Senator discusses Texas finance issues
June 30, 2004
State income tax, school funding items on agenda
Written by Nikki Buskey, The Daily Texan
Texas ranks 32nd in the nation in teacher's salaries, 41st in state aid per pupil, 45th in numbers of high school graduates and 47th in average SAT scores, said Texas Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, at a town hall meeting Tuesday night.
"If we're going to compete, we must do better," Shapleigh said.
The senator talked with Austin residents at First United Methodist Church Family Life Center, discussing the problems facing public school funding in the state and the positive effect a state income tax could have on Texas.
Attendees listened to a 30-minute presentation by Shapleigh, followed by a discussion panel that included editorial writer Alberta Phillips of the Austin American-Statesman, small business owner Orlando Arriega, former Austin mayor Frank Cooksey and Louis Malfaro of Education Austin, an Austin-based educators union. Listeners were then encouraged to ask questions and voice their personal concerns to the senator and the panelists.
"The reason we felt it was really important to have this event was because there is such a knee-jerk negative reaction to the implementation of a state income tax," said Bee Moorehead of Texas Impact, a statewide religious social justice organization. "People may not come away from this supporting a state income tax, but we at least want them to leave knowing what they're talking about."
Shapleigh's own plan for funding public education, the 21st Century Texas Education Excellence Fund, would involve instituting a 5-percent flat income tax. Two-thirds of the tax would go to cut property taxes, and the remaining third would fund Texas public schools. Any increase in this tax would have to be approved by voters.
For several decades, the state has relied on the "Robin Hood" funding system to provide equality for Texas public schools. The Legislature met for a special session to discuss a replacement plan for Robin Hood in late April, but was unable to agree on a proposal.
"Public education funding has been a major issue since 1973," former Austin mayor Cooksey said. "The Legislature and the citizens need to do more to show that they value this issue."
Shapleigh originally made his proposal in November of 2003, and since then, the senator has been traveling around the state holding town hall meetings to explain his education plan.
"We must make sure that every school and every student has the resources it needs to compete," Shapleigh said.
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