Free Press –
Joe Gable, Ed
Dear Friends,
Good morning. I thought of Joe Gable as I looked at the Tuesday election results. Joe is a member of former State Senator Ed Howard’s class at Delaware Valley College where I occasionally appear. A few weeks ago, I led a class discussion about Presidential choices for 2008.
We drifted onto local issues, which were much more fun. During the discussion about the $87 million dollar bond issue referendum for open space, the class agreed that the Bucks County Commissioners had done a good job in rallying support for open space. Ten years ago, voters approved a $57 million dollar open space bond issue, which has preserved 15,000 acres of Bucks farmland. The $87 million bond issue will do even better work.
For years, I’ve argued that cows and farmland require no new schools, no new water and sewer projects, and no new public roads. Former county judge Hart Rufe, who was one of the three leading the “Vote Yes” committee observed that new public schools in Upper Bucks and Montgomery Counties have cost taxpayers over $1 billion in the last 10 years.
Joe Gable believes that financing public education through an over dependence upon property taxes is a bad idea. He’s right. In my opinion, we should scrap the property tax system and rely solely upon a state income tax instead.
Joe is one of six who sent an open letter to the state House of Representatives. Here are a few of their thoughts.
“To our knowledge, the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 [legislation waiting debate in Harrisburg] is the only plan designed to attack the school tax problem at its core,” Joe and his colleagues suggested. “Unfortunately, the name (SPTEA) hides the real value of this plan, which is to contain and control school budgets, reestablish equity for all of Pennsylvania’s public school students, and to eliminate residential property taxes in the process.
“Residential growth and a shrinking commercial/industrial base is the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” the letter continued. “Many “average” [school] districts derive 2/3 of their budgets from school property taxes.
“Here’s what results from a new development of 300 homes costing $250,000 each,” the letter added. “Even if each home generates $4,000 of school tax per year, the expected new student load would be approximately 300 [children], adding at least $3,000,000 to the district’s annual budget, of which $2,000,000 has to come from property taxes. The homes generate a total of $1,200,000 per year, leaving a deficit of $800,000 that has to be covered by an increase in the tax rates for all property owners in the district.
“Unfortunately, the vast majority of school boards simply will not exercise fiscal restraint,” Joe’s committee argued. “How can a school district spend several million dollars on artificial turf or a “natatorium” when only 50 percent of its 11th graders score “proficient” on their PSSA’s? There has to be a line drawn between programs that deserve public support and those that don’t. Is it out of the question to ask parents of athletes, in particular, to pay for these programs?”
That’s a dynamite letter.
There are several reasons why I believe that a state income tax would be more effective. The first is that each student would receive the same investment in her/his education. At the moment, a rich school district like New Hope Solebury can spend more per student than Quakertown can.
Second, I prefer the legislature being in the hot seat rather than local school board directors. Voters can take a wack at state representatives and senators every two and four years, respectively. For example, should the Quakertown school district fail to measure up to state or federal standards, voters could send their legislators packing.
I can hardly wait to hear critics howl in protest. “You’re giving up local control,” they’ll cry.
Local control?
The state board of education sets the curriculum. Teachers’ unions determine the local tax rate. The unions are the tail, which wags the academic dog. When you come right down to it, the only real power that the local school board has is to hire or fire its superintendent…and take the blame for the spiraling property taxes.
Ask your state representatives about SPTEA. Urge them to abolish the property tax for public schools. By the way, I’d suggest eliminating property taxes to support the 67 counties and 2600 municipalities too, but that’s an issue for another day.
Finally, next week, I’ll share the column that I was not allowed to run in the October 25th edition.
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith