To the Editor:

According to the data issued on 4/16/2018 by the Board of Education of the Princeton Schools the tax impact over the FY2018-19 tax level on the average assessed residential home in Princeton ($837,074) will be as follows: an increase of $295.15 in FY2020, a further increase of $294.15 in FY2021, a further increase of $692.51 in FY2022, and a final increase of $220.48 in FY2023. That is a total increase of $1502.29 over the current (2018) school tax, i.e., 16.3 percent.

This increase DOES NOT include any of the other regular annual increases due to rising maintenance costs, salaries, medical, and pension expenses. Nor do these numbers include the yet to be estimated increases in all the above for the newly built 5/6 grade school and changes in the high school.

The first unintended consequence is that the tax growth pattern will adversely change.

That is, between 1968 and 1998 the residential (Township) taxes DOUBLED every 10 years: it slowed down in 1999-2018, mostly after consolidation, doubling every 12 years. The 16.3 percent bond tax increase probably will accelerate the DOUBLING pattern back to every 10 years if not worse.

The second and most damaging unintended consequence is that the demise of the Princeton middle class will accelerate. The greatest effect will be on retired people and in particular on the senior citizens who have a fixed pension income and social security income. They will vote with their feet, sell their houses, and move out of Princeton. Their houses will be taken down and replaced by mega mansions. Yes this will increase the rateables, but also increase the number of new students in school.

The seniors leaving have no children attending the schools and are replaced by newcomers with 2 or 3 young children. Of the 7072 residential properties on the Princeton tax roll, 4606, or 65.13 percent are assessed below the $837,074 average. If even only one percent of the properties will change hands each year, it could increase the number of new students in the system by 92-138 each coming year.

Will the School Board come back for another huge bond in 5-10 years?

Moreover, will owners of the mega mansions who pay now more than $35,000 in local taxes stay in town and watch their tax double once their children graduate?

Princeton School Board should postpone the bond issue for one year and restudy ALL alternatives. At stake is not only the quality of education in Princeton but more so the quality of life in Princeton.

Ralph Perry

Random Road