At Town Meeting on March 11, Andover folks will have the opportunity to vote on a warrant article concerning education and our taxpayer dollars, titled Property Taxes for Private Education: A Call for Responsible Use.

The Education Freedom Account program (School Vouchers) is funded by our taxpayer dollars. It is run by an out-of-state agency, whose fee is paid for by our tax dollars. It has not, to the best of my knowledge, ever been independently audited. This program diverts our tax dollars to private schools, with no accountability, and local public schools are increasingly starved for funds.

Our towns have only one way to make up the deficit: raise our property taxes. Our property taxes have not gone down since the EFA program was launched.

I hope Andover taxpayers will approve this Warrant Article, which asks for transparency and accountability regarding the School Voucher program.

Caroline Moulton Ratzki

Andover