WHEN GOV. MARK Sanford held a press conference recently to celebrate the House’s passage of his proposed income tax cut, some business leaders stood with him in support.

The next day, Columbian Rhett Jackson stood with an even larger crowd of supporters behind him to denounce the Legislature’s failure to adequately fund schools and call for a march for equity funding for education. Business leaders were curiously missing from that diverse group.

I have to admit, I wondered whether those business leaders had turned their backs on education. Instead of standing in support of the tax cut, I expected them to be in lockstep with those planning the May 15 march to the State House.

After all, education is supposed to be a top priority for businesses. Their success — and our state’s economic future — hinges on having an educated, prepared, skilled work force.

So why would business leaders support cutting the income tax at a time when education has taken deep funding cuts? It doesn’t make sense to reduce state revenue when we’re $350 million in the hole and key services are at funding levels that undermine their effectiveness.

I talked with several of the business leaders who attended the governor’s press conference. They explained why they support the tax cut.

“It addresses the inequity of what small businesses have to pay out,” said Ike McLeese, president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. Small businesses pay a 7 percent rate, while large corporations pay at a 5 percent rate.

Lee Bussell, chairman of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce and president of cnsg, said: “Anytime you do a rollback in taxes, it does in fact stimulate the economy.”

He said the plan is to reduce the income tax in years where there is at least 2 percent growth. Otherwise, there will be no rollback. That’s important because revenue for services, such as education, must be protected, he said. If that wasn’t the case, “I feel certain that we would not be supporting it,” Mr. Bussell said.

“The chamber is very much committed to what we’ve done on education,” Mr. Bussell said.

Mr. McLeese echoed that sentiment. He said he is well-aware of the need for more emphasis on education as well as the need to address inequities in funding across the state. “We realize the education issue has to be dealt with,” Mr. McLeese said. “It is something that is consistent with positions the chamber has stood for in the past.”

“Until we deal with producing children out of our school system who are capable of holding jobs in the 21st century, there is a very bleak outlook for” the state’s economic future, Mr. McLeese said.

So, if business leaders hold education in such high regard, why aren’t they supporting the march? Mr. Bussell and Mr. McLeese said no one ever asked them to participate.

Well, I’m asking. Business leaders who really care about this state’s future and the future of its economy can’t sit around hoping the governor’s gamble with income tax cuts will pay off. I don’t think it would work, and there are no compelling data to show that it would. Besides, it might not survive the Senate.

In addition to that, we have a governor who has no passion for public education, which leaves me scratching my head because he somehow expects to lure new industry to the state and increase per capita incomes. If you’re not going to invest in public education, industry that does come to the state must bring its own workers. That means much of South Carolina would stay poor and uneducated.

Earlier this week, Mr. Jackson acknowledged he hadn’t asked business leaders to join the March, although some have encouraged him. “I’ve had several people approach me in church and say they’re glad that we’re doing it. But we need to get some of those people behind us, don’t we?” he said. “We not only need their help, but we need their money to do some things we want to do.”

Nearly 50 groups and associations from across the state have signed up to support the march, which is two days before the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

One business leader said it’s not exactly their style to march in protest. Well, this is something worth marching and protesting about. But even if they do not march, business leaders can play a much larger role in getting lawmakers to pay more attention to education.

They not only have the respect of lawmakers, but they are big campaign contributors. By virtue of that, they have the ear of legislators. Business leaders should use their influence to pressure lawmakers to properly fund education. And they shouldn’t wait for the end of the equity lawsuit. Next year’s budget is not set, and there is time to act this session.

It’s time businesses take a stand. Not with the governor or even with marchers, but with this state’s 600,000 schoolchildren.

Reach Mr. Bolton at (803) 771-8631 or at wbolton@thestate.com.