We moved to East Brunswick five years ago. Our child never went to East Brunswick public schools.
The first thing the town did was to reassess our property. We have neighbors paying less for a lot more, but we cannot afford to get a lawyer to fight the town. We helped vote the school budget down not because of the children attending the schools but because the teachers are overpaid and have the best of benefits.
We cannot afford to pay another dime. A high percent of our Social Security checks go to pay for the schools. We are on a fixed income with a three-bedroom ranch house and pay more than $11,000 a year in realestate taxes. Yes, we would love to sell our house and get out of this town. But guess what? There are 539 homes for sale in this town on Realtor.com. That does not include the homes that are for sale by owners and not Realtors.
East Brunswick schools are no better than schools in Monroe, Spotswood, South River, or any other town around here. Behind every child’s success is a parent who takes an interest in helping the children with their homework, knowing a child’s friends, and teaching the child how important an education is.
Every time a senior sells a home in this town and a family with children moves in, your taxes go up. There are two things I would suggest be done – have a flat percentage of a person’s income support the schools, or have parents pay for every child they have attending public school.
Debbie Goldberg
East Brunswick