Public Commentary - Proposal is not the way

Dear Editor:

Working Families Party and the Alliance for Quality Education [AQE] launched a major TV ad campaign against Gov. David Paterson's "tax cap" plan. The ad says, the so-called "tax cap" is the wrong answer to the serious problem of property taxes. They state similar caps have devastated public education in states like California, Massachusetts and Illinois.

I feel that the escalating taxes we now pay are driving our people from Long Island. The above ad is only creating fear for families who are concerned about their children's education and it is not true.

The federally-sponsored National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP] is known in the education world as the gold standard of testing. According to NAEP, Massachusetts ranks first in the nation on the last three scoring years. Illinois' test scores have been increasing since 2003 and were tied with New York in 2007. New York's scores have not increased over the last three testing years. California for the last three scoring years has been increasing. To see the full report go onto your computer and Google - NAEP test scores.

I hope this will convince you that by approving the "tax cap" it will not devastate public education but give a much needed relief to taxpayers.

Frank J. Bustamante Vice President, West Babylon Taxpayers

West Babylon