Editor:

I agree with your “Off the Record” editorial 100 percent. I attended that MSAD71 “summit” meeting, and I saw no reason for your reporter to be turned away. An advertised public meeting should be just that – open to all, including your reporter. I was the only non-parent attending, certainly not what I expected, so I’m sure my remarks, expressed as a concerned taxpayer, were not what they wanted to hear and probably will not be included in any report.  

I spoke of the suffering people of Kennebunk with whom I worked this winter. These are the wonderful people who over time have made Kennebunk the town we all love. Many of these people are so proud they would rather go hungry or remain cold than ask for help. At the summit I spent time explaining that this segment of the population is just as deserving as the segment representing the children in our schools. All citizens of Kennebunk have been very generous over the years to make sure that the children had the best education we could give them. However, even with a steadily declining enrollment, the school budget continues to go up and up. When is enough finally going to be enough?   As I stated at the summit, it is obvious to me that a school needs to be closed. 

If that is not possible now, a closing should be implemented as soon as legally possible. In the meantime, no expensive new programs in the schools, such as IB, should be implemented unless something of equal cost is dropped from the curriculum. 

Employee levels should be reduced in line with the dropping enrollment, and benefits for these employees should be in line with the real world the rest of us live in. A fair starting percentage for teachers can be a 20 percent contribution toward health benefits instead of the 10 percent they now pay. 

I tried to explain to others at the taxpayer summit that school budget increases can no longer just be passed on to the taxpayers without real pain. Many feel they are paying for a private education with public funds. The present state of the economy has made everyday living so expensive for all of us that now is the time for the school budget, which is over 70 percent of our tax bill, to come into line with the pocketbooks of the majority of the citizens of Kennebunk. 

Sue Walker 

Kennebunk