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June 07, 2006
Public Education Funding
There is nothing like Education to bring our emotions quickly to the surface! And last week Education was again in the news. The Deseret News reported that the State Board of Education is considering new ways to ensure adequate funding. One idea was a referendum to freeze the statewide property tax or a constitutional amendment that would ensure public education was funded adequately. Another idea from Patrick Ogden, the state associate superintendent, was to file a law suit, which seems to be the way to solve problems in our society today.
Since public education is designed in Utah to be controlled mostly by the local school districts, I find it very interesting that when the education community has concerns about funding they always come to the State level. I’m sure it is because the legislature is the biggest target, and if they can gang up on the legislature there is a better chance of getting the funding, and all at once.
But, the legislature shouldn’t be seen as the only source for new funding, or even the primary one. We have a great system. Whoever set it up, decades ago, was way ahead of their time. Our system was designed for the state to fund a weighted pupil unit and then for the local districts to use property tax to fund any additional needs. Because local areas have such varying needs, it was never the plan for the state alone to ensure total funding, nor should it be. The beauty of this plan is that the local districts and their boards can show their patrons what the local need is and raise the property tax to fill that need instead of the legislature raising a state wide tax and the local districts not being held accountable for the use of the funds. The dilemma for the education community -- they have to raise the funds one district at a time.
This is a subject that won’t be solved anytime too soon, but there are some districts willing to go to their patrons and ask for more money now. The Provo School District has a vote on the ballot this month which asks for an increase in the property tax that can be used to run the district. They are trying to use the system the way it should be used. I hope their patrons will get out and vote and be a part of the solution.
What a great idea.
Posted by Jeff at June 7, 2006 10:30 AM
Comments
What? Local control? Federalism? This is unheard of?
Forgive the sarcasm. In all honesty, I'm confused why school boards don't do more to raise funds based on their needs. If Utahns want to spend more on public education like the polls say we do, then it shouldn't be that big of a problem for districts to raise property taxes to accomplish it.
Posted by: Adam Dynes at June 8, 2006 10:16 AM
Good post. I'm going to link to it. I hadn't heard that Patrick Ogden talked about filing a lawsuit. Evidence shows that he, again, has forwarded a very bad idea. In states where courts have taken over education funding decisions, performance has not improved. In fact, it has gone down in some. Along with being a serious violation of constitutional separation of powers provisions, turning budgeting decisions over to the courts doesn't work. Courts -- even if they order that more money be spent -- are not set up to institute other measures that lead to improvement.
Also, the idea is very undemocratic. When the courts step in to control any area of the budget, the people lose all ability to provide input and work toward change.
Posted by: Steve Urquhart at June 8, 2006 10:20 AM
I agree, local districts do have the ability to raise funds through taxes... to a point. The Leigslature has set, by law, maximum tax rates. Most school districts I know are at the legal taxable maximum for maintenance and operations budgets.
The legislature is also the one that set the law about property taxes that rachets down the property tax revenue collected by school districts each year. I am not a tax expert, but a 4% increase in property tax revenue does not mean a 4% increase in money for schools because of this law.
Also, two recent reports make it very obvious that the legislature has also been responsible for a lower percentage of tax revenue being directed to public education.
Sure, the legislature is not the only revenue generating avenue for public schools, but the legislature is obvisouly the one with the biggest influence and chance to make a real difference!
Posted by: Jason at June 9, 2006 10:43 AM