpaid taxes in all three towns and with the number of starving people now tripled, any equalization at all should be stretched over many more years. That would reduce the proposed budget and help reduce education cuts and tax increases.

The Sept. 7 district meeting is a public town meeting to set the budget. To reduce the budget, one or more articles must be reduced. Voting down the last article that “Gives Authorization to Increase Local Funds” is the key to reducing this budget before the Sept. 13 validation vote on the amount approved on Sept. 7.

I feel it is in the best interest of the school board, teachers, administrators, and community members to review the full impact of this budget for the future.

Hope Becker, Poland

Sept. 7 is an important day for RSU16 taxpayers to participate in working together to create an equitable school budget. The increases in the proposed budget will cause future tax increases and/or education cuts in the next few years. Further reduction is needed.

School board members have cited equalization of wages and benefits as the prime reason for budget increases; however, equalization of wages and benefits is not mandated by the state.

This was told to me by Jim Rier, deputy commissioner of education, when I was making an effort to find out about the validation process. It is mandated for the teachers to have one contract. They can have different wages and benefits.

Given the number of unpaid taxes in all three towns and with the number of starving people now tripled, any equalization at all should be stretched over many more years. That would reduce the proposed budget and help reduce education cuts and tax increases.

The Sept. 7 district meeting is a public town meeting to set the budget. To reduce the budget one or more articles must be reduced. Voting down the last article that “Gives Authorization to Increase Local Funds” is the key to reducing this budget before the Sept. 13 validation vote on the amount approved on Sept. 7.

I feel it is the best interest of the school board, teachers, administrators, and community members to review the full impact of this budget for the future.

 Hope Becker, Poland