While HB 3, the tax cut and school finance bill passed in 2019, added a needed $6 billion to the school finance system, the work of ensuring all districts have adequate resources to provide a high quality education to all students is far from over. HB 3 left many holes, and the Legislature is not sustaining the investments made in 2019.
Instead of directing additional state resources to improve school funding for all districts, the Legislature chose tax cuts that are making the system more unfair for everyone. With the historic rates of property value growth being reported, the cost of compression is anticipated to grow significantly next biennium. Without an alternative revenue source to replace property tax revenue lost to tax compression, the quality of our public education system will ultimately pay the price. Increasing the basic allotment and funding for special populations puts kids first.
Read our full testimony here.