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11.22.2005
Breaking News
"The Texas Supreme Court ruled this morning that local property taxes used to pay for public schools amount to an unconstitutional statewide tax and has given the state until June 1 to fix the system."
This is huge. If property taxes cannot be used for school funding, what will the legislature do? A state income tax (by constitutional amendment), a higher sales tax, or something else?
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19 comments:
I don't really understand. Can you elaborate in another post. Use little words. I am slow on the uptake today.
Yes, that is huge!.......and very politically charged in that Republicans don't like taxing...should be very interesting how they handle this hot potato!
I read the article and I still don't really understand. I why is the property tax not usable for school funding. I thought that was what it was for.
Yes, Condoleesa, I've always thought those property taxes went to fund the public schools and though thinking they are too high, haven't regretted paying them BECAUSE they went for that.
There are those who think public education should be dismantled altogether.
I hope this isn't the beginning of that mindset.
I think some of the blame goes to school districts that think they have to build multi-million dollar schools with all the non essential amenities to go with it. (i.e. Decatur ISD, etc.) When, in reality, they can build nice schools without all the bells and whistles. I not against building new schools, but some school districts go way overboard.
Therefore, the tax rates sky rocket.
The state has an opportunity to finally fix educaiton funding for decades to come. The Republicans ran on a platform that included providing an equitable funding formula and quality education for ALL STUDENTS, not just the rich, in Texas. It is time for them "to crap or get off the pot"! They control both branches of the legislature, the gov. mansion, lt. gov. and every ever major office in the state. If they want to cater to Big Business, they deserve to be booted out in Nov. Enough said!
Can you say vouchers?
I agree that too much of our tax dollars have gone for "fluff" - we seem to have lost our educational focus.
The best thing Perry has done is bring John Sharp on board to help clear up this funding mess. The fact that Sharp is a Democrat is irrelevant. The guy lives up to his name.
Maybe he can help. I hope so.
Phil King has always had an idea for a solution that is admirebly "out of the box" (where the solution will probably need to come from). He says that we need to define a "basic education" (which admittedly could be a political nightmare--however the three "Rs" do come to mind here), and then the state pays 100% of that. Then, each school district can decide locally what it wants to do over and above that--sports, arts, etc.--and pay for it with its local property taxes. If the majority of local voters want a lot of "bells and whistles", that's fine--they'll pay for it. If the majority want just the basics with little "frills", then they'll not have to pay very much. The ultimate in local control over your destiny. Obviously this idea could use a lot of fine tuning--but again, I don't think the solution will come by trying to fix the "broken" present system. The sooner everyone realizes this, the sooner they will come up with a real solution.
Can anybody say "TEXAS LOTTERY"? I thought that money was going to the schools? The taxes keep going up and the level of education going down. After all, Bridgeport ISD had to appeal their "unacceptable" rating by the TEA.
Sounds to me like any other way will be the MOST equitable.
Who has the most children in school?
Who has the highest birth rate?
Who has the most children eating free meals?
Who has the most children on the WIC and other programs?
What percentage of the population with these children rents and pays no school taxes?
Now, what % of the population owns homes, has no children and pays the school taxes for children of the majority of the population?
You got it! Time for a change...
The more I learn about the Texas Public School System, the more disgusted I become.
Lots of tax money, lots of (yuck) lottery money.....where the devil does it go??? Makes me crazy...
I vote for sales tax...that way everyone pays, otherwise the rich will end up not paying.(i.e. loop holes) It will be just like Federal Income Tax the poor middle class will pay for everyone. Rich get richer and poor get poorer.
Anon. @ 3:25...THAT WOULD BE ME. Paying lots, and I do mean lots, in school taxes with no children. It has always ticked me that those that rent pay no taxes. I've been one of them. And, do you REALLY know how much the so-called "rich" pay? You'd be surprised!
Anyone who accepts voucher money should have to meet the academic requirements and licensing for faculty, building requirements, federal requirements, state mandated curriculum, high-stakes testing standards,and take anyone who comes to the door policy just like the public schools do. But then, if they met those standards, they would be a public school.
Anon 5:59 you hit the nail on the head. If public ed. could pick the kids, there is not a private school that could compete. I would love vouchers if that meant every student that applied had to be admitted to any private school and could not be expelled. I would like to see a private school handle an emotionally disturbed student with violent tendencies, a mentally challenged student that masturbates in class, or my favorite, a student that a judge has forced to return to school as a condition of probation. We would see just how well they score on the SAT or TAKS when they have to include the scores of those students. Public education does a tremendous job when you consider all the students they serve.
Do you think the rent price doesn't reflect the taxes the owner pays? Come on...you know they are paying it indirectly.
Legalize marijuana and tax the s**t out of it.....it will solve everything.....guaranteed!
Renters may not pay property taxes directly, but their rent allows the owner of the property to pay their huge school tax bill!
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