To the editor:
I too am grateful to Michael Wise, Chip Elitzer, Curtis, George Klemp and Joe for the work, time and expertise they are putting into the GB tax issue. Now, I am also grateful to Jonathan Hankin for reminding us that we are, I believe, getting distracted from the larger issue of the “school tuition.”
During the run up to the “failed votes” when GB decided to postpone dealing with the high school renovation, I became very suspicious that there was an underlying, major issue that wasn’t on the table. It then became clear to me, at the hand of Chip Elitzer’s careful analysis, that our resistance, albeit unconscious, was based, not on the cost of the renovation, but on the fact that the way of calculating the apportionment of the school costs had become grossly unfair.
Any time or effort spent discussing or planning how to redistribute our town taxes differently, however well intentioned, cannot solve the longstanding inherent unfairness of how our school operating costs are apportioned between the member towns.
Please, let’s put any further work on the “residential exemption” on hold. We can pick up that thread later, if it’s still needed. Let us focus first and foremost on the bigger issue of making the way our school costs are apportioned fair among the three towns. That effort will need all our strength and goodwill to achieve an equitable and harmonious resolution.
Nick Stanton
North Plain Road
Great Barrington, Mass.
