Aug 27
8 Pages On School Funding You Need To Read
2010 at 10:09 pm | posted by Rep. Craig Frank 7 comments
This week the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel published a briefing paper on Property Taxes & School Funding In Utah. This 8 page, info-packed study assembled by our award-winning staff is a “must read.”
7 Responses to “8 Pages On School Funding You Need To Read”
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August 27th, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Craig,
This is interesting. I read part, but not all of it. I will make time to do that later. As you probably know I am a teacher, so this is an important topic for me and for many in this state.
Last spring I watched with horror as our school district discussed the possibility of taking away our steps and ladders on the pay scale. In the end that didn’t happen. Who knows what next year will bring. It doesn’t look good! While I listened to the Board of Education discuss the various possibilities for balancing the district budget, I wondered openly why we continue to levy heavier and heavier taxes on property owners to fund our schools. Is it not a possibility to place a sales tax on ALL Utah residents to fund education? Why is it that the property owner carries such an immense load while those who rent and who do not own property get off scotch free? Wouldn’t this be a fairer way to provide for the education of our children? There are too many people who sacrifice nothing while their children are educated at the property owners expense. I am a property owner and I don’t mind paying my fair share but what about all those who never contribute? Just asking! I really want to understand.
August 28th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
So Craig, what is your point? I have read the eight pages. It seems that by introducing this information in this fashion you might just have an agenda. Would that agenda be to fund charter schools using property tax revenue the same as public schools? If that is the case then we need to talk about “taxation without representation”. I’m sure you are familiar with that expression.
August 28th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
JBT, that wasn’t my point at all; however, it’s an interesting…
August 28th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
So again, what was your point or your agenda in putting this piece on your blog?
@Patti. Utah continues to have one of the lowest property tax rates in the nation. The problem that creates inadequate funding for schools is the legislature’s refusal to adjust income taxes so that those who CHOOSE to have large families pay their fair share for their children’s education and their refusal to create a progressive income tax so that the very wealthy put back more into the system that they have benefited from.
Rather than call eliminating the exemptions for more than two children a “head tax” we should call the exemptions for huge families a “breeding subsidy”. Until the day that Utah has a more balanced political system with give and take and checks and balances on power, our state will continue to be dead last in funding for education and first in the largest class sizes.
Senator Frank is close to the top of the list of those far right Republicans who would rather starve our public schools than ask the wealthy and those who create the problem by choosing to have large families to pay their fair share to bring us up from the bottom of the heap.
August 30th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
JBT has a great idea for once… “Senator Frank” has a good ring to it Representative!
August 30th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Interestingly, this report neglects to point out that the Legislature has consistently cut the basic minimum property tax rate over the past decade at a cost to Utah schoolchildren of about $600 million per year (see the report at http://www.utahnsforpublicschools.org/policycenter/documents/School_Funding_and_Tax_Policy_Series_III.pdf.)
It would appear legislators have been more interested in appeasing property owners than properly funding education.
August 30th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
And don’t forget the flat income tax they passed, that is carving out the States revenue stream as the poor and middle class incomes are hit harder during a recession then upper middle class and rich peoples incomes.
Shortfalls in the State income tax revenue has caused cuts in education as well.