Schools First Figures Released
From the State Senator Jim Kyle: The Office of State Senator Jim Kyle released the figures of the Schools First Initiative yesterday. The spreadsheet, compiled by the office of Governor Phil Bredesen, displays the approximate amount of funding each state legislative district will receive. Under the Schools First Initiative, an increase in the cigarette tax would provide increased funding for education.
Opponents of the Schools First Initiative want to introduce a food tax cut swap for the cigarette tax increase. That legislation (SB1540), introduced by Sen. Mae Beavers, does not provide any funding to education but proposes to end the state sales tax on food in the next twelve years without replacement revenue.
Without the funding from the cigarette tax increase, Sen. Beavers district would lose an estimated $6 million that would go towards basic education funding for students provided by Schools First.
Other opponents of the Schools First Initiative include Sen. Diane Black and State Rep. Beth Harwell; however, they have been in full support of a cigarette tax increase in the past. Both voted for a previous Democratic sponsored bill to triple the cigarette tax, HB1781, introduced in 2001 but failing passage. Sen. Black and Rep. Harwell’s districts would lose $5 million and $10 million respectively. Sen. Jim Tracy’s growing district would lose $6.8 million.
The logic of increasing the cigarette tax is clear in Governor Bredesen’s Schools First Initiative. We do not need to cut taxes simply because we have surplus revenue. We must prepare for our children’s future. Currently, Tennessee has the third lowest cigarette tax in the country, and cutting that tax is a deterrent to teen smoking. I believe we all agree that is a good thing.
Republicans have introduced the food tax swap as a wedge between the legislature and school funding. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-TN, 22 years ago presciently noted that if we do not continue to fund education using alternative methods we will have to 1) cut funding to education 2) increase the food tax 0r 3) implement a state income tax.
Partisan politics have no place in preparing our children for the future. There must be responsible ways of coming together to do what’s right for our state’s education agenda. The Schools First Initiative works and it is the best solution to preparing for Tennessee’s future growth.
