Editor:
    I find it interesting that after all the assurances we have been hearing that the Mildred L. Day School in Arundel would not be closed if we consolidated with Kennebunk that Kennebunk is already discussing closing one of their own schools even before consaolidation. Are we then to believe that a school board that is controlled by Kennebunk would think twice about closing the Mildred L. Day School if it suited their purpose?
     I hope the voters of Arundel understand that all school decisions under consolidation will be made by a board dominated by Kennebunk and that includes the budget and tax rate. If you think you can vote down a budget agreed to by the Kennebunk dominated school board, remember that their voters out number us. We will have no control over 69 percent of our property taxes. They will impose taxes at will by sheer numbers. They can out vote us anytime they want. We will have no local control.
    If you want the real numbers on cost go to the state web site. The purpose of consolidation is to lower Administrative cost.
    The state web site says the cost per student in Kennebunk is about $9,400. The cost per student in Arundel is about $7,200. The cost per student in Saco is about $7.100.
    Maybe Kennebunk should let us run their schools and we can show them how to take the fat out of their budget. I don’t see us closing schools because we wasted taxpayers money building schools we don’t need.
     I urge all Arundel residents to vote no on school consolidation and keep local control of our schools. Why should we increase our cost per student by 25 percent and therefore our property taxes because Kennebunk voters built too many schools.
 
Byron Kindley
Arundel