Voucher bill another assault on public education

February 6, 2009

After $1.6 billion in state funding cuts to local schools the past six years, and another $400 million in cuts having been proposed by Gov. Perdue in the coming year, still another assault on public education has risen its head at the State Capitol.

Legislation was introduced this week in the Senate allowing for universal private school vouchers in Georgia. SB 90 would give $5,000 in tax dollars for any parent to use to send their children to private schools.

Every dollar of public funds that would go to private schools is a dollar taken away from our public schools. Draining these tax dollars from an already underfunded school system would be basically telling local homeowners the state doesn't care how much your property taxes have to go up to make up the difference.

Fortunately, there are still a great number of us who are not ready to give up on public education, and we will fight this proposal tooth and nail.

In the House of Representatives, legislation has been introduced that would allow voters to decide on a statewide one-cent sales tax to fund approximately $25 billion worth of transportation projects. Georgia has fallen woefully behind on highway upgrades and other transportation needs in recent years because funding has not keep up with the growing population.

HR 206 and HB 277 call for a constitutional amendment to create the Transportation Trust Fund and implement the Georgia 2020 Transportation Act, which includes a comprehensive list of specific transportation projects to be funded by the sales tax revenue. The funds would be managed by the State Road and Tollway Authority, and an oversight committee would be charged with making sure the money is spent on approved projects. The governor would have three appointments to the committee. The lieutenant governor and House speaker would have four appointments each.

The measures are now under consideration by the House Transportation and Ways & Means committees. The constitutional amendment must receive two-thirds approval by both the House and Senate and majority approval by Georgia voters in the 2010 general election. Under the legislation, the sales tax would expire in 2020.

The Senate has already adopted a different plan for transportation funding that would allow counties to join together to levy a regional sales tax. The two plans will be the source of much debate the remainder of the session.

On Thursday, the House voted unanimously to approve legislation that would make it easier for the state to keep HOPE Scholarship funds available for students' book purchases and related fees.

Current state law requires that any time the total collection of state lottery revenues declines during a calendar year, the use of HOPE funds for books and fees is reduced by a set percentage.

HB 157 would modify the law to require that lottery revenues decline by 8 percent before engaging the "trigger" to reduce grants to students for books and fees. The lottery reserves currently stand at $960 million, which is high enough to justify this change and prevent deserving students from receiving their full HOPE benefits.

The legislation now goes to the Senate for its consideration.

Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears of the Supreme Court of Georgia gave her final State of the Judiciary speech Feb. 4 before a joint session of the General Assembly. Justice Sears will be retiring this summer and will be succeeded as Chief Justice by Justice Carol Hunstein.

In her speech she said, "We are frequently reminded that government cannot do everything. And that is true. Government cannot do everything, and in times like these, government cannot afford to do everything. But there are some things that only government can do, and these things it must do well. Administering justice under the law is a function that only government can fulfill. The determination of guilt and innocence, property rights and parental rights, legal privileges and power are judgments only government can make. Administering justice is one of the reasons governments exist. If we neglect this fundamental obligation to the people, we break trust with them, and ultimately, lose their confidence. And for government, public trust and confidence is everything."

The funding for our entire judicial branch, which accounts for less than 1 percent of the state budget, is very inadequate. We must work to make sure in the FY 2009 and 2010 budgets, our courts have sufficient fundng to administer justice and uphold law and order in our state.