‘Super-majority’ amendment seeks to lock us into failed priorities
When it comes to providing for our students, Florida lawmakers fail the test. And now — rather than working to improve those failing grades — lawmakers have put an amendment on the ballot that would assure our education system never rises to the top of the class.
Amendment 5 is a proposal that may seem eerily familiar to Florida voters. That’s because it’s a retread of an idea that they overwhelmingly rejected just six years ago. The amendments would require a two-thirds (super-majority) vote of the state Legislature to raise state revenues, taxes and fees. It might sound appealing on first read, but it would not bode well for anyone except wealthy residents and corporations.
Why? Because for decades our Legislature has put tax breaks for big corporations ahead of their duty to provide for the most basic services for its citizens. Millions go without health care. Our environment is in crisis. Basic services for seniors are barely covered. And our affordable housing, roads and transportation services and public education are all hopelessly underfunded.
Currently the state of Florida gives away more in tax breaks and credits than it spends on K-12 and higher education combined.
It is past time for Florida lawmakers to get their priorities straight and start putting their citizens first. Amendment 5 would eliminate hope of that ever happening. What a super-majority really does is empower a handful of lawmakers to legislation that eliminates tax breaks and loopholes for special interests, to the detriment of the rest of the state.
Providing a quality education to all of Florida’s students is a core constitutional responsibility of state government and critical to economic growth. Adequate state funding for education provides the foundation for students to compete in an ever-changing economy, and it helps to attract highly qualified teachers and maintain the equity and fairness of Florida’s education system.
Florida ranks 47th in attracting and retaining effective teachers, 44th in high school graduation rates, 42nd in spending per K-12 student, 49th in K-12 spending as a percentage of personal income and 42nd in per pupil spending for Voluntary Pre-K (VPK). A recent study found that the Sunshine State’s perpupil investment in 2016 was about 23 percent below what it was before the recession, when accounting for inflation.
It’s no secret that Florida lawmakers are shortchanging our students and teachers. A recent study found that the Sunshine State’s per-pupil investment in 2016 was about 23 percent below what it was before the recession, when accounting for inflation. And the climate for educators? Florida ranks near the bottom in attracting and retaining effective teachers and in terms of teacher salary.
What happened in other states that passed revenue-restricting measures, like Oklahoma and Arizona, serves as a cautionary tale of what could happen in Florida. Arizona adopted a two-thirds supermajority requirement in 1992. The state cut the corporate tax rate by 30 percent in 2011, which resulted in a revenue crisis and steep drops in support for programs and services. Oklahoma, which has a similar requirement to Amendment 5, saw $180 million in education cuts over a decade. The nonpartisan OK Policy Institute outlined the aftermath of the state’s education cuts: growing class sizes; districts going to four-day weeks; elimination of librarians, school counselors and other support staff; and fewer course offerings.
The status quo in Florida needs to change, and fast. Lawmakers need to invest in education to provide economic opportunity and prepare students for success in the 21st century workforce. Neither of these things will be possible if lawmakers can’t raise revenue to improve conditions for children and families in Florida.