Transcript NEA’s Connecting the Dots Workshop #1:

TEF Lessons for Members and Citizens
Lesson 1
Decisions Affecting Public Education:
Who Decides?
1–1
Objective:
To gain insight to decision maker
and stakeholder motivations
when decisions affecting
public and its funding are made.
TEF
1–2
As a group can we agree that we will:
1) Respect and value differences of opinions
and varying levels of content knowledge
2) Be fully attentive
1–3
1-4
What decisions affecting public
education are politically driven?
1-5
~FOCUS QUESTION~
What decisions do the
groups listed on the chart
paper posted around the
room make that affect
public education?
1–6
A few of the decisions affecting
public education:
• Local School Boards: create local education budget;
vote on/or negotiate school employees’ salaries; local
taxing authority (in most states); decide where
residents of different economic groups attend school
(zoning)…
• Board of Supervisors/City Council: in some states
they have the final decision on the local school board
budget
• Governor/State Legislature: qualifications
required to teach, standards, state funding, class size
1–7
Define: Adequate Funding
ad⋅e⋅quate [ad-i-kwit]
-adjective
As much or as good as
necessary for some
requirement; sufficient or
suitable
www.dictionary.com
1–8
Define: Equitable Funding
eq⋅ui⋅ta⋅ble [ek-wi-tuh-buh l]
-adjective
Characterized by equity or
fairness; just and right;
reasonable
www.dictionary.com
1–9
A few of the decisions affecting
public education:
• President/Congress: Individuals with
Disabilities Act (IDEA) & Elementary &
Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
1–10
unfunded mandate
An unfunded mandate is any
provision in law or regulation
that imposes a duty or obligation
on a state or local government or
private sector entity without
providing the necessary funds to
comply.
U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Rules, “Glossary of Terms in the Federal Budget Process”
http://rules.house.gov/archives/glossary_fbp.htm
1–11
A few of the decisions affecting
public education:
Some businesses and corporations:
Seek tax subsidies and loopholes making less
funds available for public education; make
contributions to schools to buy computers
and scoreboards, etc…; fund efforts to
privatize public education…
1–12
Subsidy
A subsidy is payment in cash or in
kind by the government to keep alive
businesses that would otherwise go
bust, or to make activities happen
that would otherwise not take place.
The Economist, Economics A-Z
http://www.economist.com/research/economics/searchActionTerms.cfm?query=subsidy
1–13
Two questions that should always
be asked about tax spending:
• Did the government’s investment pay off, or
did they give away more money than they
got back?
• If the government invested that same
amount of money in public education
instead of in _____, would their investment
have provided a greater return?
1–14
Surely there is:
ACCOUNTABILITY
1–15
$2.1 million per job
Alex Philippidis, “Florida, Facing a $2B Budget Shortfall, Weighs Scrapping
‘Innovation Incentive’,” BioRegion News, April 7, 2008. Available at:
http://www.genomeweb.com/bioregionnews/florida-facing-2b-budgetshortfall-weighs-scrapping-%E2%80%98innovation-incentive%E2%80%99
“State and local officials agreed to give Scripps $310
million in state funds, plus another $200 million in
local government money toward its construction of a
364,000-square-foot campus now in progress at Florida
Atlantic University in Jupiter. Scripps now operates from
temporary space at the university.
“In return for the money, Scripps committed to creating 545
jobs by 2015. As of March 17 [2008], the institute
created 242 jobs, [according to] Scripps Florida
spokesman Keith McKeown….”
1-16
MAKE THE TEF CONNECTION
When they lack the
capacity to
deliver those results…
When tax
structures are
out of sync
with the
economy…
Schools are being
held accountable for
results…
Accountability
School Capacity
When funding is
inadequate and
inequitable…
School Funding
Economy & Tax Structure
And not
everyone
is aware.
Public Support
1-17
A Word about ‘TEF’.
The acronym TEF, as you now know, stands for Tax structures,
Economic development policy, and Funding for schools. It is
shorthand for referring to the collection of facts, findings,
and concepts that you are now studying. It was never
intended to be used as a message, or in communications with
the general public.
Each state affiliate will develop its own message in conjunction
with its own campaign.
The phrase “Strong Schools, Strong Communities, Strong
Economy” has tested well in recent research conducted
nationally and regionally. This may suggest a direction state
associations may want to take as part of a successful
messaging strategy.
1–18
REFLECTION
1. What stands out in your mind from today’s
lesson?
2. What does this mean for you? For your
students?
3. How might you act on this knowledge or
awareness?
1–19
TEF Tools and Resources
TEF Website: http://www.nea.org/tef
1
Publications
Studies supporting TEF concepts:
•
The Effects of State Public K-12
Expenditures on Income Distribution
•
K-12 Education in the U.S. Economy
•
Protecting Public Education from Tax
Giveaways to Corporations.
•
School Funding, Taxes and Economic
Growth
•
TEF Series
Why invest in education makes sense:
Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation
Corporate abuse:
The Great American Job Scam - corporate tax
dodging and the myth of job creation.
Your Tax Dollars At Work…Offshore - foreign
outsourcing firms are capturing state
government contract.
No More Secret Candy Store - A grassroots
guide into investigating corporate
subsidies.
2
State-Specific
Data Sources
States Facing Budget Shortfall – Center for
Policy and Budget Priorities (CBPP) reports
state fiscal profiles.
State-by-state tax news and policy analysis
provided by the Institute of Economics and
Policy Analysis (ITEP).
Economic Policy Institute’s (EPI) new report
analysis rank states by overall unemployment as
well as the change seen since the start of the
recession in December 2007.
Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation show
state returns in budget, salary, crime reduction by
investing in Pre-K thru 12.
Find out how much Wal-Mart is costing your state
in subsidy deals, healthcare cost, and property tax
appeal appeals.
Combined Reporting, How Does Your State
Stack-Up? Institute on Taxation and Economic
Policy (ITEP) This reporting requires multi-state
corporations to report the income earned by both
the parent corporation and all of its subsidiaries
and to determine their income tax liabilities on that
basis.
Good Jobs First state-by-state corporate subsidy
websites.
3
State affiliates in
TEF Action
A few examples…
This video address from Alabama EA
President, John Wright.
Alabama EA sheds light on corporate
tax avoidance in Alabama
Detroit News, Friday, July 25, 2008
MEA Press Release: Drop-outs One
Too Many, April. 4, 2008
Honolulu Advertiser, Dec, 2006
Honolulu Advertiser, Feb. 2007
Iowa State EA News Article
Kentucky EA - School Funding
Statement.
Michigan’s Business Tax Incentives:
A study commissioned by MEA and NEA
to improve the quality of the debate on
business tax incentives.
Mississippi EA op-ed piece.
State Affiliate TEF Websites: Colorado,
Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New
Jersey, Oklahoma
1–20
TEF Tools and Resources
TEF Website: http://www.nea.org/tef
4
Customizable Tools
Community Organizing
•
Business Outreach
5
Other
Useful Links
6
Introducing a
New TEF
Interactive Tool
NEA Information on establishing a social
networking site to use as an organizing
tool.
Sample Political Action Tools
Others are: (http://www.ning.com/ ) and
•
•
Corporate Legislation
TEF Model Legislation
(http://www.groupsite.com/)
http://www.faireconomy.org/tfoc to locate
your state’s tax fairness organizing
collaborative. These groups are
located in 21 states.
www.nea.org/tef
1–21
Other Resources
7
On Taxes…
Videos
PBS Now, "Taxing the Poor" ((26.03)
Wal-Mart Subsidies (7:48)
Warren Buffett's Tax Rate is Lower than His
Secretary's (4:39)
TAXES: Warren Buffett - Rich Taxed Too Little,
Poor Too Much (5:17)
Eye To Eye With Katie Couric: Buffett's Tax Code
(CBS News) (1:40)
8
On Economic
Policies
Videos
U.S. PIRG on Countdown. Olbermann talks about
U.S. PIRG's report "Tax Shell Game.”
9
Funding for Schools
Access Quality Education: School Funding
Litigation A National Network of
Advocates Involved in Education
Finance Litigation,
Abbott vs. Burke is the New Jersey Supreme
Free Lunch, Corp Welfare, Bill Moyers and David
Cay Johnston (9:49)
David Cay Johnston - A History of
Government Subsidies (3:08)
Court ordered a set of education
programs and reforms widely recognized
to be the most fair and just in the nation.
David Cay Johnston - Are Government
Subsidies Unfair? (4:43)
David Cay Johnston - A Moral Argument for
Progressive Taxes (3:04)
1–22
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent
about things that matter.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
1–23