Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas broke disturbing news to Arizonans last month when she declared, “The state of education in Arizona is poor.” While many disagree on the efficacy of money in improving school performance, few deny the need for some increase in funding along with increased efficiencies on the district level.
One bill, currently being considered in the Arizona House, would bring more money to the State’s schools then any property tax increase proponent could ever dream of. It is brilliant which is why probably no one in the Arizona Legislature thought of it before, and it should appeal to both sides of the aisle, which might be another reason no one would care – or care – to think of it before.
What if we assessed property taxes on federally held lands? Instead of the $35 mil in annual PILT payments, at $50 per acre we currently receive, schools could share in the $1.5 billion collected from the federal government.
For years Arizona has lagged behind in school funding according to statistics generated by various education interests. According to reports, Utah, Idaho and Arizona are the states with the lowest spending.
New York, New Jersey and Vermont have the highest state – not federal – school funding levels.
Although Utah, Idaho and Arizona are large states, they control a small fraction of their land when compared to New York, New Jersey and Vermont.
In states like Arizona, which funds schools though property taxes, there is necessarily less property tax money to go around.
In rural Arizona, the squeeze is even greater. Few lands are taxed and the communities, locked by federal lands have little opportunity to expand industry to enrich the residents so that they could afford funding vehicles like overrides and bonds. As a result, some of the students with the greatest needs have the fewest dollars available to their schools.
Just last month, the Apache County Board of Supervisors expressed concern about their education funding. The letter reads:
“Apache County is writing to inform you about some upcoming and severe budget and funding shortfalls, from the Secure Rural Schools Act (SRS) funding mechanism. This funding mechanism has traditionally been a major portion of Apache County Public School funding. Due to changes in the U.S. Congressional Authorizations and migration to the 1908 Act funding mechanism, drastic changes will result negatively impacting Apache County Public Schools budget processes.
“The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act expired on September 30, 2014 and was not reauthorized by the U.S. Congress. With that, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has to revert to the Twenty-Five Percent Fund Act of 1908.
“To put these items in perspective, the 1908 Act works on a 7-year rolling average of timber-stock sales from United States Forests Service lands. The majority of these lands have been greatly encumbered through litigation and policy changes, resulting in a drastic downward shift of available funding to schools. The 1908 Act also does not allow states and counties an election to allocate funds similar to Title II or Title III funding mechanisms.
“This year, the estimated funding mechanism will be $50 million to the eligible 41 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. That is a 6-fold reduction from last year’s $300 million from the SRS fund. To that, Arizona will receive approximately $1,341,927 from the 1908 Act, to be divided amongst the 15 counties in Arizona. This in turn is a reduction of approximately 10-fold from last year’s $13 million available to Arizona and its counties.
“Apache County takes this issue very seriously, and since the first warnings of a possible lack or reauthorization of SRS funds, has worked with our AZ Congressional Delegation and through national-level county organizations to see a remedy to this situation. It is being proposed that language be added that restores funding to the bill for the re-authorization for Homeland Security or Transportation in May of this year. We will keep you updated on the progress of this effort.
“Due to the seriousness of this matter, and the negative impacts to our public school system, Apache County feels compelled to notify our public school leadership immediately with these new findings, (Wednesday January 21, 2015).
“We will continue to keep the Apache County Public School system abreast to changes and alerts in this manner, and look forward to your input and budget planning proposals to help mitigate this unforeseen impact to our budgets.
While politicians might thrive on the whims of the federal government, pointing figures instead of finding solutions. Kids don’t have that luxury. They are running out of time as fast as a third grade teacher runs out of Kleenex in December.
Cures are usually frowned upon by those afflicted with political Munchausen by proxy syndrome. If the patient isn’t sick, what use are they? None, and they should be viewed as such. And like the adults on the Apache Board of Supervisors who recognize their roles as guardians of children’s welfare, the rest of us better start recognizing the seriousness of the situation and be willing to think outside of the box, so our kids can continue to color outside the lines.