Editor, The Independent:
A recent Letter to the Editor by a fellow attorney says many homeowners are too poor to pay for an upgraded facility for our Owosso Middle Schoolers. I disagree.
While I am well aware, as a volunteer with the Shiawassee Hope Project anti-poverty program, of the financial hardship brought about by the loss of well-paying automotive factory jobs within our school district, there is an application process (Compiled Laws 211.7u) to allow poverty exemptions for homestead taxpayers. I’ve inquired. The forms are available through each township/city tax assessor. The process is well established, and the forms are straightforward.
I believe poverty is the most important obstacle to learning. I believe the best way out of poverty is through an education employing the best tools available, including a modern replacement for an antiquated and obsolete building.
Clark Shanahan
Former Shiawassee Judge of Probate
Rush Township