Letter: Taxes, not fees, should fund education

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2004 | 9:05 a.m.

In her Sept. 20 letter, Michelle Wagner responded to my Sept. 13 letter, in which I criticized the Clark County School District for charging fees for my children to attend certain classes.

She asked, "Who else should pay the costs? The taxpayer?" She went on to say that she was paying enough taxes already, that the fees were necessary and that there were plenty of classes with no fees attached. As an example of a class with no fee attached, she mentioned foreign language. One of my sons is taking Spanish, for which a $25 fee is charged.

I moved to Las Vegas in the fall of 1964 after being discharged from active duty in the U.S. Army. I've been paying taxes like Ms. Wagner ever since. I know that I have paid my fair share of taxation for other parents' children over the last 40 years. Believe it or not, I'm happy to do just that. It's important for kids to get an education and we all share in the responsibility to provide it for them.

I still want to know, however, why public schools are not public anymore? Must we pay taxes and fees? I still maintain that the supposedly public school system is semi-private.

RUSS LEWIS