As state shirks its funding responsibility, school systems feel squeeze
Here is an opinion piece from Georgia Budget & Policy Institute’s policy analyst Cedric Johnson on the budget deficit that counties across the state of Georgia will face this coming school year.
By Cedric Johnson
As local school boards across Georgia finalize k-12 budgets for the coming school year, they are feeling the squeeze not just from a still-struggling economy, but from a decade of trends and policy decisions that have left schools ill-equipped to meet the needs of families and employers.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution recently reported on the DeKalb County school system’s struggle to close an $85 million budget deficit. With little reserve funding available, the article quotes one state senator as warning, “If they don’t rebuild the surplus, I’ll talk to SACS,” referring to the regional entity that evaluates and accredits schools. The senator recommends cutting teacher pay instead of raising taxes to close the deficit.
While the senator’s preferred solution may help end the current budget crisis, it does not address the key reasons that schools throughout the state are in a similar bind.
The budget crunch is not simply a result of our economic woes. Trends in k-12 education financing over the last decade have also played a big role, as the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute highlights in its recent report FY 2013 Budget Analysis: PK-12 Education.
Three particular developments help explain how Georgia’s public schools arrived at their current predicament.
•First, Georgia’s K-12 student population has increased tremendously and at a much faster rate than other states. Since 2000, enrollment in Georgia’s public schools increased by 230,000 additional students. More than 1.6 million students will enter public k-12 classrooms in Georgia for the 2013 school year, representing the eighth-largest elementary and secondary school system in the United States.
•Even though schools need more resources to cope with the surge in students, state support for public education has steadily declined over the last decade. Lawmakers have cut the state’s core funding program for K-12 education by$5.7 billion since 2003, with most of these cuts occurring over the past four years. That equates to a loss of around $600 per student, or $15,000 for a classroom of 25 students, annually since the 2009 school year. When adjusted for inflation, per pupil spending is now at its lowest level in over 10 years.
•Third, responsibility for funding public schools has steadily shifted from the state to the local level. Whereas the state provided 60 percent of funding for K-12 education in 2000, it only provided 50 percent by 2010. While that might not seem like a huge change, a 1 percent shift in funding responsibility equated to $131 million in 2011.Property taxes are the major local revenue source for public school funding, and declining property values in the wake of the Great Recession have only contributed to school districts’ challenges.
If they are not addressed, these demographic and financial trends ensure Georgia schools will continue to face budget deficits in the years ahead. That should be sobering to policymakers at a time when education is more important than ever to creating a strong economy and nurturing the kind of jobs that are a ticket to the middle class.
While it is important to stretch dollars in the wake of the state’s budget crisis, Georgia simply cannot expect to build a world-class workforce that can compete for good-paying jobs without making an adequate investment in public education.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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57 comments Add your comment
Retired but involved educator
July 19th, 2012
10:37 am
We are great in this country when it comes to talking about the importance of education but when the rubber hits the road, that is when we show how we truly feel about this issue.
sheepdawg
July 19th, 2012
10:41 am
shameful, but expected from our current leaders
David Hoffman
July 19th, 2012
10:48 am
What a poorly written article. Pure cut and paste. Not journalism. How much in percentage has the per pupil funding from the state gone down from its high? What year was the high? Can you give the two figures adjusted for inflation? Someone in the AJC’s business news coverage department should be able to do basic economic analysis to help the writer of this article communicate more significantly.
Tax Payer
July 19th, 2012
10:48 am
Their are not enough of “me” (taxpayers) to foot the bills and I am not willing (but will probably be forced) to give up any more of my income. I suggest that instead of repeated funding increases (borne by “me”) making do with less (a skill the govt. taught me).
mift
July 19th, 2012
10:51 am
Maureen,
It would be great for the AJC to dig deep in the motivation of republicans’ war on public education. Teachers are under the gun in this state and I am not sure the motivation of this demonization.
Atlanta Mom
July 19th, 2012
10:52 am
Georgia gave up on building a world class workforce when it initiated the first “austerity” cuts, courtesy of Governor Purdue.
Eric
July 19th, 2012
10:54 am
“The senator recommends cutting teacher pay instead of raising taxes to close the deficit.”
Never mind there have been pay freezes for a number of years for teachers. And we want them to remain highly motivated and dedicated to our children when the new teacher evaluation model is implemented. I call this cruelty rather than “accountability.”
Progressive Humanist
July 19th, 2012
11:04 am
Tax Payer- Income tax rates are the lowest they’ve been since the 1950’s, but I’m sure you knew that. Maybe you can explain to us why you feel entitled to pay less than other Americans have for the last half century. Is it because you accomplished more for the country than they did? Or is it because you’re more patriotic? I’d say that patriotic people would be willing to give more to help their country prosper. I’m willing to pay more in taxes to support education, firefighters and police officers, build roads and hospitals, etc. If you’re actually at the point where you are forced into austerity, then you likely don’t pay any federal income taxes anyway. So would you like some cheese with that whine, or would you just like to explain why you should pay less toward maintaining the country than any American in the modern era?
Georgia schools: More kids, less money, grim outlook » chaingangelementary.com
July 19th, 2012
11:05 am
[...] systems, courtesy of Cedric Johnson at Georgia Public Policy Institute, via Maureen Downey’s Get Schooled blog:. •First, Georgia’s K-12 student population has increased tremendously and at a much faster [...]
living in an outdated ed system
July 19th, 2012
11:09 am
I don’t know how many times I can say this. The letter is flawed because the the level of funding is NOT the problem. We are talking about a SYSTEM that has not been changed in over a 100 years! Leaving education 100% locally controlled has resulted in major redundancies and wasteful spending, especially central office admin costs. In addition, we have a system that refuses to innovate and embrace the opportunities that digital technology affords them. Contrary to how some of you respond on this blog, digital technology is NOT a fad. It’s not going away, and once everyone realizes that our children process information differently than the grownups who lived in the analog world, then maybe some collaborative solutions can be enacted.
It’s not the funding that is the problem. It’s the manner in which funds are invested that is the major concern. When you look at the abysmal levels of achievement in this state, and across the nation, I would argue that I do not want more taxpayer dollars being spent on school systems that are graduation half, or less than half of their students. And are the ones that are graduating truly prepared for college or a career? it is time that things were done differently. A friend of mine, a noted education reformer, said it quite eloquently:
Improvement means doing things better. Innovation means doing things differently.
It’s time we started doing things differently. And it starts with our GA constitution which needs to be fundamentally altered. Why should all of you be content with language that explicitly states that “citizens have a right to an adequate education.” I have said this repeatedly on this blog and my own blog. Adequate – SERIOUSLY???
Long Time Teacher
July 19th, 2012
11:11 am
As a teacher my pay has been cut. With the cuts coming this year my pay will have decreased $8000 since 2007.
Georgia and education not compatible
July 19th, 2012
11:12 am
Enter your comments here
Georgia and education not compatible
July 19th, 2012
11:27 am
As a taxpayer, I would rather have literate and productive citizens. It is incumbent of the State of Georgia to provide for public education. It’s in the state constitution! Look it up! It seems to me that Georgia does not want it’s populace better educated. So it’s really a Race to the Bottom…oh wait we’re already there!
living in an outdated ed system
July 19th, 2012
11:35 am
Here’s another reason why none of you should even consider Diane Ravitch as someone who has ideas to reform public education. She is the perfect example of how out of touch she is with how the outside world is changing and how our children process information. She writes about subjects that she has no understanding of.
Look what this “brain surgeon” wrote about game-based learning? She feels that Gates is saying that games will replace everything else. What a paranoid thing to say because that’s not what Gates meant. Here’s her blog post, which I really don’t know why I’m sharing because it’s so ignorant:
From Diane’s blog:
re you ready? Bill Gates says that game-based learning is the future of education.
He has a dream. A dream of children sitting around and playing games on their computers or their iPads or their Whatevers.
They will be wearing galvanic skin response monitor bracelets, or they will have a little chip in their heads to measure their level of excitement, and they will be excited all the time.
Every classroom–if there are classrooms–will buzz with their excitement. Little and big squeals of sheer joy as they blast off and shoot the intruder or blow away somebody else’s avatar or compete to win the most points.
They will be so excited that they won’t want to go home. They won’t want to read a book.
They will need half a gram of soma to calm down, to become calm enough to leave the classroom of the future where they have spent the entire day in play and gaming.
Just a question: Why does he get to do this to our children? Why doesn’t he use his own children as guinea pigs first?
Another question: Why do education leaders listen to him?
Lynn43
July 19th, 2012
11:38 am
It is all a Republican and ALEC conspiracy to dismantle public schools so that only the “upper” middle class and wealthy students will have access to an education. At a time when not only have state funds been greatly reduced and the number of students has increased, unfunded mandates from state and federal legislators have overwhelmed local budgets from which these unnecessary demands must be paid.
bootney farnsworth
July 19th, 2012
11:51 am
since the state is constitutionally mandated to provide education, can it LEGALLY keep cutting the amount it puts into it?
bootney farnsworth
July 19th, 2012
11:52 am
@ Lynn
proof of this claim is….?
living in an outdated ed system
July 19th, 2012
11:56 am
Of course it can, @Bootney! I mean, they only have to guarantee an “adequate” education, right??????
As state shirks its funding responsibility, school systems feel squeeze | Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
July 19th, 2012
11:57 am
[...] As published by the Atlanta Journal Constitution (Get Schooled with Maureen Downey). [...]
d
July 19th, 2012
12:35 pm
Perhaps the citizens of this state need to file suit against the state for ignoring its Constitutional requirement as laid out in Article VIII Paragraph I of the constitution.
That being said, Senator Millar suggests cutting my pay 10%. Well, DeKalb can only cut the local supplement which will be exactly $0. 10% of $0 is $0. No savings to the county. I bet he thought, oh, that $44,000 salary can be cut that much, but that is what the state is paying. With the furloughs, the state is sending less money to DeKalb for my salary next year – savings to the state, but again, no savings to DeKalb for my salary – and no savings for many other teachers who are in my position too.
oldtimer
July 19th, 2012
1:02 pm
As a retired…and involved teacher…who is a republican…I do not believe more fundingk is the answer. Schools are broken. Parents send their kids theire every day and do not even know what they are teaching. We have spent more and more and schools have not improved in decades.
bu2
July 19th, 2012
1:06 pm
How do all of you who blame Republicans explain how the worst schools with theft (DCSS) and lies (APS) and general nonsense while ignoring the children (Clayton) are in overwhelmingly Democratic areas? This state was run totally by Democrats until the last decade. Those 3 districts have stayed Democratic and didn’t just get bad. Maybe you should look at more than funding or political labels. And maybe the problem is those districts blame outside forces instead of looking in the mirror.
Entitlement Society
July 19th, 2012
1:06 pm
@Lynn – I echo Bootney. Yes, when making a claim like that, please provide your back up. Your proof is what???
living in an outdated ed system
July 19th, 2012
1:33 pm
Two thumbs up, Oldtimer : )
Dr. Craig Spinks/ Georgians for Educational Excellence
July 19th, 2012
1:49 pm
Are GA educrats afraid of what comprehensive financial audits of all our PubEd entities would discover?
MB
July 19th, 2012
1:55 pm
My earnest hope is the the Ed Finance Study Commission follows through on their flexibility with accountability pledge and requires school systems to use state AND LOCAL funds to support instructional level positions BEFORE anything beyond the minimum in admin and admin support jobs. It heartens me to see systems asking for waivers to allow part-time superintendents. It DISGUSTS me to see systems add more students to classrooms, close media centers, and decrease instructional parapros but keep their admin support happily fed. (Yes, I refer to DeKalb on that one!)
Pride and Joy
July 19th, 2012
2:30 pm
Who is SHIRKING?
It wasn’t the state of GA.
GA has to balance the budget. It’s the law. GA now has less money because people don’t have jobs. When people don’t have jobs, they can’t pay taxes. When they can’t pay taxes, the state has to cut the budget. I cannot run a deficit like the federal government.
So, the school systems, like every other institution and business, has to make cuts OR the state of GA has to raise taxes….again.
My property taxes just got jacked up some more and my salary took a dive. I can’t give anymore and neither can a whole lot of folks.
Schools will have to do with less. It has to make cuts.
They are unpopular but until AMERICAN companies quit sending jobs overseas, we will have less and less and less to live on — all of us except the crooked CEOS and Wall Street banksters.
So tighten your belt and save your energy for complaining about the real cause — AMERICAN companies NOT the state of GA.
mift
July 19th, 2012
2:33 pm
bu2- It is clear who is teacher/school basking.
Pride and Joy
July 19th, 2012
2:37 pm
Progressive Humanist, you say “Income tax rates are the lowest they’ve been since the 1950’s, but I’m sure you knew that.” to tax payer, who doesn’t want more taxes raised.
In the 1950s, most two parent families could afford to live on one income and medical costs along with gas prices, weren’t astronomical.
Medical insurance, for me, just for me, just for the premium, is 5K annually. That doesn’t include deductibles, fees and copays. It costs much much more to live than in 1950, even when adjusted for inflation. Let’s alos not forget child care.
It is necessary now for both parents to work. I have to pay 2Ok a year for child care. That’s just Summer care and after school care.
The result is, you can claim taxes are the same or hasn’t increased but expenses have — so we have no money left to pay more taxes….but I’m sure you thought of that, right? A progressive humanist would look at the quality of life, not just a percentage on a piece of paper.
Elizabeth
July 19th, 2012
2:57 pm
Mift: The agenda of the Republication party is very clear: To destroy public education in this country and provide vouchers for private education instead.The conservative agenda is quite clear. Open your eyes.
Mikey D.
July 19th, 2012
3:22 pm
Quite typical that the easy answer given by one of our fine, upstanding legislatures would be to simply cut teacher pay. I mean, what the heck, right? Furloughs, pay freezes, ever-increasing costs for benefits… Cutting pay is the next logical step. Of course, it’s sheer hypocrisy for him/her to suggest this when the legislature has broken Georgia law every year since QBE was signed into law by not fully funding it.
Progressive Humanist
July 19th, 2012
3:42 pm
Pride and Joy,
I can tell you’re not an English teacher because you’re having trouble keeping the peripheral information from your argument. Taxpayer and I were discussing taxes, not healthcare or child care costs. Those have nothing to do with marginal tax rates.
What you’re discussing is based on the fact that the middle class has dwindled because salaries have not kept pace with the cost of living. That is due to a greater amount of income in private industries being funneled to exorbitant CEO bonuses and to ensuring share holders get handsome returns while workers’ salaries have remained stagnant for the last generation. Again, that has nothing to do with tax rates, which have actually gone down over that time period.
No Democrats are suggesting that anyone earning under $250k a year pays higher taxes. But I’d be willing to do so (healthcare, childcare and all) even though my income is not at that level. Again, Americans are paying the lowest taxes now they have in 60 years.
But you’re implying that we should pay less in taxes, which support teachers, police officers, firemen, roads, schools, hospitals, soldiers, etc. because other things cost more now, even though stagnant wages are due to decisions in the private sector and not the federal government? Did I get that right? If so, please tell me they don’t allow you to teach children. The logic in that thought process is entirely lacking.
BT
July 19th, 2012
4:09 pm
Bottom line, we are getting what we pay for! 5.7 billon dollar cuts since 2003…shameful!
Long Time Teacher
July 19th, 2012
4:15 pm
Someone help me understand. I just received this email as a DeKalb County teacher. It looks to me like they want to pay for a PhD for those who would like to work at Central Office. Do I Understand this right??!! As a teacher who is seeing wonderful “little guys” being laid off, classrooms packed, and my own pay in a dismal state I feel very offended in this. They might say it is funded through a grant or something. But……. their pay will be paid by the tax payer. Do they not hear. WE DO NOT WANT MORE CENTRAL OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATORS….WE CANNOT AFFORD THEM. God help us.
To: DeKalb Schools Administrators
From: Dr. Cheryl L.H. Atkinson, Superintendent
Subject: Executive Leadership Academy
Date: July 19, 2012
Executive Leadership Academy
General Information
The Executive Leadership Academy is designed to support leaders who are seeking central office and cabinet positions. Candidates in this academy will be able to pursue college credit hours through Mercer University.
The program will offer a blend of educational theory, research and practice with an emphasis on urban education. In addition, candidates will study the specialties appropriate to their career goals and acquire the research and evaluation skills essential to both leadership practice and scholarly inquiry.
The Executive Leadership Academy will be conducted over a period of three years. Candidates in this Academy will be expected to work for three additional years with the DeKalb County School District after completing the three-year program.
An informational Q & A session will be held at 10 AM on July 23rd at the AIC Auditorium (located at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard, Stone Mountain, GA 30083) to answer any questions that prospective candidates may have about the Academy.
Brit
July 19th, 2012
4:17 pm
Well said, Progressive Humanist!
Add to this the fact that Mitt Romney, who has a personal fortune well in excess of $250 million (no one is sure how much exactly because most of his money is in tax-haven accounts and he still refuses to release his tax returns) only pays 15% on his declared earnings, a far lower rate than your average middle-class American. The issue isn’t about middle-classes paying more or less, it’s about the super wealthy paying what they should, rather than dancing through hoops to keep all their money in their own pockets and out of the country.
Angry
July 19th, 2012
5:01 pm
@ long time teacher – Dr A sent that stupid crap three times. Why are they doing this….how about telling us where our CONTRACTS are!!?!?!
I can not begin to articulate my frustration
July 19th, 2012
5:47 pm
Privatize, Privatize, Privatize! This will be accomplished by the systematic defunding of Public Education. I compare this to a marriage. In a marriage, what causes the most frustration? Yes, its MONEY! Everyone answers the question the same. Those in power are doing the same. They are dismantling public education by defunding it. Thus, causing so much up roar by citizens, distrust within the organizations, and frustration on the part of Boards and Superintendents that implosions occur throughout school systems across the State. Then our loftly angels will come down and answer all our ills with privatized education. They couldn’t do it all at once with Senator Johnson’s voucher education. But, they have come back and done it a little at a time. First, lets give a voucher to Special Needs students. Well, what Politically Incorrect fool would vote against something for special needs children? Then it was Military Children. Same result. Then it was making donations to private schools in lieu of paying your taxes. It is amazing but not surprising that many readers here can not see the true agenda. I talked with a State Legislator a couple of days ago that has recently changed over to the Republican Party “in order to get a seat at the table.” He did not see the agenda either. He even thought our “amended formula adjustment” for this coming year was a “cumulative” amount. Yeah Right! One statement of encourgement goes back to Churchhill’s words, “The Majority get what they deserve.”
I can not begin to articulate my frustration
July 19th, 2012
6:07 pm
And, don’t tell me it is all about the economy. It is NOT all about the economy! Since 2003, the Majority party has legislated away hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue. If you don’t believe this, go to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Web page and check out the legislative archives. And then they took an oath to NEVER go up on taxes! That is the way the T-SPLOST came about. Remember, I said they took an oath to NEVER increase your taxes. Therefore, they are giving you the “opportunity” to increase your own taxes. And, they can sit back and count your dollars in the Department of Transportation and never had to pull a lever to raise taxes. Genius!
Goodbye Public Schools
July 19th, 2012
6:43 pm
With ALEC and the current group of lawmakers, there is NEVER going to be more $ for local governments from the state. They are trying to squeeze the life out of the public schools, by demoralizing teachers, taking away funding, and now the new ballot on July 31 that would give “special” schools (charter) funding from local governments, whether they like it or not. There are billions of dollars to be made in privatizing the public school system. So, there is a strong, insidious, persistent drive to get your public schools into the hands of those that have the $ signs in their sights. So, for starters, VOTE NO TO THE CHARTER SCHOOL AMENDMENT ON JULY 31.
http://www.collinshillptsa.org/georgia-constitutional-amendment—important.html
I can not begin to articulate my frustration
July 19th, 2012
7:29 pm
Goodbye Public Schools: I agree! However, remember, the Democrats have on their ballot (July 31)a survey if you believe the state should allow state approved charter schools. The actual Charter School Amendment will not be on the ballot until November. Go to VoteSmartGeorgia for more information.
Jacob
July 19th, 2012
8:42 pm
My pay has already been cut through furloughs. Over the past four years I will have been cut 6 days, 9 days, 5 days, and 5 days this year. Do I need to be cut even more days because the state continues to underfund public education?
I can not begin to articulate my frustration
July 19th, 2012
9:25 pm
@ Jacob I understand your pain. Some systems I know are looking at the 4th year of 10 days of furloughs. The legislature and Governor will continue to defund education until they have totally dismantled public education or until a critical mass of educators and supporters of quality education say enough is enough and begin the dismantling of the current power structure in the State Legislature. Have you and your colleagues emailed your representatives and expressed your concern and let them know that the cat is out of the bag and that more and more people across this state recognize what they are doing? If not, once the privatization process is over, you will possibly be able to get a job at a charter school operated by an out of state for profit corporation that is run by the friend of a Georgia legislator. (There will not be a salary schedule at the “for profit” school.) Go to the Miami newspaper and search for “charter schools” to get more info.
MB
July 19th, 2012
10:09 pm
@Articulate How about Louisiana?
“When fully implemented, the Louisiana program has the potential to shift well over a billion dollars a year in taxpayer money out of the public system into the hands of private for-profit and non-profit schools…the school offering the most open slots to voucher students, ‘has a top-ranked basketball team but no library. Students spend most of the day watching TVs in barebones classrooms. Each lesson consists of an instructional DVD that intersperses Biblical verses with subjects such chemistry or composition.’”
Sounds like a worthy investment…
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2012/07/18/is-louisiana-the-future-of-georgias-education-system/
niecey
July 19th, 2012
10:16 pm
not just happening to k-12. higher ed is getting chopped as well.
Pride and Joy
July 19th, 2012
10:20 pm
Progressive Humanist,
You asked me to clarify. I’ll be clear. You can’t get blodd from a stone. I’m bled dry. You can say it is “right” to rasie taxes to fund schools but…you can’t get tax money from people who don’t have it to pay.
The state can’t give more money to schools when the state has a lower income too. Schools, just like the middle class, will have to make cuts.
Progressive Humanist
July 19th, 2012
11:10 pm
Pride and Joy,
Okay, you seem to be having some difficulties with the chain of cause and effect. Earlier you suggested that you shouldn’t have to pay your share of taxes because other expenses that have nothing at all to do with taxes or the federal government had become too burdensome. Now you’re saying the state can’t fund education because the state’s income is lower.
How do you think the state collects income? Pretty much all of its revenue comes from taxes. The state is broke BECAUSE people and businesses aren’t paying enough in taxes.
Let me help you understand the issue. Below I will provide a link to a conservative website that documents the marginal tax rates in this country since 1913 (I chose a conservative website because it’s pretty clear I’m liberal and if I post a conservative site you can’t claim it’s a biased source). Look at it and if you have the skills to analyze it you will find this:
The current highest tax rate for those in the highest bracket is 35%, the same as it’s been for the last decade and the lowest it’s been since 1932 (80 years), with one exception. When Clinton was president the highest bracket was 39.6%. Interestingly, when Reagan was president the highest bracket was 50% for most of his 8 years in office. The two decades prior to that it was 70%, and from 1963 back it was 91%. In 1945 it was 94%. So the point is clear when you look at the actual numbers- taxes have never in modern history been lower in the U.S. except for the following caveat:
There was an interesting blip from 1988 to 1992 when the highest tax rate dipped and was between 28% and 31% for some reason. And what happened to the economy at that time during low taxes and 12 years of Republican presidents? There was a huge recession, one that looks small by today’s standards, but was a big one by historical standards. The first president Bush saw the harm this was doing to the economy and raised taxes, breaking his “Read my lips- no new taxes” pledge. This of course lost him the election in 1992.
But if you look at the actual data one thing becomes clear: When taxes are at their lowest, the U.S. economy is at its worst. The two times in modern U.S. history when taxes have dropped to their lowest levels ever, from 1988-1992 and from 2003-present (ironically while both Bushes were in the White House), the country has had the two worst recessions since WW II. History and simple math tell us that low taxes correlate with deep recessions. When you subtract the substantial amount of money that wealthy individuals and large corporations contribute to our economy, very bad things happen to that economy.
If people, particularly wealthy people, were paying what they should be in taxes, then more teachers would have jobs right now. That would mean fewer foreclosures, more money spent at private businesses, more home renovations for contractors, more auto sales, and the list goes on.
One of the main reasons the economy is so bad is BECAUSE people aren’t paying enough in taxes. When teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public employees don’t have jobs, then money does not go back into the system and the private sector suffers massively. And while Obama has been in office private sector jobs have risen sharply while public sector jobs have decreased sharply. It is the lack of public sector jobs that is dragging the economy down, and the lack of public sector jobs is due to a shortfall in revenue because people aren’t paying enough taxes.
If you want the economy to recover then pay more in taxes than the lowest amount citizens have had to pay in the last 80 years and don’t vote for someone who will make it worse (Romney) by further reducing revenues by cutting taxes on the wealthy to unprecedented levels.
That’s my lesson for tonight and I won’t even charge you tuition. Click on the link below and you’ll see I’m telling the truth. Then be a patriot and do what you can to increase federal revenues.
http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html
Progressive Humanist
July 19th, 2012
11:41 pm
And one more tidbit for you before I end my evening lecture:
Click on the link below, scroll down to “Are Americans Overtaxed”, and examine the data. What you’ll find is that the richest countries in the world tend to have high tax rates and the poorer countries in the world tend to have low tax rates. There is a statistically significant positive correlation between tax rates and a nation’s wealth (tax rates go up, national wealth goes up; tax rates go down, national wealth goes down).
The whining you and Taxpayer are doing about not wanting to pay taxes is directly related to the economic meltdown because conservative Americans’ insistence on low taxes over the last two decades drove us off a financial cliff.
http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2012/Pres/Maps/Jul16.html#item-4
What the...
July 20th, 2012
8:07 am
@David Hoffman Would you care to do some basic economic analysis so we can be better informed?
SmartK12Funding
July 20th, 2012
9:12 am
@ Living in an Outdated Ed System and MB
Perhaps they key to fixing our funding problem is HOW we spend our money rather than MORE.
For decades, Georgia has funded K-12 education using an array of complex, overlapping formulas (such as Quality Basic Education (QBE)) that make it difficult to identify how funds are actually used and to evaluate what’s working and what’s not. At the same time, a myriad of rules has traditionally limited how money can be spent at the district and school levels, making it difficult for teachers and administrators to use their funds to meet the needs of their students. In recent years, Georgia ranked 31st among all states for the return on its investment in education — and 39th for school finance overall. How we fund our schools, and the restrictions we place on school funding, underlie many of the problems that plague our education system.
There is hope. The Ed Finance Commission is reviewing our finance formula, and the newly launched Smarter Funding, Better Outcomes initiative is leading the charge to identify new, effective funding solutions and best practices from across the country that could more effectively fund Georgia’s education system, providing better outcomes for students and a better return on the state’s investment for the future. It’s currently in the research phase and will have a study out in the fall. http://www.smartk12funding.com
MB
July 20th, 2012
10:06 am
From today’s article on Perimeter College: “As part of the cost-saving efforts, (GPC President) Watts and other administrators plan to teach this academic year.”
How many K-12 systems have announced that their administrators – even building level – will be teaching next year? More than one way to “skin a cat” OR to keep class sizes down and teachers less overwhelmed!