To the Editor:
I am writing to encourage a “Yes” vote on the Fairfax County Meals Tax.
A few pennies on the dollar will:
Retain the quality of our schools
Support other services like parks, libraries, fire and police
Relieve the burden on our property taxes
Increase property values
We relocated to Fairfax County almost a decade ago. We used only two criteria to narrow down our home search in the region. The first was convenience to our jobs, and the second was the quality of the schools.
People buy houses in Fairfax County because of our great schools. There’s considerable research from various universities and NGOs documenting the fact that school quality has a significant impact on property values.
All of the neighboring counties in our region have a meals tax. Fairfax teachers are paid less, and Fairfax County Public Schools have larger class sizes than these other counties. If we fail to pass the tax, our schools are likely to lose most music, art, and sports programs, along with many AP classes.
My children’s best teachers are leaving the county, and more are likely to do so, if we can’t shore up our schools.
There is extensive documentation of all of this information at YesMealsTax.org. I strongly urge your support of this critical initiative. Please visit the website to engage with the campaign as I have done. They welcome your questions, and need your donations and support.
Debra Louison-Lavoy
McLean