Put more of burden for schools on young

I’m referencing Marie Zavoli’s Dec. 5 post on senior citizens and property taxes for schools, which reflects an archaic attitude, i.e., this is the way it’s always been done so let’s keep it up albeit good or bad.

I believe many seniors cannot afford to remain residents when 70 percent to 80 percent of their real estate tax bills are funding the local school systems. In Fulton County, Georgia, for example, seniors attaining age 65 stop paying school taxes, which results in the funding of schools by families having school-age children and the 45-65 age group who recently had school-attending children that are now moving into the workforce, the military, college, etc. and continue to support the school system but get no direct benefit.

If it can work there, why not here? The seniors with fixed incomes, which are typically much lower that their income-producing years get to keep their homes, enjoy their families and communities, and determine for themselves how to spend their more-limited incomes and savings.

Until the recent housing crash, one’s home was the chief asset for retirement planning. If the young families here had to pay much more real estate taxes, they would become more involved in judging the effectiveness of the school system.

If young families paid a much bigger share, they would start attending school board meetings, question education achievement scores and the level of administrative bureaucracy. et’s face it, and generally speaking, school systems over the years are composed of three special interest groups (four if you count the unions) that are all competing for their share of the pie. As long as the pie is allowed to grow and grow, nothing will ever change.

Just look at the Illinois pension funding mess to see the effect of this phenomenon. Yes, I am a senior.

Tom Snyder

Inverness