Investigation needed!

J. Teixeira
Pennington
    As a Pennington resident who pays property taxes used to subsidize the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, I see with my very own eyes on a daily basis some ridiculous expenditures that other Hopewell Valley residents deserve to be made aware of.
   While I have no children in school, I wonder how Hopewell can continue to raise our taxes year after year while they have no accountability regarding expenses — particularly in an economy where every resident is cutting back in some way or watching their own expenditures.
   Every day of the week, a school bus pulls up in my neighborhood to take one child — who was classified years ago as “special needs” because of ADHD — to a private school in Pennsylvania , a school his parents chose to move him to because it offered exciting and creative programs versus standardized classes. The other students who choose to go to that school have parents who pay for the tuition themselves. Not only does the Hopewell Valley school district pay for this child to attend this school, but they also pay for his private round-trip transportation. Meanwhile his parents are completely capable and available to drive the child there themselves.
   The fact that my tax dollars paid are paying for private transportation to and tuition for a school in another state is absolutely ridiculous!
   I am sure that no other taxpayers in our community realize this ridiculous excess and waste of taxpayer money, and I would like to know how long this is going to go on? An inquiry to the school board went unanswered to date.
   This child’s parents clearly have the money and means to transport him to this school, but yet every taxpayer in Hopewell Valley contributes to this cost!
   I would like an answer as to why this continues to go on year after year. I think the school district has incredible nerve to continue to raise our taxes when they waste money like this.
   These days both individuals and business owners are looking at ways to control costs and yet our school district continues to waste money indiscriminately because they know they can just hike taxes and we, the taxpayers, have no recourse but to pay them.
   I really think an investigation into this excess and others that take place at Hopewell Valley Regional School District needs to be undertaken as this one situation is beyond absurd and who knows what else is gong on behind our backs.