Jan 19, 2006 Letter to the editor: Don't starve Florida schools with tax-cutting

Dear Editor,

According to your Jan 13^th article “Which sounds better: A tax holiday or $100 check?” Florida’s lawmakers seek to offer the voters “material” capital by offering a week’s tax-free spending binge capped at $5,000 per toy or a $100 rebate from government before the November election.

Forget which sounds best! A better long-term benefit is increasing our “human” capital- our kid’s future productivity. Why not apply the extra $460 million for improving our education and college scholarships for the capable poor?

While Florida’s schools have improved, 9th graders graduating from high school within four years has declined in the last decade from 65% to 55%. Ninth to 12^th graders taking at least one upper-level science course dropped from 32% to 26% - the steepest decline of any state, and 8th graders, particularly from low-income families perform poorly on national assessments in math. Florida consistently has one of the lowest percent of young adults with high school diplomas.

Moreover, Florida gets an F grade in offering low-priced college opportunities to those who do attend public 2-4 year colleges. Net college costs, for low-and middle-income students, represent nearly 40% of their family’s income, including accounting for Bright Futures scholarships, which supports academic performance, but not financial need. Undergraduates borrowed on average $3,050 in 2003.

The state’s economy is weakened because of a low proportion of residents with a bachelor’s degree compared to other states. “If all ethnic groups had the same educational attainment and earnings as whites, total personal income in the state would be about $15.3 billion higher, and the state would realize an estimated $5.4 billion in additional tax revenues” (www.highereducation.org). Thus we would be increasing both our “material and human capital” with perhaps future “justified” tax breaks before elections.

Richard H. Baker

Sebastian

388-1572