If Wyoming is going to have anything that even resembles public education, during the next legislative session our representatives need to understand that a $375 million short fall is too large to make up with budget cuts alone without completely destroying the quality of K-12 education.
For a long time Wyoming has had its priorities right when it came to education. We understood that education is important and worth investing in. But recently the state legislature has forgotten this and has been more concerned with keeping taxes low and doubling down on old methods.
Budget cuts to education are coming, there is no question about it. But if in addition to trimming the fat, the legislature could also raise taxes, tap into our rainy day fund and examine other internal revenue sources to help supplement education funding and allow us to keep our schools on point. However, there was no political will to examine any other option than budget cuts.
While no one likes to pay more taxes, sometimes it is necessary. Right now is one of those times and education is a worthy cause. Not to mention that Wyoming’s tax rates are already rock bottom. One possibility would be to increase the so called “sin tax.” Wyoming has the lowest malt liquor tax in the nation. By increasing this you would not be taking money out of peoples’ pockets in the same way as income or property tax. It would be possible to raise taxes a barely noticeable amount and still manage to make a substantial amount of money, and that could make all the difference for many Wyoming children.
If the state tapped into the incredibly large rainy day fund that Wyoming has stashed away under the mattress, in addition to raising taxes a nominal amount, we would barely even make a dent in it. Isn’t this the kind of thing that a rain day fund is for? To help in lean times. To keep our schools and other important programs functioning even in times of financial hardship.
There are also internal revenue sources that the state could tap into to help make up the education funding shortfall. The point is there is a lot more the legislature could do rather than just budget cuts, but for some reason budget cuts seem to be the only thing our representatives understand.
Education is not the type of thing we can afford to neglect, because when we hurt the quality of education, we are doing a lot more then just saving money. We are destroying the opportunities and potential of the state’s children, and that hurts not just those children but also the state as a whole. We need to educate the next generation so when it is their turn to take the reigns they can. They are the future of our state. So, though in the short term budget cuts and low taxes may sound appealing, in the long run they will cost us alot more.
