Linda Kaiser

We have lived in Amherst for 4o years and have never had a child in the school system. My husband & I have served on most of the boards in town for many years, and have tried to be good citizens in our town. We do not have net assets in excess of $750,000, rather, have a pension and social security. Our house is 245 years old. We do not want to move, nor do we have any reason to move. Our network of support and friends are in this local area. At this stage we are finding it difficult to be able to afford to paint the house, and paint the barn. We have maintained almost everything to the best of our ability but I must say, that the idea of home OWNERSHIP and reduced expenses is never to be a possibiity when 79 percent of our tax bill goes to support an almost $30,000 a year per student tax burden. We can never be more forceful than a group of young parents who want only the very best for their children and tell us to force the town to provide senior housing for us to move into! That is outrageous!