To the editor:

I applaud Ms. Anderson for speaking out against the school system’s tactics of using the children as pawns (“Issue for adults,” Public Forum, March 13).

In a few years, the students who were “encouraged” to sell cupcakes to finance a trip to Topeka will be shouldering the tax burden they rallied to increase (“Eighth-graders to rally at capital,” J-W, Feb. 27).

Now Gov. Graves suggests that fiscal responsibility is the enemy of education (“Ballot box is schools’ weapon,” J-W, March 13). Disappointing!

Are higher taxes really the solution or is the problem systemic?

Kansas has one government employee for every 10.8 residents. Only one of our neighboring states has a poorer ratio (Nebraska 10.7). Missouri has the best ratio 13.1 residents per government employee.

Kansans pay 10.2 cents of every dollar of income to some form of state and local tax. Only 24 states impose a larger tax burden on their residents. Residents in only one neighboring state (Nebraska) pay more state/local taxes.

Property taxes help fund public education. The share of the property tax burden for every man, woman and child in Kansas is $784. Only 19 states have a higher per capita property tax, and only one of our neighbors pay more (Nebraska again). Missouri’s PER CAPITA property tax is $266 less. No telling the impact of that fact on the Lawrence school district’s special education budget.

Even the Democratic candidate for state governor is faulting government inefficiency and promising “no new taxes.”

Gary Stussie,

Lawrence