Restore (Strengthen) Local Control of Our Schools by Providing More Options

Restore (Strengthen) Local Control of Our Schools by Providing More Options
By Peter Hoekstra and Kevin Clark

Washington, Jul 9 - When you feel a small pebble in your shoe, at first it is just an annoyance. As the seconds pass, the irritation becomes downright uncomfortable and painful. If left unattended - which most people would never do - that small pebble could actually impede your ability to walk.

Such is the state of public education in Michigan.

Some of the small pebbles, the unintended consequences of Proposal A, have been left unattended, and they are impeding the progress of our state's school districts as they try to effectively fulfill their education mission.

Make no mistake - Proposal A produced significant revenue gains for Michigan schools. It also reduced property taxes as it shifted education revenues to the state in the form of increased sales taxes for redistribution back to school districts through an enrollment-based "per pupil foundation grant" formula.

However, 11 years later, the revenue gains that many of our districts once experienced have now peaked. Revenues are flat. Costs are increasing. It is no wonder why parents and educators are marching on Lansing.

Our future as a nation rests in the education of our youth, which is why three years ago we wrote an op-ed describing some of the problems with school funding since the passage of Proposal A in 1994. And it is why we continue to call attention to two ways communities could be granted more flexibility in meeting the needs of their local schools.

Providing members of the community with the option to invest in their local schools through tax credits only makes sense. So does providing local school districts with the tools necessary to control costs. The days of improving the bottom line for our schools by increasing taxes through local millage elections are over.

As parents, we understand the value of finding ways to stretch limited school resources even further. As Republicans, we understand the value of creating increased options for members of the community and school boards that strengthen local control instead of diminishing it.

Unfortunately, neither political party has offered or supported meaningful initiatives that would provide support directly to where most of us want it - in our school classrooms.

To simply add more money to the "per pupil foundation grant" pool is not a lasting solution. Increased school spending does not necessarily lead to greater academic achievement. Furthermore, the provision of more government money typically comes with strings attached, and the resulting red tape continues to erode local control.

What type of initiatives would help communities help their schools? First of all, local school boards must be encouraged to tackle significant budget items that are pulling more and more resources away from the education of our students. Any school district attempting to respond to annual double-digit increases in employee health care coverage and retirement costs, for example, faces a Herculean task.

In one arena, the district must grapple with a powerful teacher's union, the Michigan Education Association. In the other, the district must wrestle with the state. Members of the community need to support local school boards that are attempting to make the best use of the limited dollars already a part of their revenue stream.

Members of the community must also be provided with a new way, as individuals and business owners, to directly support their local schools. We advocate for the creation of an "educational investment" tax credit proposal to serve this end. A tax credit on voluntary contributions would enable people to support the schools of their choice without the looming specter of an increase in taxes.

Our proposal would create a 75 percent federal or state tax credit for contributions of $500 ($1,000 for joint filers) to qualified tuition scholarships or local public schools in need of additional funds for construction, teacher training or technology.

Communities in Minnesota, Arizona and other states already have this tax credit option. Michigan, with its hard-pressed economy and competitive environment, should follow suit.

If promoting more local control and improving the bonds between a community and its local schools are important - and we believe that they are - then it is time to act. Our proposal will provide additional support for our schools without the need for government to clamp down with yet another self-proclaimed one-size-fits-all solution.

This does not solve all of the issues related to school financing, but it could be part of a potential reform proposal.

Educationally speaking, our local school districts are blessed in many ways. Wonderful learning is occurring in our area's classrooms. Our students possess great potential, and our teachers demonstrate tremendous creativity and skill. And communities across Michigan are made up of caring and generous people.

It is time to return a measure of local control to those people and provide a tangible incentive for them to step forward and become involved. Our schools desperately need additional support. Now. And our school boards cannot do it alone.

Congressman Peter Hoekstra represents Michigan's Second Congressional District.
Kevin Clark is treasurer of the Holland Public Schools Board of Education.

http://hoekstra.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=30455