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EDUCATION FUNDING REFORM MUST BE OUR
TOP PRIORITY
by Assemblyman Kevin
Cahill
Over the past few years
school funding reform has taken center
stage. It's about time. The people of
the Hudson Valley and all of New York
deserve real solutions, not rhetoric,
for this crisis that is crippling our
schools and threatening the very
fabric of our communities.
THE CHALLENGE
Since 1995, local
property tax levies have grown by 60
percent, more than twice the rate of
inflation during that period (28
percent). Most of this growth occurred
in the last 6 years -- when property
tax levies increased by well over 40
percent, compared to inflation of 13
percent. The cost of education has
been the driving force behind these
destabilizing increases. This trend is
unsustainable. The regressive nature
of property taxes is robbing our
families and friends of their homes,
pushing them out of our communities
and in many cases away from New York
State. The time has come for the state
to assume this enormous cost --
estimated at $18 to $20 billion -- so
we can ensure that the responsibility
to educate our children is spread
equitably amongst all New Yorkers.
THE ANSWER
I have introduced
legislation (A.4746) that will
eliminate the use of regressive real
estate taxes for the purposes of
funding education. This bill is based
on the premise that it is the state's
responsibility to ensure that every
child, everywhere in New York, has an
equal right to a quality education
regardless of where they live or the
level of their family's income. By
eliminating the school real property
tax and shifting to a more progressive
statewide income tax, we will be able
to fund our schools equitably, fairly
and more affordably for all New
Yorkers.
HOW WE PAY FOR IT
The most economically
sensible way to raise such revenues
would involve restoring progressivity
to our state tax code and recasting
the income tax structure in a way that
ensures that the wealthiest residents
pay their fair share in state and
local taxes. The current personal
income tax levy in New York is
essentially flat, with individuals
making under $30,000 required to pay
the top rate. I have been advocating
for a system that will distribute the
burden more equitably across the
spectrum of incomes. I support
replacing New York's current bracket
structure with its 1972 brackets (2%
through 15%) with exemptions adjusted
to reflect the changes in the cost of
living over the past 30 years. Under
this option, 95% of New Yorkers would
pay less while the state would collect
about $8 billion more in revenue.
The
next step would be to eliminate the
School Tax Relief program (STAR) that
is anticipated to cost the state
nearly $6 billion this year. While
the program was initially aimed at an
important problem it has largely
outlived its effectiveness. Under
STAR, the bulk of the funding is
distributed to the wealthiest school
districts while ignoring the fact that
residents located in the poorest
school districts -- the ones with the
least ability to pay -- are forced to
dedicate the highest percentage of
their income to fund their local
schools. This program also
discriminates against renters and
businesses, as they are not eligible
to participate. By eliminating school
property taxes, STAR will no longer be
necessary.
Finally, we must come
up with innovative methods to control
costs. Our underutilized BOCES system
is in a perfect position to take
advantage of economies of scale when
it comes to uniform expenses like
transportation, administration and
energy. A regionalized approach to
paying for other big-ticket items such
as special education, pension and
health insurance could also be
explored.
HOW YOU CAN HELP MEET
THE CHALLENGE
Let’s not kid ourselves; a state
takeover of the total cost of
educating every child in this state
would entail an enormous cost shift.
All of the stakeholders, as well as
the members of the State Legislature,
have to be made to understand that the
values of fairness and equal
opportunity and affordability are
worth what would be a revolution in
state and local taxation. It shouldn’t
be, but that is a hard sell. The
situation is not made any better when
local school officials and other
interested parties fail to acknowledge
the dramatic and progressive increases
in state school funding over the last
several years. And when record school
budgets outstrip record increases in
school aid, a significant part of the
problem remains unaddressed and
frustration replaces determination for
some.
While there are other barriers yet to
be overcome in addressing the school
funding issue, as well, regional
differences (New York City vs.
Upstate) are not among them. Anyone
who says otherwise is merely making
excuses to avoid the hard work
necessary to develop a sustainable
solution that works for everyone. With
each day that goes by, more and more
civic and community leaders recognize
the truth is that our education model
is a broken system statewide and needs
to be fixed statewide.
We have been waiting
for an entire generation to resolve
the school funding crisis. We should
wait no more. Organize in your
community or team up with an
organization like
taxnightmare.org. Let your other
elected officials, whether they are
members of school boards, town, county
or state government, know there is a
viable, workable solution for all of
the children of New York and it is
worth it. It is Assembly Bill 4746.
It's called the Equity in Education
Act. Tell them to make their voices
heard in support for real reform and
soon. Together, we can do it.
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