THE ISSUE: State Question 744
OUR STANCE: The negative outweighs the positive
Oklahomans can brace themselves for higher taxes and fewer services if a state question being pushed by the education lobby is approved in next year’s general election.
State Question 744 will be on the 2010 general election. It’s also known as the Helping Oklahoma Public Education, or HOPE, initiative and would force the Legislature to spend an additional $850 million on public schools annually. The extra funding would be to bring Oklahoma’s per pupil spending to the regional average.
Oklahoma’s Education Association contends passage of the constitutional amendment would not require a tax increase. They claim the additional money would be generated by normal growth in the state’s economy and tax revenue.
Apparently OEA officials don’t share the same concerns that legislative leaders and other Oklahomans have about the present economy. State agencies have been forced to whittle their budgets already this fiscal year, more cuts could be forthcoming and lawmakers have indicated they may need a special session to deal with the shortfall if tax revenues don’t begin improving.
Tapping the state’s constitutional Rainy Day Fund even has been discussed, although the governor and legislative leaders have been holding off in case the economy worsens over the next few months and if the outlook seems even bleaker.
How OEA officials can believe that normal growth and increased tax revenues would prevent needing tax hikes and cutting other state agencies is beyond our comprehension. Remember, too, that lottery income, which education officials were so giddy about and believed would provide adequate funding over the years hasn’t lived up nearly to the expectations proponents used to secure passage in 2004.
Lottery officials this past week predicted total lottery revenue will decline between $10 and $12 million and that by 2011 education will have $4 million less from that source of income.
According to information provided by some legislative leaders, nearly 50 cents of every tax dollar is allocated to education. If this is made part of the state constitution, then it appears it’s open-ended. There has to be a better method of seeking additional funds for education.
We support adequate funding for education and always have. Asking Oklahomans to raid other agencies, forcing them to further cut services which might lead to a significant state tax increase, isn’t the proper venue though.
It’s way past time for education officials to look and support methods that can make education more efficient, utilize the funding available and improve students’ ability to meet the challenges ahead of them.
A good place to start, we might suggest, is consolidation of school districts across Oklahoma where it’s feasible. State Question 744 is not the solution.
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THE ISSUE: State Question 744
OUR STANCE: The negative outweighs the positive
Oklahomans can brace themselves for higher taxes and fewer services if a state question being pushed by the education lobby is approved in next year’s general election.
State Question 744 will be on the 2010 general election. It’s also known as the Helping Oklahoma Public Education, or HOPE, initiative and would force the Legislature to spend an additional $850 million on public schools annually. The extra funding would be to bring Oklahoma’s per pupil spending to the regional average.
Oklahoma’s Education Association contends passage of the constitutional amendment would not require a tax increase. They claim the additional money would be generated by normal growth in the state’s economy and tax revenue.
Apparently OEA officials don’t share the same concerns that legislative leaders and other Oklahomans have about the present economy. State agencies have been forced to whittle their budgets already this fiscal year, more cuts could be forthcoming and lawmakers have indicated they may need a special session to deal with the shortfall if tax revenues don’t begin improving.
Tapping the state’s constitutional Rainy Day Fund even has been discussed, although the governor and legislative leaders have been holding off in case the economy worsens over the next few months and if the outlook seems even bleaker.
How OEA officials can believe that normal growth and increased tax revenues would prevent needing tax hikes and cutting other state agencies is beyond our comprehension. Remember, too, that lottery income, which education officials were so giddy about and believed would provide adequate funding over the years hasn’t lived up nearly to the expectations proponents used to secure passage in 2004.
Lottery officials this past week predicted total lottery revenue will decline between $10 and $12 million and that by 2011 education will have $4 million less from that source of income.
According to information provided by some legislative leaders, nearly 50 cents of every tax dollar is allocated to education. If this is made part of the state constitution, then it appears it’s open-ended. There has to be a better method of seeking additional funds for education.
We support adequate funding for education and always have. Asking Oklahomans to raid other agencies, forcing them to further cut services which might lead to a significant state tax increase, isn’t the proper venue though.
It’s way past time for education officials to look and support methods that can make education more efficient, utilize the funding available and improve students’ ability to meet the challenges ahead of them.
A good place to start, we might suggest, is consolidation of school districts across Oklahoma where it’s feasible. State Question 744 is not the solution.
