Sasse: Vote Questions If Higher Taxes Result In Better Schools
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Gary Sasse, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER
The bellwether election this year was not the gubernatorial contests in either New Jersey or Virginia. Rather it was the overwhelming defeat of Amendment 66 in Colorado. Voters in the Centennial State took a sledgehammer to this school and tax reform ballot initiative and defeated it by a two to one margin.
Amendment 66 was the focus of progressives nationwide. Proponents raised $10 million to promote its passage. This included $1 million each from the Gates Foundation and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It was aggressively supported by the Governor, the Democratic controlled legislature, teacher unions and others in the educational establishment.
Amendment 66 asked Colorado voters to approve an income tax increase to finance what arguably would have been the most comprehensive school reform program in recent memory.
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This ballot initiative would have increased the State’s flat income tax rate of 4.6% to 5.0% for residents with taxable incomes below $75,000, and to 5.9% for those with taxable incomes above $75,000. The cost to the average Colorado family from this tax increase was estimated to total $133 per year. By way of comparison, Rhode Island’s top income tax rate is 5.99% for incomes over $133,250.
The new revenue stream would have been dedicated to fund a variety of educational programs. These included: preschool activities, full-day kindergartens, English –language learners programs, state- of- the -art classroom technology as well as locally determined innovations. It also promised greater funding for charter schools and initiatives to foster school accountability and effectiveness. The cost for this wish list was $950 million.
The landslide rejection of this measure contains an important teaching moment for Rhode Island’s policy makers, educators, business leaders and public sector unions.
The primary lesson to gleam is that most voters did not believe that spending more money on education would automatically translate into better student performance. This should resonate in the Ocean State where there is an achievement-expenditure deficit. According to the National Education Association, in 2012 Rhode Island’s K-12 spending per enrolled student ranked fifth highest in the United States--54% above the national average. At the same time Rhode Island students’ scores on the “Nations Report Card“, approximated the US average. The Providence Journal reported, “According to National Assessment of Educational Progress, however, Rhode Island’s 2013 scores are not considered significantly different from the national average, except in fourth grade reading.” While there have been student proficiency gains, there is still room for improvement. Since 2011 the achievement gap for reading between majority and minority fourth graders grew from 20 to 30 points. Rhode Island also continues to trail the other New England states in nearly every test category. There certainly is not parity between what Rhode Islanders invest in education and student performance.
The second lesson is the need to set realistic and limited priorities. Amendment 66 did not set priorities by focusing on the most critical needs of Colorado’s students. In making public policy successful changes generally happen in small wins. Remember that you eat an elephant one bite at a time.
A third lesson is the need to get buy-in from the business community. This did not happen in Colorado’s failed attempt to enact Amendment 66. The business community appeared to be more interested in opposing an income tax increase than investing in children. Business organizations did not speak with one voice. Some major business groups did not take a position while others either supported or opposed the education ballot question.
What position would the Ocean State’s business leaders take if a governor proposed to increase the state income tax by one half of a percent on taxable incomes over $500,000 to help close the performance gap in our inner cities? Their reaction could speak volumes about corporate responsibility.
The school reform effort also ran aground because of a growing lack of confidence in our democratic institutions. Events beyond Colorado’s borders made it difficult to enact new and expansive government programs. The shutdown of the federal government and the fiasco known as ObamaCare have contributed to voter cynicism about the ability of government at all levels to be part of the solution. In Rhode Island a Brown University poll reported that 63% believe that the State is headed in the wrong direction. Timing is an important tactical consideration when proposing transformational changes in public policy.
Finally, the Amendment 66 experience warns us to be cautious about distributional politics. Aligned with Amendment 66 was a plan to modify the school funding mechanism. While equitable school funding should be a state constitutional right, the New York Times noted that “both Democrats and Republicans were leery of raising their own taxes to finance struggling schools in poorer districts.”
Rhode Island may under-perform in the 21st century economy unless it commits resources to quality programs aimed at giving our future workforce the tools necessary to succeed. Learning from the Amendment 66 debacle will require the following:
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Leadership that sets a limited number of priorities that are focused on transparent performance standards and measurable results,
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Leadership that can organize disparate special interests to collectively solve problems by reaching compromises,
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Private sector institutions that are not wedded to the past and will invest in transformational changes, not just talk about them.
Perhaps most importantly we must recognize that our political process has evolved into a denial of our problems thereby making the evasion of remedies easier. In 2014 we must elect a governor and other leaders who will break this paradigm. As Abraham Lincoln so aptly said; “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.”
Gary Sasse is Founding Director of the Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership at Bryant University. He is the former Executive Director Rhode Island Public Expenditure and Director of the Departments of Administration and Revenue.
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Microfibres, Inc.
Location: Pawtucket
Business Type: Broadwoven Fabric Mills
Number of Initial Violations: 5
Number of Serious Violations: 2
Areas of Violation: Industrial trucks, personnal protection, respiratory protection, hazard communication
Initial Penalty: $6,800
Case Status: Closed
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#24
K & J Construction, Inc.
Location: Cranston
Business Type: Residential Remodelers
Number of Initial Violations: 5
Number of Serious Violations: 4
Areas of Violation: General requirements, training
Initial Penalty: $8,400
Case Status: Payment Plan
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#23
Manchester Tree And Lanscaping Service, Inc.
Location: Middletown
Business Type: Landscaping Services
Number of Initial Violations: 5
Number of Serious Violations: 3
Areas of Violation: Work platforms, head protection, foot protection
Initial Penalty: $8,400
Case Status: Closed
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#22
Colonial Mills, Inc
Location: Pawtucket
Business Type: Carpet and Rug Mills
Number of Initial Violations: 4
Number of Serious Violations: 2
Areas of Violation: Machine requirements, hazard communication
Initial Penalty: $8,470
Case Status: Payment Plan
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#21
Green Tech Assets, LLC
Location: Cumberland
Business Type: Non-hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
Number of Initial Violations: 7
Number of Serious Violations: 7
Areas of Violation: Guarding floor, industrial trucks, wiring
Initial Penalty: $8,800
Case Status: Closed
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Nursing Home Services Inc.
Location: Riverside
Business Type: Commercial Laundry, Drycleaning, and Pressing Machine Manufacturing
Number of Initial Violations: 9
Number of Serious Violations: 9
Areas of Violation: Exit routes, bloodborne pathogens, hazard communication, eye and face protection, medical services and first aid
Initial Penalty: $9,200
Case Status: On payment plan
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Grinnell Cabinet Makers, Inc.
Location: Cranston
Business Type: Millwork
Number of Initial Violations: 5
Number of Serious Violations: 3
Areas of Violation: Tools and equipment, wiring design, hazard communication, industrial trucks
Initial Penalty: $9,800
Case Status: Closed
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Albaco Realty
Location: Cranston
Business Type: Industrial Building Construction
Number of Initial Violations: 9
Number of Serious Violations: 8
Areas of Violation: Scaffolding, ladders, training
Initial Penalty: $10,400
Case Status: Closed
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Mouldcam
Location: Bristol
Business Type: Composite Digital Fabrication
Number of Initial Violations: 10
Number of Serious Violations: 9
Areas of Violation: Scaffolding, medical services and first aid, respiratory protection, wiring design, hazard communication
Initial Penalty: $10,800
Case Status: Abatement pending, on payment plan
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Veolia Water North America Operating Services, LLC
Location: Cranston
Business Type: Non-hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
Number of Initial Violations: 11
Number of Serious Violations: 2
Areas of Violation: Respiratory protection, medical services and first aid, machine requirements, wiring design, exit routes, occupational noise exposure, hazardous waste operations, control of hazardous energy
Initial Penalty: $12,750
Case Status: Closed
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Atlantic Capes Fisheries, Inc.
Location: Bristol
Business Type: Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing
Number of Initial Violations: 5
Number of Serious Violations: 3
Areas of Violation: Control of hazardous energy, hazard communication
Initial Penalty: $12,870
Case Status: Closed
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Barlo Signs
Location: Warwick
Business Type: Sign Manufacturing
Number of Initial Violations: 6
Number of Serious Violations: 1
Areas of Violation: Wiring design, fall protection, training
Initial Penalty: $14,630
Case Status: On payment plan
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Kindred Healthcare DBA Chestnut Terrace Nursing And Rehabilitation Center
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Areas of Violation: Eye and face protection, hazardous energy, training, personnel protection
Initial Penalty: $14,854
Case Status: Abatement pending
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Gem Plumbing and Heating, Inc.
Location: Providence
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Number of Serious Violations: 2
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Case Status: Closed
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Number of Serious Violations: 11
Areas of Violation: Fall protection, training, and ladders
Initial Penalty: $16,000
Case Status: Abatement and payment pending
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Location: Providence
Business Type: Residential Remodelers
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Number of Serious Violations: 11
Areas of Violation: Fall protection, ladders, asbestos
Initial Penalty: $16,920
Case Status: Abatement and payment pending
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Business Type: Roofing Contractors
Number of Initial Violations: 7
Number of Serious Violations: 6
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Case Status: Abatement and payment pending
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H & R Builders and Renovation, LLC
Location: Providence
Business Type: Residential Remodelers
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Number of Serious Violations: 7
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Initial Penalty: $18,000
Case Status: Abatement and payment pending
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Location: Newport
Business Type: Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
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Number of Serious Violations: 5
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Case Status: Some violations being contested
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Jose Family Construction
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Business Type: Roofing Contractors
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Number of Serious Violations: 3
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Initial Penalty: $21,120
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Location: Johnston
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Number of Serious Violations: 12
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Initial Penalty: $21,600
Case Status: Abatement pending, in debt collection
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Number of Serious Violations: 14
Areas of Violation: Protective systems, working over or near water, rigging systems, medical services and first aid, hazard communication, occupational noise exposure, respiratory protection, exit routes, industrial trucks, training, control of hazardous energy
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Case Status: Abatement pending, on payment plan
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Number of Initial Violations: 9
Number of Serious Violations: 9
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Case Status: Debt Collection
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Business Type: Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring
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Number of Serious Violations: 18
Areas of Violation: Occupational noise exposure, flammable and combustible liquids, hazardous waste, eye and face protection, respiratory protection, medical services and first aid, portable fire extinguishers, industrial trucks, hazard communication
Initial Penalty: $36,540
Case Status: On payment plan
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Number of Serious Violations: 9
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Case Status: Abatement pending, on payment plan
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