To the Editor:

Make no mistake about it. Princeton has a crisis brewing.

First, over 20 homes priced at over $2 million, some way over $2 million, are for sale in Princeton and more are added daily to the sell lists. While there are many reasons for this, some experts are saying it is primarily because the new tax law limits property tax deductions to $10,000.  Many of these homes have been for sale for a long time and buyers are not lining up to pay $70,000 and more in property taxes. If multiple homes are sold at much lower prices, then the assessment tax bills for those homes will go down, putting more pressure on moderate and low income home owners’ taxes.

Second, everyone and particularly every educator understands that the high level of achievement in Princeton schools is a direct result of the overtly high level of parental involvement in education (a college town) and the high quality of teachers.  Very few other factors make a difference.

Third, no Princeton School Board and no superintendent has ever said “how can we make the schools better without hiring new staff or by building new facilities?” They never say “how can we be more creative with what we have?” They never say “can we cut administrators and use that money more responsibly?” They never ask “can we give our town a better education for the buck?” They always want more, they always hide behind the mantle of the need of providing a better education.

We vote for School Board members to be responsible guardians of our communities’ educational needs. They hire a superintendent to manage the system. Our citizens do not have unlimited funds to support our schools. Better management and thoughtful creativity is needed in a time of crisis, not throwing an additional $129 million on structures.

Stephen T. Schreiber

Prospect Avenue