Letter to the editor
To the editor:
First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Robert McGwier for agreeing that Hightstown homeowners/taxpayers are getting the dirty end of the stick when it comes to the allocation of school taxes. East Windsor will add $56 million of new property values to its assessment that allows it to readily absorb the more than 10 percent increase of the new $53.6 million school budget. Hightstown can’t compete, so the borough homeowner must foot the bill nearly double the tax rate increase 15 cents per $100 vs. only 8 cents for East Windsor.
Now Dr. McGwier and I part ways, for he has nothing but praise for the school district staff and administration and Peddie School staff, administration and students. First of all our numbers don’t agree. According to the March 16 Trenton Times, the state average per-pupil spending for K-12 is $8,988, way below the $10,354 he quoted. According to the same paper, East Windsor Regional K-12 spends $9,249 per pupil, or a mere $261 extra per pupil, but for 3,800 students that adds up to almost a million bucks. No big deal for East Windsor.
The same paper states that East Windsor Regional has the second highest median teacher salary in Mercer County at $54,573, much higher than even Princeton, whose teacher median is only $51,204. It has been stated that we need 23 new teachers, and at $54.5 per oops! That’s another million dollars. No big deal for East Windsor.
I can’t help but wonder how many new teachers we would need if the class size were increased from 15 to 20, or even God forbid 25. No, forget that; just think about all the special individualized attention each student loses. Note the headline of the March 16 Windsor-Hights Herald: "Scores still worry school leaders."
In closing, I would like to say I have never had the opportunity to enjoy the community enhancement and enrichment projected by the Peddie School, faculty, staff and students, other than John Bolla, the golf course pro. John is a fine gentleman, although it cost me $2,000 per year to enjoy his company.
Larry Galcher
Hightstown