July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
A problem of their own creation
Editorial
An Indiana lawmaker was talking.
He could have been from either party.
He could have been from either house in the General Assembly.
It didn't matter.
He was talking about the tough financial situation facing Hoosier public schools in 2010 and about the difficult choices to be made in the months and - perhaps - years ahead.
What he was not talking about was the role he and his colleagues and the governor played in creating the situation.
He was offering plenty of sympathy and tut-tuts, but he declined to take an ounce of responsibility. None of those involved should be able to shirk this mess that easily.
Why are Indiana school districts suddenly faced with closing schools? Why are teacher jobs on the chopping block and classroom sizes expected to balloon?
Because Gov. Mitch Daniels and political leaders in both parties in both houses - alarmed by property tax complaints from Indianapolis and other metropolitan regions where skyrocketing home prices had led to a sudden shift in the tax burden - panicked.
With the complicity of the Indiana State Teachers Association - which probably thought it would be easier to deal with the legislature than with dozens of school boards - the governor and our legislative leaders moved the school general fund from something supported by local property taxes to something completely supported by an increase in the state sales tax.
Neither form of taxation has any fans. Property taxes, based upon imperfectly assessed values, don't take into account one's ability to pay. Sales taxes are the most regressive form of taxation available, shifting a disproportionate share of the burden to those at the lowest income levels. But there's one big difference between the two: Property tax revenues tend to be predictable, while sales tax revenues can be volatile.
And it's hard to imagine a worse time in Indiana history to create a greater dependence upon sales taxes than the moment state lawmakers made the shift.
A severe recession makes the move look like one of the most boneheaded policy mistakes in recent memory. State tax revenues have plummeted right after the state has taken on additional funding responsibilities.
That, in essence, is why public schools are facing unprecedented cuts in funding.
So it's more than a little disingenuous for those who created this mess - and there is plenty of blame to go around - to now be offering consoling words.
The least they could do is admit the truth: They screwed up. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
He could have been from either party.
He could have been from either house in the General Assembly.
It didn't matter.
He was talking about the tough financial situation facing Hoosier public schools in 2010 and about the difficult choices to be made in the months and - perhaps - years ahead.
What he was not talking about was the role he and his colleagues and the governor played in creating the situation.
He was offering plenty of sympathy and tut-tuts, but he declined to take an ounce of responsibility. None of those involved should be able to shirk this mess that easily.
Why are Indiana school districts suddenly faced with closing schools? Why are teacher jobs on the chopping block and classroom sizes expected to balloon?
Because Gov. Mitch Daniels and political leaders in both parties in both houses - alarmed by property tax complaints from Indianapolis and other metropolitan regions where skyrocketing home prices had led to a sudden shift in the tax burden - panicked.
With the complicity of the Indiana State Teachers Association - which probably thought it would be easier to deal with the legislature than with dozens of school boards - the governor and our legislative leaders moved the school general fund from something supported by local property taxes to something completely supported by an increase in the state sales tax.
Neither form of taxation has any fans. Property taxes, based upon imperfectly assessed values, don't take into account one's ability to pay. Sales taxes are the most regressive form of taxation available, shifting a disproportionate share of the burden to those at the lowest income levels. But there's one big difference between the two: Property tax revenues tend to be predictable, while sales tax revenues can be volatile.
And it's hard to imagine a worse time in Indiana history to create a greater dependence upon sales taxes than the moment state lawmakers made the shift.
A severe recession makes the move look like one of the most boneheaded policy mistakes in recent memory. State tax revenues have plummeted right after the state has taken on additional funding responsibilities.
That, in essence, is why public schools are facing unprecedented cuts in funding.
So it's more than a little disingenuous for those who created this mess - and there is plenty of blame to go around - to now be offering consoling words.
The least they could do is admit the truth: They screwed up. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
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