In 1946, a year after World War II ended, the Greatest Generation passed an amendment to the Utah Constitution earmarking 100% of income tax for public education.
Our grandparents and great grandparents recognized the enduring wisdom of a well-funded education system. With Adolph Hitler’s impact still fresh in their minds, they left a legacy to empower their grandchildren to be independent thinkers, to evaluate truths against lies, and to resist insidious, charismatic figures redefining a nation’s culture in the worst way.
Education is our insurance for democracy.
But today, Utah lawmakers aim to persuade voters to overturn the constitutional amendment that guarantees income tax goes toward education, without a reliable plan to resolve the crisis this will create.
As a conservative state that values equitable education, we have managed to keep property taxes relatively low by fortifying the Education Fund primarily with income tax dollars. The Education Fund is made up of funding from state income tax (65.6%), property tax (19.8%), federal funds (12.4%), and other sources (2.2%). This balance helps ensure that children from rural and other areas with lower property tax revenue can still obtain a quality education, as income taxes are distributed equitably across the state.
Sixty-seven years ago, Utah schoolchildren benefited from a 6.5% education-linked income tax rate, and in 1975, students received a bigger boon from a 7.75% education-linked income tax rate.
However, since 2005, lawmakers have cut the education-linked income tax four times, reaching a low of 4.85% this year. They introduced Amendment G to voters in 2020, without telling them that it would take a slice out of the Education Fund. This year, lawmakers made their coming agenda clear, even changing the name of the “Education Fund” to “Income Tax Fund.”
Many Utahns remember the tax reform passed in December 2019 — and the resulting public outcry and subsequent repeal of the new law — which cut the education-linked income tax by roughly $630 million. The Legislature contended that our tax code was outdated, as many services added to our economy have stayed outside the umbrella of taxation. Lawmakers argued this created an “imbalance” between sales tax and income tax revenue. However, even as sales revenues have grown, especially with the implementation of online sales tax collection, lawmakers are still searching for an excuse to target the education-linked income tax.
Senate leadership claims one purpose for removing the earmark would be to protect education funding from year-to-year volatility, but more conservative approaches are available. For example, school districts are currently prohibited from allocating more than 5% of their funding toward a rainy-day fund. Removing this red tape would give school districts freedom to address the unique challenges of their constituents, as well as protect schools from year-to-year funding fluctuations. You can’t restrict someone from saving, then complain that the system you control is ill-suited for recessions.
House Speaker Brad Wilson assures us that the proposal would “continue to prioritize funding for education with additional guarantees.” In recent years, lawmakers have found their way around voter-approved laws by either replacing, altering, or ignoring them (see medical marijuana, Medicaid expansion, and Better Boundaries).
What we’ve learned is that there’s no guarantee unless it’s written clearly into the Constitution. When lawmakers unveil their new “guarantees” for education, it’ll be up to voters to read deeply for unexpected ramifications.
Lawmakers would do well to ponder why our forebears chose to preserve an educational heritage in the Constitution.
Meanwhile, let us send a message to the Utah Legislature: Balance the budget with the tools you have. Education funding is off-limits.
Carly Ferrin, Saratoga Springs, is a mother of two children in the public school system.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/Bku06DU
Post a Comment