To the editor:

Matt Montgomery, in his letter of July 17 questions why he, a childless person, pays as much property tax as someone with children. He writes, “The current rate is very costly for someone who is not involved with the school system.”

The truth of the matter is that every single one of us is, of course, intimately involved with the school system, whether we have children or not. We are all affected by and responsible for our society’s overall health, education and prosperity. Public education is a cornerstone of all three, and it exists not primarily to benefit individuals. It benefits society. There’s no opt-out clause from society. We’re all members, and it’s up to us all to care about it and for it.

Furthermore, all of us, childless or not, were children ourselves for 18 years. If paying on behalf of your neighbor’s children seems unfair, then think of it as payback for what you, yourself, received.

Carolyn Welch,

Lawrence