When More Is Not Enough!
As you probably know it is projected that North Dakota is expected to have a budget surplus of up to three-hundred million dollars. This money belongs to the taxpayers. You might also know that there is an huge effort by state's Democrats, the state newspapers and the public-employee unions to spend that money rather than return it to the taxpayers.
The left is employing the typical strategy of deception to make it look like North Dakotan's are somehow shorting the public services in the state. Sadly (for them) that facts don't support that.
The latest effort in this war for our money was recently in a letter the Forum ran.
The facts, of course are completely different. I found a great spreadsheet from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.
In 1985 state support per student was $1,755. Adjusting this figure to 2005 dollars it would amount to $3,107. Rather than merely keeping up with inflation the state spent $3,419, a real ten percent increase in state support of education since 1985. That alone demolishes the letter writer's claim that the Republican controlled legislature "attacked" education spending.
During the same time federal support of North Dakota schools went from $410 to $1,186. (all in 2005 dollars). The problem is that certain local school boards have sent spending from (also in 2005 dollars) $5,686 to $8,466. That's an outrageous increase of 48.5%!
Over these 20 years, spending per student (in 2005 dollars) has gone up $2,760. The state ($313) and the federal government ($766) have contributed $1,089 to this increase. The rest of the money ($1,671) has been put on the backs of local property taxes. Frankly the local school boards have authorized this spending so they should have the plan to come up with the money. If the fine citizens of Fargo want to build brand new schools they should be able to do so. However it's up to them to pay for it, not the citizens of the rest of the state. The problem as I see it is that the local school boards have jacked up property taxes so high that they are finally taking some heat. Rather than taking responsibility for their actions they are blaming others for their mismanagement.
The liberals in the state seem to be making a big to-do about a so-called commitment for the state to fund 70% of the education expense in the state. The Democrat candidate for Tax Commissioner is promising to use the office's recently discovered power to legislate to do just this.
I don't know the history of this "commitment." However the legislature in 1981 or 1983 or 1985 cannot bind the 2005 legislature. If that were the case every issue would be off the table to new legislatures. Suppose the state legislature in 1905 had banned motor cars because they upset the horses?
Frankly that kind of commitment would be unworkable anyway because it would be giving local school boards the power to dictate to the state legislature. Fargo voters could decide that by taxing the locals $300 they could have $1000 to spend. The Grand Forks school board would one-up Fargo by taxing the locals $600 to spend $2000. The state legislature would either have to come up with the money or more likely restrict the local school boards from setting their own budget. Brenarlo posted a while back on why this is a bad idea. The short story is that if the fine people of Minto want a new school they should be able to build it if they are willing to pay for it.
The writer of the letter gets to what this fight is really about: the public employee unions believe that more and more money should come out of our wallets and go to their wallets.
The market sets the amount of pay that any job should receive. Schools in North Dakota are above average in teacher retention and recruiting. Teachers rarely leave the teaching profession to take jobs in private industry. When it does happen I believe it's generally because the teachers are not cut out for the job.
The Tax Surplus must be returned to the taxpayers in a rebate. Since teachers and other public employees are also taxpayers they will receive their share of the surplus. I think they should be ashamed by the greed of their union leaders in wanting to keep it for themselves.
Cross Posted from Taking Back North Dakota!
The left is employing the typical strategy of deception to make it look like North Dakotan's are somehow shorting the public services in the state. Sadly (for them) that facts don't support that.
The latest effort in this war for our money was recently in a letter the Forum ran.
In the Republican-controlled Legislature, education funding has been under attack for two decades. In the early 1980s, the Legislature committed to providing 70 percent of school funding from the state level. As Republicans have steadily gained power, that figure has steadily declined, leaving local communities and homeowners to foot the bill with higher and higher property taxes.
The facts, of course are completely different. I found a great spreadsheet from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.
In 1985 state support per student was $1,755. Adjusting this figure to 2005 dollars it would amount to $3,107. Rather than merely keeping up with inflation the state spent $3,419, a real ten percent increase in state support of education since 1985. That alone demolishes the letter writer's claim that the Republican controlled legislature "attacked" education spending.
During the same time federal support of North Dakota schools went from $410 to $1,186. (all in 2005 dollars). The problem is that certain local school boards have sent spending from (also in 2005 dollars) $5,686 to $8,466. That's an outrageous increase of 48.5%!
Over these 20 years, spending per student (in 2005 dollars) has gone up $2,760. The state ($313) and the federal government ($766) have contributed $1,089 to this increase. The rest of the money ($1,671) has been put on the backs of local property taxes. Frankly the local school boards have authorized this spending so they should have the plan to come up with the money. If the fine citizens of Fargo want to build brand new schools they should be able to do so. However it's up to them to pay for it, not the citizens of the rest of the state. The problem as I see it is that the local school boards have jacked up property taxes so high that they are finally taking some heat. Rather than taking responsibility for their actions they are blaming others for their mismanagement.
The liberals in the state seem to be making a big to-do about a so-called commitment for the state to fund 70% of the education expense in the state. The Democrat candidate for Tax Commissioner is promising to use the office's recently discovered power to legislate to do just this.
I don't know the history of this "commitment." However the legislature in 1981 or 1983 or 1985 cannot bind the 2005 legislature. If that were the case every issue would be off the table to new legislatures. Suppose the state legislature in 1905 had banned motor cars because they upset the horses?
Frankly that kind of commitment would be unworkable anyway because it would be giving local school boards the power to dictate to the state legislature. Fargo voters could decide that by taxing the locals $300 they could have $1000 to spend. The Grand Forks school board would one-up Fargo by taxing the locals $600 to spend $2000. The state legislature would either have to come up with the money or more likely restrict the local school boards from setting their own budget. Brenarlo posted a while back on why this is a bad idea. The short story is that if the fine people of Minto want a new school they should be able to build it if they are willing to pay for it.
The writer of the letter gets to what this fight is really about: the public employee unions believe that more and more money should come out of our wallets and go to their wallets.
North Dakota’s educators certainly deserve to be paid like the professionals they are.
The market sets the amount of pay that any job should receive. Schools in North Dakota are above average in teacher retention and recruiting. Teachers rarely leave the teaching profession to take jobs in private industry. When it does happen I believe it's generally because the teachers are not cut out for the job.
The Tax Surplus must be returned to the taxpayers in a rebate. Since teachers and other public employees are also taxpayers they will receive their share of the surplus. I think they should be ashamed by the greed of their union leaders in wanting to keep it for themselves.
Cross Posted from Taking Back North Dakota!
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