Proposals troubling

Gov. Sarah Sanders’ enthusiastic criticism of our state’s school system makes me wonder what is going on. What happened? Is she saying that her predecessor did a lousy job and now she has to clean up the mess he left in education? Or does her criticism go further back up the line and include her father and Lake View v. Huckabee?

If our school system is in as much trouble as she says, it didn’t just happen. Who’s to blame? Is it possible that our underfunded (income tax cut), underpaid (Governor Sanders), hardworking teachers and administrators are doing a pretty good job after all, and Sarah Sanders’ pronouncements are just more Trumpesque hot air?

Regardless, Governor Sanders says parents should have the choice of where their children go to school. They already have this right. But it does not necessarily follow that the state’s money should leave the public education system and go with the student to the school of the parents’ choice.

The governor’s proposal would send the foundation support to the school of the parents’ choice. Public school revenue will be reduced by $7,349 per departing student next year; but because of economies of scale in education, total cost of the state education system will be barely lessened. Cuts in programs will have to be made, or funding (taxes) increased.

Were that squeeze not bad enough, the governor has also proposed a minimum wage increase for all teachers. Not only does increasing the minimum wage raise the lowest paid, but also it usually shifts the entire wage structure upward. Again, program cuts or higher taxes.

It will be interesting to see how the Department of Finance and Administration scores these proposals. Increasing the costs of public education while reducing public school revenue does not appear to be a promising recipe for improving education opportunities for the vast majority of our children. In fact, such policies are likely to be devastating to public education in Arkansas.

LEN WHITE

Fayetteville