Lawmakers force tax hike

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cuts jeopardize the educational

progress of the past few years.

Greenville school trustees plan to raise property taxes, but state lawmakers really are responsible for the tax hike. State funding cuts and unfunded mandates blew a $21 million hole in the Greenville district's budget for next year. The school board is being forced to raise taxes to partly close the shortfall.

But that tax increase will only allow the district to keep pace with a projected growth of 900 students. After the tax increase, the district still has to cut $21 million from its budget. That means eliminating 199 teaching positions, 45 district-level positions and increasing class sizes.

More crowded classrooms undoubtedly will have a negative impact on education. Educators predict there'll be less time for individual instruction and more discipline problems. Some Greenville classes may top 30 students, making classes less manageable and impeding student learning. More teachers may wind up teaching out of their field of expertise or their usual grade level. Teachers will have less time to grade papers and may be reluctant to assign written reports.

Some classes, especially advanced placement courses, may be eliminated. There will be less money for library books and instructional supplies. Some programs will be eliminated at the career centers but officials believe the programs can be restored, at no cost to the district, with the help of Greenville Technical College instructors.

Gov. Sanford and the Legislature funded public education at $1,777 per pupil this year, dragging schools back to 1996 funding levels. Greenville trustees, however, based their calculations on a statewide per-pupil allocation of $1,701. That's a prudent thing to do because in the past two years state lawmakers have promised districts a certain level of funding only to hit schools with mid-year budget reductions. In addition, the

$1,777 figure is an inflated one because it is based on one-time bailout money provided to South Carolina by the federal government.

It's important to note also that the Greenville district is one of the state's most prosperous and therefore receives only 67 cents for every dollar of state per-pupil funding. That means the state — in an effort to achieve some degree of equity in education for all school districts — provides funding for the Greenville district at an average of only $1,139 for each student and expects local taxes to make up the difference.

The 4-mill tax increase will cost the owner of a $100,000 house an additional $16. The owner of a $20,000 car will pay $7.20 more. Alternatives to a millage increase included either eliminating almost 100 more teaching positions or unwisely dipping heavily into the district's reserve fund.

District trustees are doing the best they can with the bad hand they've been dealt this year by state lawmakers. Despite the increase, state budget cuts threaten the hard-won educational gains of the past few years.