Governor Bush recently released his budget for the coming year in Florida. Among other things were large tax breaks for businesses and home owners though the amount of tax break would depend on the cost of the house. The more expensive the house--the larger the tax break. I wrote an email to Governor Bush telling him what I thought of the tax breaks and their effect on education in Florida.
Here is my first email:
Dear Governor Bush,
I feel that your proposal to reduce property taxes is a terrible idea. Though I would personally benefit in a moderate way, I feel that the cost of this to education would be extreme. The people that this would help don't need the break or the money.
Please reconsider this.
Dr. Patrick Ellingham
Hollywood, FL
I received this response today:
Dear Dr. Ellingham:
Thank you for writing to Governor Jeb Bush expressing your views on the proposed tax relief. The Governor appreciates hearing your views and asked that I respond on his behalf.
As you are aware, Governor Bush recently released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2006-07 which included over one billion dollars in tax relief. Governor Bush was able to propose the tax relief because of the healthy financial status of the State. He feels very strongly that Floridians have worked hard to create this strong economy and they should be allowed to keep more of the money they earn and save. Not only do Floridians deserve tax relief, they need it. Floridians are feeling the financial effects of higher property taxes, increasing insurance rates and rising energy costs.
In addition to the tax relief that Governor Bush is recommending, his budget proposal fully funds the requirement for reducing the number of students in each classroom. Providing a quality education for each and every student in Florida is Governor Bush's number one priority and his most important mission. He is proposing an investment of $33 billion, a 15 percent increase from last year, in education for all of Florida's students, including four-year-olds just starting in our new Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program to young adults attending our community colleges, prestigious public universities and ever-important workforce programs.
Thank you again for contacting Governor Bush with your concerns. He always appreciates hearing from concerned citizens such as you.
Sincerely,
Don Langston
Policy Coordinator
Finance and Economic Analysis
DL/msv
Here is my response to Mr. Langston:
Mr. Langston,
Thank you for your response, but much of it doesn't ring true. It's hard to believe that education is a #1 priority when we are 49th in funding for education among the 50 states. The increases for education don't begin to address the long-range effects of underfunding that have been characteristic of the state for the past almost eight years. The young adults (and the not-so-young students) at our community colleges (I have been a community college professor for 25 years now) have had to pay an increase in tuition every year. It was 3% last year, and this year it will be 5%. Conversely, we were just told that financial aid will be less than it was this year, and that was reduced significantly from the year before. The proposed tax breaks will not help them at all as they don't own any house, much less the expensive ones that will benefit the most. My income as a community college professor has never kept pace with cost of living increases. If I had to buy my own home today, I couldn't afford it. When I retire, I won't be able to afford to keep my home. It's hard to save when one's income barely pays the bills.
I honestly don't see any good news for education in the new budget. It's very discouraging.
Dr. Patrick Ellingham
Senior Professor of English
Broward Community College
We'll see if this elicits a response. I am discouraged at the state of education in Florida. We have an obsession with the FCAT (The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) {The Broward County School Board voted to make the first day of school even earlier to "get a head start on the FCAT"}. School funding depends on each school's scores on the FCAT. It isn't as simple as the test scores. Students must make progress each year on the test. The formula that determines progress is complicated. If schools continue to receive a failing grade, students may go to private schools or other public schools. Tied into this system were education vouchers, which allowed some students to go to private schools, some of which are religious schools. I'm not explaining this with the details it really requires, but the voucher system has been controversial. In fact, a state court has just struck this program down. I haven't seen the ruling though separation of church and state probably enters into this. It isn't really that simple, though. Students with special needs that are not being met in the public schools have been able to find help in private schools, with smaller teacher-to-student ratios (probably other factors, too). There are many success stories to attest to the value of this. I have mixed feelings about vouchers. In a perfect world, all schools are equal and all students receive a quality education. I also realize that money doesn't solve all the problems.
I don't doubt that Governor Bush cares about education in our state. I just don't think his is the right approach to achieve a quality education for all children (and adults) in Florida. I'd like to be proven wrong.
