Remember the race for state Senate? Can’t blame you if you don’t.
Nonetheless, the first debate of the local election season is scheduled for Tuesday night as Democrat Jose Urdaneta, Republican Lloyd Smucker and write-in candidate Bill Neff square off on education. Those three are running for the 13th state Senate seat, which represents southern Lancaster County and parts of eastern York County.
Whenever you see a debate with state-level candidates about “education,” that’s code for a worn-out issue called “property taxes.” Excuse me if I’m jaded but can we really expect to hear new ideas out of these three?
Maybe, but as the economy tumbles into mud school districts are going to be even more reluctant to give up property taxes as the main source of revenue. As the economy follows a downward trajectory, incomes and retail sales suffer. Salary raises go on hold, there are layoffs and people are not willing to spend as much on non-vital goods and services, which means depending on income and sales taxes for education makes those taxes subject to economic conditions. Schools get poorer as the economy suffers even though the cost of education and paying for unfunded state and national mandates remains the same or goes up. Employee health care, too.
That’s why the property tax can be so attractive to school districts. Property owners pay it no matter the condition of the economy. It’s a tax insulated from recessions.
My challenge to the three candidates for Tuesday night is this: How do you propose to create a revenue stream for public education that’s recession proof?
The debate will take place at the J.P. McCaskey High School recital hall, 445 N. Reservoir St., Lancaster at 7 p.m. It’s expected to last until 9 p.m.
