Here again, we see SAD 40 pleading for “essential” improvements to their school, including a rubberized track and tennis court while in Washington County we are assessing if we can even keep one school out of three open in SAD 77.

The state needs to recognize that our needs are different in rural areas and numbers mean much less than geography, history and community wellness.

Our schools are the center of our communities, but since folks in Augusta think they have low enrollment, LD 1 and Essential Programs and Services (EPS) will cut the very hearts out of our towns. The bottom line: This legislation benefits the wealthiest communities and devastates the poorest.

Why are my children worth so much less in Washington County than in Bangor or Portland?

Why has the Bangor Daily News chosen to discuss EPS on three separate occasions with only glancing mentions of Washington County that will be the hardest hit? Why does the entire Joint Select Committee on Property Tax Reform ignore our letters and calls? This is more than a question of two Maines; this is an assault on the future of our county.

Katherine Ragot

Cutler