I just had to respond to the Jan. 19 “Mailbag” letter by Leslie Ludtke.
Funding education across New Hampshire is a desperate issue in both the quality of the education itself and the ability to provide sufficient funds. With each separate school district caught in between, the withering factor is the dependence on the property tax, that to say the least varies substantially, even between towns in a multi-town district. The state’s participation is just not sufficient to make up the difference.
The complaint in Claremont when compared to the town of Sunapee or the Kearsarge district, which I was more familiar with, should not be brushed off so easily.
The adequate funding by the state would more likely require an income tax. The state already has an income tax under the guise of a tax on interest and dividends. This 5% tax covers a relatively small segment of the state’s population, putting an unfair burden on the income of those living on it. Across the board a 2% or 3% income tax would provide the funding, not only to resolve the school issue but to help out where other funds are in need. With such a tax in place the property tax would be reduced and that would be a big help.
If I where to run for the Legislature, I would be unable to take The Pledge. The adjacent article on the Jan. 19 Forum page headlined “The Reign Of Ignorance” fits in here somewhere.
G.R. KELLER
Bradford