To the editor:

For those seniors who are thinking of voting “no” on Prop L, I’d like to offer some perspective on taxes.

Many of the retail stores in our area are in developments that received tax incentives, so without even realizing it, it’s possible to end up paying up to three additional sales taxes each time we shop in those developments. These additional taxes don’t produce anything other than a speedier reimbursement for the developer’s expenses.

We barely pay attention to these extra taxes, yet when it comes to paying a little bit more to ensure the future of obtaining a good public education in the Lindbergh district is assured, some of us have decided to draw a line in the sand. Why? Does our future depend on retail or does it depend on the children who, as adults, will use the knowledge they gained in school to help guide their decisions on issues that affect us all?

I hope my fellow seniors, after thoughtful consideration, will decide that they do not want to be that person who, with a “no” vote on Prop L, shows our school children that they aren’t worth the financial sacrifice.

I will be voting “yes” on Prop L and I hope my fellow seniors will, too.

Gene Engelhardt

south county

Editor’s note: Gene Engelhardt is a former Lindbergh Board of Education member and district administrator.