Our view: Conflicting opinions about schools, property taxes
Source: La Crosse Tribune

LA CROSSE, WI — March 22, 2004 — Recent public opinion surveys of Wisconsin residents have shown something of a paradox in terms of attitudes about public education and taxes. In surveys done for two groups — the Wisconsin Realtors Association and a series of public journalism events being presented under the name "Building the New Wisconsin Economy" — state residents have expressed concerns about taxation levels, including property taxes.

Since property taxes are the principal way of financing public schools, these attitudes are worrisome. On one hand, Wisconsin residents recognize public education as a real asset. Eighty-three percent of people responding to a survey done for the Realtors in February say that Wisconsin has a strong public education system.

A total of 68 percent in the same survey said that they are either "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with what they pay for public education. Sixty-seven percent say they are "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with the services they get for their public education dollars.

But this support does not always translate into votes for school proposals — particularly school building proposals. Thirty-nine percent of people surveyed in the February Realtors poll said they were "somewhat" or "very" dissatisfied with what they pay for local property taxes.

Public schools already are under spending limits that are starting to result in cutbacks in education programs. The Onalaska School District has eliminated its elementary school foreign language and music programs, after voters rejected the idea of additional taxes to pay for those programs.

In La Crosse, officials plan to cut $3 million from the budget and $2 million each year after that, in order to stay under existing caps. Business lobby groups and Republican legislators want to subject schools and local government to additional cuts, under the guise of a "taxpayers bill of rights."

Other surveys show that additional spending limits appeal to taxpayers. The basic dilemma Wisconsin residents face is that they value public education, but they also want lower property taxes. The danger is that education could be damaged in the process, and Wisconsin's high performance on test scores could suffer.

Jim Wood, whose communications firm conducted both the Realtors and the Building the New Wisconsin Economy surveys, believes that this apparent contradiction about public schools and property taxes shows that our school funding mechanism, so heavily dependent on property taxes, needs revision.

We think he's right. But state officials have been talking about such things for years, and appointing blue ribbon panels to study the issue for years. And nothing changes. We can't continue that inaction for long.