Vote Yes on state question 744

[Conan71]

I wouldn't start down that road, if I were you. I'm surprised you didn't hear the uproar and see the flames and smoke from the metaphorical rioting when Arkansas decided to consolidate the smaller districts with nearby larger districts.

Did Arkansas succeed in consolidating them?

I realize it's an unpopular stance. A Superintindent doesn't want to give up their $100k + job as well as the rest of the administrative layer. Schools are good for construction and heating & air trades. It's nice to have schools within a convenient distance from home. Parents and students like smaller districts where they might not have as many issues with drugs and social stratification.

Problem is, all these conveniences, services, and government-created jobs are becoming unsustainable. That's what budget shortfalls are. We can argue until the world looks level about whether we are spending too much or not collecting enough revenue. In either case, we can't afford all this duplication and decentralization of services.

[RecycleMichael]

I didn't mean to imply that you don't care about public schools, Conan.

I know you well enough to realize you truly care about the right things and are willing to step up and make a difference. But guido has mentioned that his kids attend private schools and I know you had gone to a private school for a little while.

You both are very vocal in your opposition to this bill. It is safe to say that private school parents are more opposed to this measure in part because it takes away from others areas to fund a school system? It makes sense. I know that the others who have been most vocal against the measure also seem to have their kids in private school. This includes the head of the chamber, the editor of the local newspaper. etc.

I just think it was more than a coincidence that the most vocal opposition had this in common.

[nathanm]

Did Arkansas succeed in consolidating them?

I don't know if you can call it success. They still have 246 school districts as of last school year, many of which don't actually have all the state required courses and programs due to budget issues. The Arkansas Supreme Court has repeatedly declared the funding formula unconstitutional on equal protection grounds, beginning in 1982 but they finally worked that out (sort of..it's not so bad it's unconstitutional anymore) a few years back.

The thing about Arkansas is that the vast majority of the large districts are good to excellent. The rural schools, on the other hand, are still chronically underfunded, just not quite as badly as before. This is largely due to the way the funding is done. As here in Oklahoma, a large part of the property tax millage goes to the school district. In Arkansas, there is a state minimum millage that each district must levy (when I was in school it was 26.5 mills). That money goes into a pot at the state level and then gets divided on a per-pupil basis among the various districts across the state.

A district can, if they so choose and the voters approve, levy a higher millage and keep the entirety of the extra funds. In the larger cities, it tended to run around 40-50 mills total in the larger districts. The problem is that the smaller, more rural districts either choose not to ask for property tax increases or the residents of the district refuse. (the former is largely driven by the latter)

I went to high school in Fayetteville, which is a fairly large district by Arkansas' standards. There are three smaller school districts whose schools are within 10 miles of Fayetteville's high school (Farmington, Greenland, and Elkins) and have total enrollments of 2,000 or less. Fayetteville has around 8,000 enrolled, Farmington about 2,000, Greenland under 1,000 and Elkins is right about 1,000. I leave you to decide what you think about how well consolidation has progressed. I suppose it's better than the somewhere north of 3,000 districts they had a hundred years ago. (they had two big waves of consolidations that each eliminated over 1,000 school districts before 1950)

Sorry for the length, I didn't really intend to write a treatise on Arkansas' schools, but hopefully it might shed some light on our present conundrum.

[RecycleMichael]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=262&articleid=20101021_262_0_hrimgs54586

Five education board members say they support SQ 744By Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Five members of the state Board of Education say they will vote for a ballot measure to increase education spending.

Board members Tim Gilpin of Tulsa, Herb Rozell of Tahlequah, Sue Arnn of Ardmore, Gail Foresee of Shawnee and Gayle Miles-Scott of Oklahoma City told reporters Thursday that they support State Question 744.

The sixth appointed board member, Betsy Mabry of Enid, says she remains undecided about the issue.

The proposed constitutional amendment would require Oklahoma to meet the regional average of per-student spending in surrounding states within three years.

Estimates of how much the proposal would cost Oklahoma during the next three years range from about $900 million to $1.7 billion. The ballot measure has no funding mechanism in place and does not call for a tax increase.

[Quinton]

If they want to raise more money put a $25.00 tax per year per child using the schools ?

[custosnox]

If they want to raise more money put a $25.00 tax per year per child using the schools ?

And how do they apply that tax?

[Conan71]

If they want to raise more money put a $25.00 tax per year per child using the schools ?

That would raise approximately $16.35 million per year, far short of what SQ 744 is attempting to raise