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GOP State-Local Schizophrenia on K-12 Budget Cuts

SDPB's Dakota Midday yesterday featured a conversation with state GOP exec Lucas Lentsch and Dems exec Ben Nesselhuf. Mr. Kurtz found the interview...well, one-sided. I also found cause for grief.

Lentsch said that Republicans heard the voters telling them in November that they don't want to pay more taxes. Lentsch is apparently as deaf to public support for paying more taxes for education as Senate Majority Leader Russell Olson.

Mr. Lentsch also said the GOP line is to not take money out of citizens' pockets in the midst of hard economic times. I thus e-mailed this question to the program: "Does Mr. Lentsch feel local school districts should take the same position and not try to replace any cuts in state aid with increases in local tax assessments?"

Lentsch asked host Paul Guggenheimer to repeat the question, then mumbled the usual trope about GOP support for local control. An hour later, Governor Dennis Daugaard said in his State of the State Address, "A recession is the worst time to raise taxes." (Never mind that the recession ended nationally in 2009, and that as far as I know, South Dakota's GDP never showed a decrease.)

Let me check this with you Republican readers: If you think raising taxes is will hurt the economy, does it matter if those taxes are raised by the Legislature or by your school board? Suppose the state cuts K-12 funding 10% and every school board raises its taxes 10% to make up the difference. Wouldn't that do the same harm Lentsch and Olson fret about?

I would think true fiscal conservatives would be obliged to come home from Pierre and campaign against local tax increases as well. (By the way, Russ, how are you voting on the Madison HS new gym/renovation bond issue?) Lentsch's performance yesterday suggests that Republicans in Pierre just want to pass the buck rather than provide the bucks.

4 Comments

  1. Michael Black 2011.01.12

    We don't know the exact numbers yet. Next week will tell us the story. Local boards will certainly look at opt outs to soften the blow, but programs and people will definitely be cut too.

    Which programs would you cut first?

    The need for the school remodel isn't going to go away because of funding cuts at the state level. The problems with access, security, heating and cooling still will exist and must be addressed soon.

    A 10% rollback is going to be felt for a generation. The people and programs that will go away will not necessarily be restored when the economy turns around. The funding increases in the future will be small in comparison to the 10% cut.

    I am very surprised that the impending doom of cuts was not associated with forcibly closing small schools and consolidating districts.

  2. tonyamert 2011.01.12

    But Michael, the recession basically left the state of south dakota untouched. Check out our own internal report:

    http://dol.sd.gov/lmic/economic_report_files/sd_economic_report_2010.pdf

    The "deficit" that we are facing comes from less federal subsidization of our state. (I personally find it hilarious that federal austerity measures are causing our state's budget problems and our solution is to implement state level austerity measures!) The right answer is that we SHOULD raise taxes so that we are no longer a dependent of the federal government! We shouldn't be cutting.

  3. Matt Groce 2011.01.12

    Tony, can you run for some statewide office so I can vote for you?

  4. Ryan 2011.01.12

    Ask the democrats in Pierre if they are willing to raise taxes or let the republicans twist in the wind over so-called fiscal mismanagement?

    Rahm Emanuel said we shouldn't let a crisis go to waste. Very smart of Daugaard to say he will elminate the 100 pupil minimum yet a 10% cut will indirectly raise that number. Schools in the James River valley will have a lot to think about!

    Daugaard is saying we are not predestined to always be better off. He is resetting the cost of government and until that reality changes, he is saying every level of government will be forced to make tough choices. Other levels of government can have the same conversation that the state is. Cut services or raise taxes

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