What started as a gripe among a few Newry taxpayers about
the quality of our public education and the District's longstanding funding formula has morphed several times and taken on a sad life of its own. At a recent breakfast meeting of the Chamber of Commerce the situation provoked passionately delivered fears and thoughtful rejoinders. Absent was much
discussion about community engagement in the improvement of our schools; front
and center was a deep philosophical divide over the assessment question.
On one side of the divide stood those devoted to lower property taxes and their right to withdraw their town from the community’s
school district if their town's school tax assessment wasn’t favorably modified. This group was joined by petitioners
who found appeasement value in a funding formula modification. The petitioners talked about “playing Russian
roulette with the school district” and fear about “educating my grandchildren” in their
efforts to dissuade those opposed to appeasement as they sought to secure yet another vote on
assessment formula modification.
On the other side of the divide stood many who saw this whole
matter as a shakedown by some citizens of the town with the lowest tax rate in
the District. Some noted there can be no assurance that
appeasement of the current demands would lead to anything more than some quiet
before the next withdrawal threat and encouragement of such anti-District
behavior going forward.
I left saddened by the thought that there will be no winner
in this unfortunate standoff. The District will be left to suffer the morale impact of the
current threat and lingering doubt about the value held by the District's citizens for
educating its youth.
