Tax plan harms public education

Co-workers in southern Ohio used to tell me, “Never forget where you came from.” These words remind me today “what am I doing to preserve the opportunities I had?”

I made it to Ohio State University because of a graduate assistantship (GA) and earned a Ph.D. through values instilled in me by my parents (a custodian and maintenance mechanic). As a GA, I worked 30 hours per week studying infectious diseases and 30 hours more per week driving a garbage truck down home. I battled cancer with The James Cancer Hospital and persevered as a GA for insurance, football tickets, to pay bills, and fulfill life purpose. Now, the U.S. Senate is debating taxing working students out of school.

For in-state OSU GAs making $20,000 (single with no dependents), they currently pay roughly $1,000 in taxes. To prevent the Senate from borrowing more than $2.3 trillion for its proposed budget that reduces taxes for the welloff, GAs would see tuition waivers taxed.

The $1,000 in taxes owed for 2017 jumps to $3,000 — an immediate 200 percent increase. For out-of-state GAs, it’s worse, with jawdropping increases of more than 500 percent.

Public education, a Jeffersonian ideal, made America pretty great. let’s not forget from where we came as Buckeyes and as a nation.

Jason Marion Williamsburg