• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

EDITORIAL: Austin Scorecard: The Special Session's Bottom Line

Posted on: Sunday, 21 May 2006, 12:00 CDT

By The Dallas Morning News

May 21--The special session's bottom line

Before the Legislature's special session on school finance, we devoted the cover of Points to what each of the major players had at stake. A month later and a school finance package passed, what's the bottom line? Here's our take on who won and who came up short:

Gov. Rick Perry

What he did: Appoint his old rival John Sharp to head a tax commission. The panel proposed a business tax that became the centerpiece of the Legislature's school finance reforms. The out-of-the-ordinary move put the session on the right track. The governor did little to lead the charge for putting new money into schools, but neither did he object to the Senate's proposal to add $1.5 billion.

What he gains: A lot. It took the governor several sessions to pass a school finance bill, but he can campaign on producing a plan that finally swapped a business tax for lower school property taxes.

What's next: He needs to better understand that money for schools matters. The Supreme Court warned that Texas could be back in court for inadequately funding schools. It isn't all about lowering property taxes.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst

What he did: John Sharp was a rival of his, too, but Mr. Dewhurst had the good sense to accept the Sharp business tax and pass it through the Senate. The chamber's presiding officer also pushed back against the House when it sent over a bill that contained no extra money for schools.

What he gains: He can remind voters he's the one guy among Austin's top leadership who stood up for schools. He also showed that he and nemesis Tom Craddick can come together for Texas.

What's next: We hope he keeps pushing for schools. The Senate's $1.5 billion will help fund teachers and dropout programs. That will help, but it falls short of what schools need to make up for deep cuts over the last few years.

Speaker Tom Craddick

What he did: Took the Sharp proposal and got the House to pass it fast so the session didn't run out of time. He also put aside previous resistance to adding money for schools and accepted the Senate's $1.5 billion proposal.

What he gains: More time as the House leader. The school finance victory probably will shut down revolts when it comes time to re-elect him speaker in 2007.

What's next: For Texas' good, keep the door open with Mr. Dewhurst. Coming debates on water, Medicaid and other issues demand it. He also should find room for the school advocates likely to win House seats in November.

Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn

What she did: Kept warning that the combination of business taxes, cigarette taxes and used-car sales revenues will not raise enough to lower school property taxes by $6 billion. She and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst sounded their prophetic horns, warning legislators they soon could face a budget hole.

What she gains: Nothing. Her independent bid for governor needed Austin once again to fail to solve school funding issues.

What's next: If she's smart, she'll keep warning Texans about the possible budget shortfall, but she won't campaign against the business tax.

Teachers and the school crowd

What they did: Kept pressing for more money. And as they saw the Legislature coming up with a reasonable business tax, they stayed out of the way. Smart move.

What they gain: Momentary relief. The addition of $1.5 billion will put money in teachers' pockets and give high schools funds. And new formulas governing equity will help poor districts and free up funds for wealthier ones.

What's next: Perhaps a chance to build on their momentum with new House members interested in helping schools.

Business leaders

What they did: They didn't play to form and kill the business tax. Also, some business leaders, especially in Dallas, stood up for schools. They wanted future revenues from the business tax to help schools, not just relieve property taxes.

What they gain: A predictable tax system. No more wondering what Austin's going to do.

What's next: Keep reminding Austin that schools are where our economy starts. If we don't invest in them, we can say so long to a competitive Texas.

Archives: Read our pre-session school finance scorecard.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Dallas Morning News

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Dallas Morning News

More News in this Category