Editor's note: The following letter comes from Ronnie DelBacco, a 2011 candidate for school board and South Side resident.

An Open Letter to the Easton Area School Board.

This letter is a follow-up on my suggestion that the EASD School Board petition our state legislature in support of eliminating property tax. Here is another web link for HB1776. 

 I hope that each of you take the time to look it up. At least one of you stated during the campaign that you were in favor of "eliminating the financial responsibility" for tax payers.

I am not asking you to eliminate our responsibility because after all, the budget must be funded. However, your diligent support of HB1776 or similar legislation will show your understanding that the current property tax system of funding the school district is unsustainable, antiquated, and unconstitutional.

Top among all the arguments in favor of such a plan is our constitutional right to own private property. As long as the government can hold our homes hostage through property taxes we will not truly own our properties.

As long as you have the ability to raise our property taxes we have no control aside from voting you out after the damage is done. When you were sworn in as school board members you promised to uphold the constitution. Here’s a chance to show you meant it.

The following thoughts further support the need for you, our elected school board, to work towards eliminating property tax on behalf of those whom you represent.

1. School boards must look to make corrections by thinking outside the box.  HB1776 would certainly force that thinking.
2. School Boards must understand that sticking with the current system of taxing the property owners as they need more money to balance the budgets will not work. This is an unsustainable means of revenue as our economy continues to spiral downward; the system is bankrupted.
3. School Boards cannot continue to fund an ever expanding system of unsustainable spending and budgetary increases using the excuse that, "it's for the children." With HB1776 school districts would receive the inflation index only for their expansion.
4. School Boards need to adjust their spending downward, not their revenue upwards. HB 1776 would force thought towards limited spending.
5. School Boards must get more aggressive and do what is right for the "good" of the tax payers. To achieve this good one should not continue taxing property owners when the real problem to be tackled is spending. HB1776 would force thinking towards doing what is right.

Please open conversation on this serious subject as soon as possible. A consumption based system of funding school districts will level the playing field for all citizens, not just property owners. I look forward to your speedy response.

Sincerely,

Ronnie DelBacco

EASD Resident and Tax Payer