Dear Editor:

Alna provides no services to its residents other than a volunteer fire company, yet has the highest taxes in Lincoln County.  Alna has school choice, and that, in spite of the exorbitant taxes, is what attracts new home buyers to Alna.

Alna has overwhelmingly voted in favor of school choice. Their selectmen are now actively engaged in an attempt to curtail their rights by imposing an illegal residency requirement. This does not consider possible circumstances, which might prevent living a full year in one place, e.g., parents’ employment, health issues, etc. The third selectman has said school choice was “bleeding the RSU dry.” The truth: tuitioning students to private schools is often less expensive since capital and administrative costs are not included in tuition as they are with public schools.

Alna selectmen say this situation should be resolved through litigation, even though state law makes it very clear there is no residency requirement for payment of tuition under school choice. If Alna residents think their taxes are high now, wait till they have to pay for litigation! The selectmen claim that they are only doing this to “protect” Alna citizens from those trying to “scam” the system, for which they have no evidence. They are not trying to give our children the best available educations. They are not trying to save Alna residents’ money since litigating this issue would cost taxpayers far more money than tuition.

Alna residents need to be made aware of this power play by their selectmen, and stop it now.

 Judy Fossel

Alna