As a longtime Port resident, I've been active in my civic group on many different issues. The property tax issue is now becoming the most important issue of all, because taxes are going through the roof. The county tax is up by 19 percent. But this tax is a small part of our tax bill, and was not raised for years. The school tax is a different matter. It's been going up each and every year for as long as I can remember. It is by far the largest part of our tax bill, and more than all other property taxes combined.

Sometimes I think the school board fails to understand what kind of problem they hand us with these ever increasing tax bills. I saw a handout at a local meeting that shows teachers costing us $104,000 each and maintenance workers $88,000. The school budget we will vote on is $91 million. With 4,700 students, that means we're spending over $19,000 on each student. That seems very high to me, and the reasons are becoming obvious.

The proposal to replace nurse teachers with RNs was a good one, and would have saved us $250,000. I was sorry to see the board reverse itself and waste our money. Many I spoke to said it was pretty obvious to most that they should be replaced with RNs at half the cost, but everyone was afraid to stand up to the teachers union and the vocal parents who supported them. We taxpayers are the losers. On top of that we seem to be paying more than we have to for maintenance work. The school board no longer represents the community, but just gives in to those who pressure them. It's time to defeat the budget and send them a message that they've got to start controlling costs. Please vote no on the budget.

Kay Albright