By Uncle Irvin

Based on preliminary budgets for the 2014-15 school year, get set for another huge tax bite (3 to 4 percent) from your wallet.

School boards do not seem to get the big picture that the 75 percent of residents who have no children in school, including seniors, are not only sick and tired of compounding yearly increases, but are ready to move if home prices continue to stabilize. Driving empty nesters and seniors from their homes is morally wrong and destabilizes school districts, as well as being a serious detriment to attracting clean industries who are looking to expand their businesses and would consider moving to the Route 1 corridor.

School board members continue to vote for automatic annual raises for school teachers, and higher taxes, at the expense of their empty nesters and senior neighbors who are paying the same as residents with school-age children.

Just like the recent column Uncle Irvin wrote about Oxford Borough Council overturning their mayor's veto of another annual tax-increased budget, there seems to be no stomach for a rebellion to force school boards and borough councils to make the cuts necessary to balance budgets with zero tax increases.

Only when there is public protesting will the automatic yearly increases be stopped.