According to the Rio Grande Foundation, academic performance in New Mexico's public schools remains stagnant despite a growing influx of state taxpayer dollars to improve K-12 schools. Foundation studies show that 42 percent of New Mexico's fourth-grade students failed to achieve even a basic level of proficiency in reading and more than half of eighth grade students, 54 percent, did not reach basic proficiency in science.
Over the last 20 years, New Mexico general fund spending, when adjusted for inflation, increased 34 percent and the average New Mexican is now paying an additional $319 for each student in public schools. Moreover, state spending is supplemented by federal and local tax dollars and all told, per-pupil spending from all sources increased by nearly $2,700 between 1987 and 2005.
New Mexico's legislature is considering implementing a tax credit program similar to what Arizona and Florida implemented.
Under the Florida program, which was overwhelmingly renewed by the legislature this year, companies can contribute to scholarship funds to provide tuition grants for low-income students to attend private schools. Since 2000, more than 40,000 Florida children from poor families attended private schools under the scholarship program and their test scores have dramatically improved.
In Arizona there is a 10-year-old tuition tax credit program under which individuals receive credits on their personal income tax for making donations to school tuition organizations which enable parents to send their children to private schools of their choice. Approximately 25,000 Arizona students receive scholarships and the tax credit program saved the state $18 million since its inception.
While the Arizona program is being challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over its constitutionality, the Heartland Institute believes the program will withstand the court challenge. In a similar case, the U.S. Supreme Court declared Cleveland's citywide school voucher program constitutional in 2002.
Iowa, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island offer similar tax credits and while Washington has no personal or corporate income tax system, lawmakers ought to explore other avenues to encourage people to contributions to foundations so parents can have education choices for their children. Like New Mexico, Washington lawmakers continue to add more money to our state's public schools which apparently is insufficient to stem a lawsuit by the Washington Education Association (WEA), Washington PTA and 28 school districts claiming the state legislature and governor are not living up to their state constitutional responsibility to adequately fund basic education. Meanwhile, WEA helped tube a $13.2 million grant from the National Math and Science Institute (NMSI) to improve math and science teaching and student performance on advanced placement tests.
As many states and school districts are learning, just adding more and more money to the public schools doesn't correlate into better student learning.
Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)
