Transcript The NEA’s Connecting the Dots Series:

TEF Lessons for Members and Citizens
Lesson 2
Signs of the Times:
Connecting Student Achievement, Wealth
and Taxes
2–1
Objective:
Participants will examine the
connections between student
achievement, wealth and taxes.
2–2
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
2–3
SIGNS OF THE
ECONOMIC TIMES
2–4
The Vicious Cycle…
School Employees are being
held accountable,
2-5
The Vicious Cycle…
School Employees are being
held accountable,
While their capacity is being
reduced,
2-6
The Vicious Cycle…
School Employees are being
held accountable,
While their capacity is being
reduced,
Posing greater hurdles for
student achievement.
2-7
The Vicious Cycle…
School Employees are being
held accountable,
When schools fail, critics
will call for privatization.
While their capacity is being
reduced,
Posing greater hurdles for
student achievement.
2-8
In these troubled economic times,
coupled with a high stakes testing
environment, the call to close the
achievement gap does not recognize
poverty’s impact on student
achievement.
2–9
The 10 Chairs
Who owns how much wealth?
2–10
2009
Top 1%
Bottom 99%
11
Wealth and the Achievement Gap
2-12
The WEALTH (or asset)
Building Train
2-13
• We are armed with the
knowledge of the relationship
between wealth and student
achievement…
• We’ve acknowledged the boosts
and barriers to wealth…
• Where do we go from here?
2-14
“Closing the gap….[]…doesn’t just
require better schools. It requires
social and economic reforms that
would give children a more equal
chance to succeed in schools.”
Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Education
Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap, Richard
Rothstein (Economic Policy Institute and Teachers College,
Columbia University, 2004)
2–15
“Unfortunately, the trend is to
shift most of the burden to the
schools, as if they alone can
eradicate poverty and
inequality.”
Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Education
Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap,
Richard Rothstein (Economic Policy Institute and
Teachers College, Columbia University, 2004)
2–16
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
2-17
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
NOT
EVERYONE
Economy & Tax Structure IS AWARE.
Public Support
2-19
Through TEF, the NEA is advocating:
Tax structures that are fair and
broad-based (removing barriers to
wealth accumulation) to create the
conditions for student success!
2–20
Through TEF, the NEA is advocating:
A level economic development
playing field with increased
investment in public education for
greater economic returns.
2–21
Through TEF, the NEA is advocating:
Adequate and equitable funding
for all students.
2–22
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?
2-23
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
2–24
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
2–25
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)
2–26
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent
about things that matter.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
2–27