My education funding rant

[Maestro]

:rant: When will politicians get it, mostly republicans but yes even democrats are afraid of this one? As we have it currently, Texas has the Permanent School Fund which is just that, permanent. We can only spend the interest and dividends from this fund which currently means that each of the 4 million plus students in the state receives about $250.00 from the state for education. This basically pays for the textbooks. It costs $7,000 on average to educate a child in Texas. Through a complex mechanism of local property taxes and state aid funding from the general fund we have the rest of the funding. This includes the recapture part of the funding process or Robin Hood which is there to establish funding equalization to ensure that all children in Texas receive an adequate education. Less than 10% is federal funding and they are categorical funds earmarked for certain programs for the most part.

Judge Dietz ruled that the current plan is unconstitutional not for the recapturing aspect of it but because it was not an efficient system of equalization and funidng in general which is called for the 1876 Constitution. So soon, probably in October, the Supreme Court of Texas will rule on this. The first hearing is scheduled for July.

We're back in special session and what do these wonderful dolts have for us? Regressive taxes is what they are planning. This hurts the poor and middle class more. They want to raise the sales tax anywhere from 5/10 to 7/10 of a cent for purchases and expanding this tax to car repairs and cosmetic surgery. They are going to drop the property tax rate, but local areas can still raise that to whatever the new cap will be, anyhwere from $1.00-$1.20 per $100 of valuation. There is also talk about reworking the corporate franchise tax so that business pays more but I doubt this will happen. We'll see. They are not fixing anything. They are just replacing one form of funding and taxing us in another are regressively. It does nothing for equalization as far as I can see. "Robin Hood" or some derivative thereof will stay in effect. And by the way, without a state income tax, there really isn't too much wrong with SB 7, or Robin Hood. It's about the only thing they could do meet the requirements of equalization.

I hate this crap. Just implement a progressive state income tax where everyone pays their fair share according to income levels! These people are taxing us to death only because no one, except for a few democrats, have the cojones enough to say, we need a state income tax.

As an educator I am appalled, but I guess I better get used to it. Nothing has changed in the 13 years I have been a teacher. :rant:

[CitySky]

1. "expanding this tax to ... cosmetic sugergy"

Sales taxes in general are regressive, and sales taxes on necessities the most so. But I gotta wonder who came up with this one, how, and why.

Collagen for kids?
Boobs for books?

[crispini]

2. I agree.

And I said as much to a fella from DISD I ran into at a meeting lately. I believe my exact words were, "If those stupid legislators had the cojones to implement a state income tax, we wouldn't be in this mess."

IIRC he rolled his eyes and made a noise that conveyed to me, "When pigs fly." :P

[Wright Patman]

3. You began teaching

around the same time Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, after taking a lot of arrows in every area of his body from the anti-income taxers, did a "180" and proposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit the Legislature from enacting an income tax. It passed handily.

So your only realistic option is to move to a state which has a progressive income tax, if it is your goal to teach under such a funding system. It is not ever going to happen here.

As I see it, the Repukes (who will, by hook or by crook (Diebold), remain in power in Texas for the rest of our lives) do not much care for public schools to begin with, but if we have to have such a system, they want to make damn sure the poor people whose kids overwhelmingly populate such institutions also pay for said institutions. I would not put it past them to try to change the state constitution and take out the provisions guaranteeing a free public education for the children residing here.

I cringed when Perry called the special session last weekend. Where I live, Robin Hood is the least bad system that is politically possible today in Texas. Perry and his suburban base of McMansion-residing tax revoltin' thugs want to shirk their property tax obligations and dump them onto the sales tax, among other more regressive measures.

Property taxes, at least, are propotionally levied. And one has a choice as to how big a house one has to live in to begin with. That's the major problem. All these people have bought "too much house" because of the low interest rates. And the low interest rates are also jacking up their valuations.

[lastliberalintexas]

5. Do you remember how Ivins described Bullock then?

Something about his head being offered up on a silver platter to the Gods of Taxation. :)


Ann Richards also initially supported a state income tax, but backed off in the primaries when Maddox came out in favor of the lottery system. So then did Ann.

I thought Bullock had my unending respect when he started talking about the need for a state income tax. Then he crawfished. And then later he supported Bush against (supposedly) the only person who met him at the airport in a show of support for him when he finished his alcohol treatment program- Richards. Thankfully my cousin had quit working for the bastard before he went to the dark side.

[ThJ]

4. Couple a things...

First, this special session is Perry's strategy for trying to shift blame for school finance to the Legislature (and they are certainly deserving of blame), although I don't think it's likely to work.

Second, the state (who as of 1999 provided 46 percent of funding), if they want to fund school districts equitably, must assume a greater burden of school finance, which they have been reducing for the last several sessions, and we could also do away with the so-called Robin Hood plan, which is completely worthless (IMHO).

If the state takes on more responsibility, local property taxes could also be reduced, since they wouldn't need to raise local tax rates to make up for the state's spending reductions, and the property-tax caps are harmful, when you require unfunded mandates and reduce state funding.

Third, an income tax, although it might be beneficial at a low, flat rate, is a political non-starter, just witness what happened to Bullock, and even if you got it passed out of the Legislature and signed bu the Guv, it would probably die in the statewide referendum. However, expanding the sales tax to cover more services - services which lower- and middle-class people do not use - creating a BAT tax, and closing the franchise tax loopholes would certainly be beneficial. Basically anything which expands the tax base beyond our over-reliance on sales taxes would help.