Proration again

THE ISSUE

State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton is pleading with lawmakers to find a way to fund expansions of classroom programs that have improved student performance in the face of probable cuts in state funding.

One step forward, two steps backward. That seems to be the motto for Alabama's public schools, which are facing a devastating round of budget proration in the coming fiscal year.

Gov. Bob Riley announced recently that revenue shortfalls are likely to force deep cuts in state budgets for the coming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, because of decreased tax collections.

The cuts could be especially hard on the state education budget; as much as $500 million may be trimmed from it. State Superintendent Joe Morton said the cuts would set back public education, which has shown marked improvement in the past three years thanks to programs such as the Alabama Reading Initiative and math and science intitiatives that have boosted student performance.

Morton told a legislative budget committee last week the budget cuts would be "catastrophic" to students. "We're talking about cutting the futures of the children of this state," he said.

Morton is getting a taste of Alabama's archaic tax system, which places too much emphasis on sales and income taxes, which are highly susceptible to downturns in the economy. There is no magic bullet against a recession, but Alabama's tax code makes the effects on state government and schools even worse.

Morton has asked the Legislature for more money to expand reading and math tutoring programs, and to hire more teachers and aides. He urged lawmakers to find a way to fund the expansions to prevent students from losing ground.

At a time when there is actually good news coming from public schools about student performance, cutting these programs will undo much of the good work done by teachers using these initiatives.

It's time for Gov. Riley to reach out to legislators and begin rewriting the tax code. Some progress was made a year ago when the threshold for paying state income taxes was raised from $4,000 to $12,500. But many other areas of the code favor the wealthy at the expense of the working poor and the middle class, which ultimately cheats the state of the revenue it needs to adequately fund essential services. The inequity built into the state's tax code via Alabama's decrepit constitution cries out for change.

But don't look for any remedies this year - or anytime in the near future. Until the people of this state demand a modern constitution and a fair and equitable tax code, politicians in Montgomery won't disturb the status quo.