School Board Taxing Authority

Did you know that approximately 72% of the Loudoun County budget goes to the public schools? Did you know that while the school board decides how to spend those funds, the Board of Supervisors sets the size of that budget based on the tax rates and fees it establishes?

Knowing that, the influence that the Board of Supervisors has on such things as classroom sizes, teacher salaries and even the length of your child's bus ride to school becomes clear. But did you know that the Board of Supervisors spends just a handful of meetings in the spring of each year to consider school budget issues?

This issue of control over the school budget by a Board of Supervisors little informed about the details of that budget and the needs of the school district is a frequent point of discussion around the Commonwealth. Some suggest that the right answer is for School Boards to be able to set a tax rate of its own, giving it complete control over its budget. This obviously isn't a simple issue. Would this give the voters more control over their taxes, or would it cause a runaway school budget?

On Friday I'll be attending a conference called "A Closer Look at Taxing Authority." Since 1996 the Virginia School Boards Association has advocated the separation of the school budget from the county budget. This conference will discuss the issue in depth, exploring the experience of other states whose school districts do have this autonomy.

What do you think? Is this dry, esoteric stuff that only a policy wonk could enjoy? Or does the very thought light a fire under you as an advocate for education or for taxpayers?