Senate Joint Resolution 4 would merely earmark some tax sources for education

From: Bob Jones, December 19, 2007
(Also submitted by Conrad Ott)
Subject: Fw: Senate Joint Resolution 4 would merely earmark some tax sources for education

To all:
Thought you might like to read this. It speaks for itself.
RHJones, CORE

Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007
Subject: Fw: Senate Joint Resolution 4 would merely earmark some tax sources for education

From: Ohioeanda
To: ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Subject: Senate Joint Resolution 4 would merely earmark some tax sources for education

To: Superintendents, Principals and Treasurers & others
From: William L. Phillis
Re: Senate Joint Resolution 4 would merely earmark some tax sources for education
Date: December 12, 2007

Senate Joint Resolution 4 (SJR 4), introduced on December 4, proposes to amend the Ohio Constitution to require all lottery profits (to be used exclusively for primary and secondary education) and not less than a percentage of revenue from certain taxes to be devoted to funding primary, secondary and higher education as follows:

59.6% of the income tax
71.2% of the sales tax the percentage of revenue from any tax that, as of November 4, 2008, the general assembly has designed by law for distribution to school districts as reimbursed for elimination of the taxation of tangible personal property (CAT, 71.2% and Kilowatt-hour tax, 25.4%)

This amendment proposal would require three-fifths vote of each House to put it on the ballot.

This proposal does not:

• specify how the revenue raised would be divided between K-12 schools and higher education

• lock in any rates of taxation and thus guarantee any specific amount of money for education in the future

• prohibit the legislature from dropping an existing tax, creating a different tax source or altering the rates or scope of any existing tax (The legislature could trump the intent of the amendment by altering the tax structure)

• provide a process to determine the actual cost of a high quality education

• make a connection between the revenue raised and the actual cost of high quality educational opportunities for all

• guarantee every student high quality educational opportunities

This proposal is an attempt to merely earmark some revenue streams for public education.

This amendment does not compete with the school funding amendment crafted by the major statewide education organizations. The two proposals differ completely in that SJR 4 earmarks certain taxes for education and the statewide education organizations’ amendment establishes a process to identify, cost out and fund high quality educational opportunities for all students. The introduction of SJR 4 should serve to arouse a more vigorous effort to collect signatures for the school funding amendment.

The petition drive continues unabated.