Funding Schools

Charles Metalitz

[A letter printed in the Chicago Tribune, 5 January, 2002.
Reprinted from GroundSwell, 2002]

Yes, some Illinois school districts have much greater funding than others ("Equity not in school-funding equation," Page 1, Dec. 30), and this affects the opportunities available to students. But reliance on the real estate tax is not to blame. We would have the same, or worse, problems with any local tax.

There are at least two much less-disruptive solutions available. Both would be kinder to wage earners than increases in existing state taxes. One would be a tax-base sharing arrangement, whereby wealthy districts help fund assistance to poor ones. The total amount of tax need not increase at all. Such sharing has been done in Minnesota for 25 years. Another option would be a statewide real estate tax. Illinois' was abolished in the 1930s, replaced by the more regressive sales tax. Resurrected, with buildings and other improvements exempted, it could replace all or part of existing local school taxes while actually reducing housing costs and encouraging economic development statewide.