The defining issue of 2012
Gov. Bev Perdue has set forth a major issue in the 2012 campaign:
Do you, or do you not, support public education?
Even she must know she’s not going to get the 0.75 percent sales-tax increase she has included in her budget proposal for 2012-13. The Republicans who control the General Assembly remain dug in on the issue of taxes.
In doing so, however, they put themselves clearly on record in opposition to the present for school children and the future for the state’s economy. If that’s the record on which they want to run, let them do it.
In any endeavor cost-saving efficiencies can be found. But year after year of putting off repairs, pay raises, technological innovation and funding for day-to-day costs of educating the next generation is going to have costs down the road that will far outweigh the savings we may experience today.
“Education is the key to our children’s future and to North Carolina’s economic future,” the governor said. “Investing in education is central to our ability to attract new jobs and businesses to our state. We owe it to our children and our state to stop these cuts and make education a priority again — a fraction of a penny for progress.”
The GOP reaction was the usual. Perdue’s “attempt to nip this economic recovery in the bud is dead on arrival at the General Assembly,” Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said in response. “Gov. Perdue’s latest tax-hike stunt proves she can’t fix this mess she made.”
She didn’t make the mess. This was a self-inflicted wound the General Assembly exercised on itself. By refusing to extend a penny sales tax imposed in 2009 to fight the recession, Republicans threw teachers out of work and forced draconian cuts in education budgets. Universities have had to balance their budgets on the back of their students with tuiton increase after tuition increase.
“Since the budget was passed, classroom sizes have grown, early childhood slots have shrunk, student tuition has shot up, and access to health care has decreased,” Together NC said. “Today, Gov. Perdue charted a forward-looking path for North Carolina.”
Even people who aren’t fond of tax increases understand the need.
“In most cases, you can’t put a price on education,” said Daneeka Spencer, of Asheville. “There is no such thing as too much education. If that means raising taxes, then so be it.”
Besides being good leadership, Perdue’s initiative might be good politics, according to Eric Heberlig, an associate political science professor at UNC Charlotte. Historically, Southern Demoratic governors have done well when they stressed their commitment to education, he said.
“She’s trying to draw a clearer contrast in the election. Rarely do politicians emphasize tax increases in an election year,” he said. “That is one element of government that most people like. It is something that suburban swing voters are willing to pay for.”
There’s no denying there is a lot of bad blood between the education establishment and the new GOP majority in the General Assembly. There’s no denying there’s a lot of over-the-top rhetoric on both sides of the issue.
Rep. Chuck McGrady, of Henderson County, stands with those not convinced education has suffered under recent Republican budget cuts and said that schools could see more dollars if state revenues go up as currently projected under the existing sales tax.
“I think the governor is overstating her case. There’s been a lot of rhetoric on all sides here about the cuts that have been made and what they amount to,” said McGrady.
There are people of good faith who care about education both in the education establishment and the General Assembly. But trusting the current General Assembly leadership to do the right thing is hard to come by given recent events such as the extraordinary session where a gathering to vote to override a veto of an overturn of the Racial Justice Act magically was transformed into a move to weaken the state’s teachers union with a post-midnight vote.
We have no doubt the governor is doing a bit of political manuevering on her part by making this pitch early and trying to shape the parameters of the debate.
But at the end of the day, the courage being displayed on this issue is coming from the governor’s mansion. In the current political environment making a tax cut is like throwing candy to the crowd from a parade float. Pitching a tax increase is like tossing the crowd haggis.
That’s a tough pitch.
But a necessary one. The economy appears to be improving, so perhaps revenues will increase to the point education funding won’t be bled further. On the flip side budget planners wisely held back some of the federal funds available two years ago, and those funds, used to help cushion last year’s cuts, are gone. The days of easy options are long gone.
All eyes should focus on this issue in 2012. We may be on the verge of deep, long-term damage to our state’s prized public education system, all the way from kingergarten through the UNC system.
If so, there should be a reckoning at the ballot box.
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