As students walk down the hallway at West, they can’t help but notice the worn, dilapidated state of the hallways or the water-stained tiles in the classrooms.
It is no secret that the residents of Henderson County consistently vote for candidates who cut taxes, even as the county schools are struggling to find funding. Just recently, the Henderson County Board of Commissioners unanimously endorsed lowering the property tax by 1.36 cents, knowing it would be a popular move among voters.
No matter how well the cut would be received, it would hit the county’s budget for already strained school facilities. County school systems rely on a budget of county, state and federal money, but much of the funding from the state is drying up as the Republican majority in the N.C. General Assembly keeps cutting funds for public schools.
Nationally, North Carolina is ranked 43rd in per student spending, $2,000 less than the national average, according to Yahoo.com, and the state continues to slide.
In addition to a 17 percent cut in the sales tax in 2011, the General Assembly passed a new flat income tax rate of 5.75 percent last summer. It is estimated that these cuts will cause a budget shortfall of $445 million and will also make it more challenging for legislators to fulfill their promise of a pay raise for the state’s youngest teachers. Teachers and state employees have only had a 1.2 percent pay raise in the past six years.
Legislation passed by the conservative majority in the General Assembly will take away career status for already demoralized teachers in 2018. The state currently ranks 46th in the nation for average teacher salary, literally qualifying many young teachers and their families for food stamps and Medicaid.
If teachers do not receive a pay raise for next school year, the state could slide to 50th.
Individual counties are now required to scrape together a patchwork of funding for busses. Field trips are almost completely cut because our society simply doesn’t value practical extensions of students’ education and experience.
No teenager should ever be forced to quit the sports he or she loves because of participation fees. Academically gifted students shouldn’t have to turn down the chance to receive college credit by taking Advanced Placement exams simply because they can’t afford to spend $89 per test. Yet every day, students make these decisions because schools no longer have the funding.
The argument has been made that tax cuts stimulate the economy and create jobs, but the proposed property tax rate would only save the owner of a $200,000 house about $27 a year. Henderson County already has the 22nd lowest tax rate in the state, yet its residents rank near the top in ability to pay. Such an obvious contradiction is further exposed when the percentage of Henderson County teachers who must work two jobs to make ends meet and the more than 10-year-old textbooks used by their students are considered.
Some area residents believe that if you do not use public facilities such as parks or schools, you should not be required to fund them. To these people, we say that even if you have never or will never use these facilities, the people who will be your doctors, lawyers and future leaders will.
There is an old Greek proverb that says, “Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never enjoy.” You may never get a direct “thank you” for your support, but you will get the satisfaction of knowing you helped make the life of children and their selfless teachers just a little bit better.
Our country was built on the ideal that citizens have the right to actively participate in the government. The decision to cut taxes is one that citizens have a part of, and rightfully so. However, that doesn’t mean it is acceptable to abandon our responsibilities as citizens for short-sighted personal gain.
Instead of cutting more from an already low tax rate, why not invest in the schools? Any student or teacher can tell you what a difference even such a small amount as 1.36 cents could make in every school in the county. That alone will build a much better society, and a much stronger economy.
by Shannon Miller
