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Legislators address funding shortfall
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Legislators address funding shortfall
Feb. 4, 2012
By Rep. Jeff Grisamore
District 47
The gathering of the Lee’s Summit R-7 Citizens Advisory Committee and Business Roundtable on Jan. 26 at the Stansberry Leadership Center was one of the most inspiring events I have participated in during the five plus years in which I have had the privilege to represent the citizens of Lee’s Summit and Greenwood.
To have 60 to 70 concerned citizens and business leaders participate and allow my fellow legislators and me to field questions and receive their input on school funding and related issues was very encouraging. I hope we can do so quarterly.
During the roundtable, my esteemed colleague, Rep. Noel Torpey, pointed out that one proposal to roll back property taxes for Lee’s Summit home and property owners represented “thinking outside the box,” and Sen. Will Kraus said that creative thinking is needed to address state revenue shortfalls, which are creating school funding reductions.
Noel – like me – is a strong and passionate advocate for public education. His wife, Julie, is an elementary school teacher and Noel formerly served a social worker in public schools and now serves as the Deputy Majority Whip in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Like my House colleagues, Reps. Cross, Cierpiot and Torpey, I normally always oppose tax increases. However, the idea presented to us by the Citizens Advisory Committee and Business Roundtable, calling for a significant roll back of property taxes in exchange for a one cent increase in sales taxes in Lee’s Summit seemed reasonable to me, although I was not speaking for my colleagues. While none of us endorsed the idea outright, I believe Lee’s Summit voters should have the right to decide the issue for themselves.
Lee’s Summit voters spoke loud and clear in 2011 by a majority of 63 percent that they oppose a property tax increase to enhance school funding. However, a property tax decrease – in exchange for a penny sales tax increase – might be more agreeable to voters. Here are some of my thoughts and reactions to the proposal:
As Lee’s Summit homeowners, we have both a first and second mortgage on our home, so we would appreciate a decrease in our property taxes, as I am sure would most fellow Lee’s Summit homeowners.
As parents of three sons in the Missouri Army National Guard – two of which are in college at Mizzou with another on the way – and six daughters still at home, seven of our children have attended Lee’s Summit public schools.
We are very concerned with our schools being able to maintain their leading edge in quality, performance and student outcomes. We do not want to see our Lee’s Summit and Greenwood schools deteriorate as some neighboring districts have. Strong schools are a foundation for a strong business environment and a healthy community.
If we could see a sizeable decrease in our property taxes, I would be open to paying a penny more on purchases to help fund our schools. While I don’t know if Lee’s Summit voters would pass such a measure, I strongly believe that they should have the right to an up or down vote on decreasing their property taxes in exchange for a one cent increase on purchases that would generate an additional $7.5 million for Lee’s Summit R-7 schools.
Like many Lee’s Summit and Greenwood residents, we often round up our purchases or contribute at the cash register to worthy charitable causes. Likewise, we believe in the importance of supporting our quality public schools in Lee’s Summit and Greenwood. An extra penny at the pump or register seems reasonable and is so little that could generate so much cumulatively for our schools.
In the last two school years – 2010-11 and 2011-12 – Lee’s Summit R-7 schools have lost $5,876,525.00 due to shortfalls in the education funding foundation formula, according to Judy Hedrick, Lee’s Summit R-7’s Executive Director of Business Services.
That nearly $5.9 million dollar loss does not include state cuts to funding for transportation and the Parents as Teachers program. Our teachers remain some of the lowest paid of any district in the metro KC area – and yet they do an outstanding job at educating students in Lee’s Summit and Greenwood.
Now, with the loss of accreditation of the Kansas City School District, the courts may force Lee’s Summit schools to accept students from Kansas City.
Supporting public education and fighting for our schools in Lee’s Summit and Greenwood has been one of my highest legislative priorities. I have been honored to be endorsed in the last two elections by educational organizations across the board. These have included associations of teachers, principals, administrators and school boards, and anticipate those same endorsements in this year’s elections, my last in the House of Representatives before being term limited.
Along with my colleagues, I have opposed initiatives that would be detrimental to our schools in Lee’s Summit and Greenwood, such as open enrollment and vouchers. I believe public schools should be publicly funded and private schools should be privately funded, which is also a protection for private schools from government control. Like my colleagues, Senators Kraus and Representative Torpey said, we need to think creatively and outside the box, while protecting taxpayers, as we face a historic state budget shortfall of $500 to $700 million.
In addition to serving as Chairman of the House Committee on Disability Services and on Budget and Appropriations committees, I also serve on the House Ways and Means committee. We have bills come before that committee frequently that respect local control and allow local municipalities the right to vote on issues affecting their community. I don’t believe we as legislators should block local control and deny Lee’s Summit voters the right to decide for themselves on such issues, just as they did when they rejected a property tax increase in 2011.
The Missouri Constitution requires that at least 25 percent of General Revenue (GR) be devoted to funding K-12 public education. Yet, here is a challenge. In 1986, the Missouri state budget devoted 35 percent of GR to K-12 and higher education and 27 percent to health, mental health and social services.
This year’s 2012 state budget devotes just 27.5 percent of GR to K-12 and higher education and 44.5 percent to health, mental health and social services. Some of our most needy citizens, such as vulnerable seniors, at-risk women and children and those with physical, developmental and mental health disabilities critically need those services. However, others who rely on welfare programs, including illegal aliens, should not consume taxpayer dollars that reduce education funding.
To reach Rep. Grisamore, you can call his Capitol office at 573-751-1456 or e-mail him at jeff.grisamore@house.mo.gov.
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