To the Editor:

It’s time to give the seniors a break.

When my kids were small, my wife and I moved to Guilderland to take advantage of the fine school system. Both children spent 13 years getting an education and have been removed from Guilderland schools for 19 and 17 years respectively while my wife and I have been paying school taxes for 40 continuous years.

Being on a fixed income, it is getting harder and harder each year to pay school taxes. I currently do not take advantage of the school system and have not for the past 17 years. If my wife and I elect to stay in the town of Guilderland, I fully expect to pay school taxes. It is my opinion that I should not have to pay 100 percent of the tax rate.

I will be making a recommendation to the school board for the following to be considered:

If a taxpayer had children that attended 13 years of the school system and have been removed from the school for at least 12 years, thereby paying school tax for 25 continuous years, the parent taxpayer should be entitled to a 40-percent reduction in the current school tax rate.

I acknowledge that, in 1998, New York State established the STAR [School TAx Relief] credit to provide relief for all taxpayers who qualify. My proposal goes beyond the STAR program and, if you agree with my concept, I encourage you to contact Dr. Marie Wiles, superintendent, who is responsible for preparation of the annual school budget, by sending her an email at: Wilesm@guilderlandschools.net

I want to stay in the town of Guilderland and if the Guilderland School Board fails to show any consideration to providing a discount after 25 years of full support, it is saying it may be time to move on to another town or state, one where someone with a fixed income could afford to live.

Ray Bach

Guilderland

Editor’s note: It would take state legislation to change the structure of taxation for New York’s public schools.