School taxes

**Darlene** · 09-03-2008, 07:47 PM

Man I hate this time of year. OK homeowners how much of a dent is it putting in your pocketbook? Ours is up $100 & over $1700.

Our total property tax for 2008 is $3506.60. NY & taxes boo hiss :angrygirl:

**The Muse** · 09-03-2008, 07:56 PM

We pay about $9K/year and don't even have kids. I try not to think about it.

**YankeeMom** · 09-03-2008, 08:00 PM

I don't know. Ours is rolled into our escrow. I know our property tax went down. That probably means the school tax will go up and soak up that decrease and probably more

**nuisance26** · 09-03-2008, 08:13 PM

~Ours are up $200 for a total of $2650 for the year. If I'm reading my statement right, $1150 of that is school tax. I'm homeschooling but hey, if I sent my kids to public school I'd be getting quite a bargain since NJ's cost per student a year is $13-18,000. It's unfair that those who aren't sending their kids to public school are paying for other's children to attend.~

**frugalfriend** · 09-03-2008, 08:31 PM

The school portion is $1,420.14, total property tax for the year is $3,156.53.

**jamie79** · 09-03-2008, 09:12 PM

I have to say I dont think its unfair for people who dont have kids or who homeschool to pay school taxes. My reasoning is that these kids are going to grow up and run the country, or the town you live in. Maybe one will find the cure for cancer. So I want kids to be well educated whether I have them in school or not. JMHO

**Amanda W** · 09-03-2008, 09:16 PM

Our property taxes are up to $2600, and of that about $1800 goes to our local school district. We don't have kids yet, and when we do we'll be sending them to a private school.

**Neeley** · 09-03-2008, 09:43 PM

One of the few good things about living here(in this city and state) is the low property taxes. A study came out a few months ago and said our city was in the top 2% of all cities of its size for low property taxes.

We only pay $400 per year. If we had not filed a homestead exemption it would be $800.

I have no clue what portion of it goes to the school system. I don't even pay any attention to the property taxes for the most part since they are so low and because it is in our escrow. Just one of those "out of sight out of mind" things for me.

**YankeeMom** · 09-04-2008, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by jamie79

I have to say I dont think its unfair for people who dont have kids or who homeschool to pay school taxes. My reasoning is that these kids are going to grow up and run the country, or the town you live in. Maybe one will find the cure for cancer. So I want kids to be well educated whether I have them in school or not. JMHO

I agree Jamie.
I don't mind so much the school taxes or property taxes. After living in Alabama for three years, where they fund their schools with SALES tax of all things (what's the first revenue that goes down in slow economic times? Sales tax revenue. Who suffers the most? The schools. Brilliant idea

) and seeing the results of their mid-year "pro-ration" where they have to go through and cut jobs, extra-curriculars, special programs, etc because they just don't have enough money for the budget they put together. Nope, I'm fine with paying our portion. It means the schools aren't using Math books from 1974 like they were in AL, it means all the classrooms have computers (they didn't in AL), it means every single school has a gymnasium (where we lived in AL, only the high school got to have a gym).

In Alabama, our property taxes were $400/year. Here in NY they are about $2500/year. When you think about how much the community gets back, it's a good return on your investment.

**Michelle** · 09-04-2008, 09:40 AM

Ours is rolled into our property taxes, and we pay ~$3800/yr. I'm not sure how much of that is school tax.

**JennaC** · 09-04-2008, 10:23 AM

When I lived in Baltimore City we didn't pay 'school taxes" per se. We only had property taxes. I lived in a row house in the city and payed $1800 per year. Now I live on 7 acreas in the country and pay school taxes and property taxes and pay a total of $3800, only about $800 is considered property taxes. The school here is so much better, actually that's why we left the city. I still think it is a bargain though, with 3 kids in school I'd pay more than that in private tuition which is what I would have had to do if I stayed where I was.

**Jayne** · 09-04-2008, 10:37 AM

Just payed our school taxes 3545.31 and that was with a tax relief deductionof 247.74, each of our percapita(schools again) 9.80 each, dh gets another 1 and 1/2 percent taken out of his pay (for the schools again)...our property takes are722.67 and street light assesment on top of that of 56.50..homeowners ins. is 724.00...
The tax relief deduction is basically just this year because they voted themselves a nice big raise for next year which amounts to the relief deduction....We have some of the highest paid teachers in the country and they keep building schools that are palaces...
Alot of the seniors on fixed incomes are really struggling to keep their homes due to these ridiculous taxes..Oh and we live in a 35 year old bi-level with a little over an acre, so we aren't living in a mansion..Off my soap box

**nuisance26** · 09-04-2008, 11:25 AM

~I see alot of people disagree with me about the fairness of school taxes. Interesting. Aren't my children also capable of being future leaders? Yet instead of receiving a check to fund my children's education I have to write one. Our children are also the future. If any of you think that a credit for homeschoolers is unfair remember that we, the parents made the choice to homeschool(or are at least responsible for it). Why should the kids be punished financially for the parent's decision? If a parent chooses to spend her money on booze instead of food for her kids does the school system punish her? No. They create breakfast and lunch programs for the kids. If the people who really believe in investing in the future by funding education on a completely unbiased and FAIR way, then homeschoolers should be funded as well.~

**FrugalWitch** · 09-04-2008, 11:38 AM

The taxpayers have already paid to educate your child, with the public school system. If a parent chooses not to use what is provided that's on them. Don't choose an option you cannot afford JMHO.

**YankeeMom** · 09-04-2008, 11:54 AM

Originally Posted by nuisance26

If the people who really believe in investing in the future by funding education on a completely unbiased and FAIR way, then homeschoolers should be funded as well.~

I took my kids out of public school because I want the government having as little say as allowed by the law in their education as possible. Do you really think that if they gave homeschoolers tax money, they wouldn't then attach other "requirements" to receiving that tax money? Look at the hoops that schools have to jump through in order to get tax money (if their tests scores are low for too long a time, they lose their funding). Would you really want to have to do that as a homeschooler?

If tax money should go to homeschoolers should it then go to private and parochial schools as well?