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Spend it on schools

Gov. Jeb Bush and House Republicans must ask themselves: Are voters more interested in a small tax cut or investing in their children's education?

Senate President Tom Lee has a knack for cutting through political rhetoric in Tallahassee with straight talk that makes sense. Here's the Valrico Republican's take on the state budget: Florida ranks near the bottom nationally in per pupil spending, the state needs to invest in education and there is more than enough tax revenue this year to make a "historic difference." That sounds reasonable, but it is downright revolutionary in a capital where tax-cut fever still runs high.

The Senate's opening proposal is simple. Instead of cutting school property taxes as Gov. Jeb Bush wants, keep investing that money in public education. That would add more than $550-million and increase per pupil spending by 8.7 percent instead of by the 5.6 percent proposed by the governor. Those percentages are inflated a bit because they include money to meet the class size amendment. But it still would rank as one of the top increases in public education spending in the last 30 years, a significant accomplishment that the state can afford.

That would have a lot of appeal in high-growth counties such as Pasco, which would get an even larger increase because of the soaring number of students, and in counties such as Pinellas, where the enrollment growth is flat but expenses are rising and millions in cuts are on the table. While Bush points out that his proposed budget increases school spending, it isn't unreasonable for Pinellas parents to question why there is such an obsession with tax cuts in Tallahassee while their school district is poised to lay off employees.

Sacrificing one tax cut for boosting school spending has broad support among both moderate and conservative Republicans in the Senate. But it could be a tough sell to the governor and the House, where tax cuts take precedence over virtually everything else. While Bush can't run for another term, lawmakers seeking re-election should ask themselves this question: Are voters more interested in another tax cut they will hardly notice, or in investing in their children's schools?

This is not about poking the governor in the eye or watering down his tax-cutting legacy. There is no doubt there still will be substantial tax cuts by the end of the legislative session. It also is not about abandoning achievement standards and accountability. This is about responsible leadership, about making better use of soaring tax revenues, about establishing priorities - and about not squandering an investment opportunity.

[Last modified March 20, 2006, 00:36:17]