Surcharge To Fund Education

[ElysianWort]

Maui Wowie and slot machines. If Hawaii managed these "resources" correctly, and didn't immediately divert it to waste and fraud, they could lower other taxes improving everybody's lives.

Heck yeah! Preachin' to the choir

[keaau mary]

quote:

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Originally posted by kalakoa

The ballot measure amends the State Constutition so that future Legislatures have the power to tax "investment property" as a way to "fund education", but does not actually define the terms nor set any rates or limits.

It's safe to assume that the initial definition of "investment property" will be something everyone can agree on, such as "a second home worth $1M". The surcharge will be small enough that nobody complains.

Once the tax is established, the Legislature is free to adjust the definitions and surcharges as often as they can get away with it. Second homes worth $500K. Then "any property you don't live on" (commercial or ag property is still "investment real property", the proposed amendment doesn't say anything about zoning or land-use).

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I moved here from New Hampshire about 15 years ago. A major part of the reason was the property tax in NH that includes the schools. My taxes went from $4800/year to $15,500 in 7 years - just to fund the schools!
Please vote NO as politicians everywhere are the same. I know older folks from NH that lost their family homes and farms because they could not pay these ridiculous taxes.

Mahalo!

[dan d]

In tbe long run you are all probably right as we cant trust our elected officials, wel at least most of them
Aloha
We still have to fund our schools some how. My son went thru all grades here and it was all a waste, wish i could have home schooled him. I like his qoute when he was a senior in hs. " i learn more in 10 minutes online than i do in 1 day at school dad!"

Dan D
HPP

[Chunkster]

Throwing more money at a failing system without fundamentally changing it has proven time and time again not to work, but it's all our hidebound politicians know. Reform the administrative structure plus increase economy/efficiency, and then we can discuss whether the funding is sufficient. The "slippery slope" concept really applies here. Once the tax addicted politicians get started, they won't want to stop.

[Mimosa]

Our ohana will vote NO on this on the ballot come November !

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

If previous stats claimed on posts here are accurate that Hawaii has an equal number of teachers versus (higher paid) administrators, then I would argue that no organization requires that much top-heavy administration

I believe private businesses have a ratio of around 1 manager for 7 employees (off the top of my head - correct me if I'm wrong). But think about any grocery store you shop at, or McDonald's, or a call center when you ask for a supervisor, if it's one to one you'd get switched over immediately.

I don't know what the proper ratio of teachers to administrators should be to run a properly functioning department of education, but I'm 99.99% certain 1:1 isn't necessary. Unless the teachers here are a particularly unruly, unmanageable bunch.

“It's tremendously big and tremendously wet, tremendous amounts of water.” President Donald J. Trump describing an active hurricane on Tue, Sept 11, 2018

[leilanidude]

If the teachers could actually show that all the money (taxes) we have thrown to them in the last 20 years has measurably improved education, then sure, give them more money. However, education has not had any improvement other than flushing tax money down the drain faster. The teachers union seems to believe that simply paying teachers more, results in better students.

Public education in Hawaii simply is not worth the money.

I have children who recently attended Hawaii public schools and they will personally tell you how terrible the school system is.

[ironyak]

Lots of painting with a pretty broad brush here. Schools vary a lot and some are doing pretty well (HAAS has been holding its own as the #1 public school on island and #4 public school state wide, despite not receiving any facilities funding as a charter school)
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-hi...i/rankings

That said, there are systemic issues with the education system here that this proposed amendment would not fix. A measure that defines the fees, ties it to additional per-pupil funding (that benefits all schools), and requires continual student improvement to continually receive it, would be a pragmatic approach, but instead there is an open ended and undefined attempt at a tax grab. State appears to be getting desperate to balance that (rail?) budget.

[leilanidude]

Kinda makes my point.
Money does not produce better schools.
HAAS gets about 1/2 the funding that the public schools do, yet they perform better.

Produce results, then ask for more money.

[knieft]

Keep in mind the whole thing is coming from the HSTA, teacher's union. They give the majority of my union dues money to "influence" politicians.

It's all propaganda from here on out, as both sides will be trying to get the public vote their way on this.

If the public is stupid enough to vote yes (thinking that they are helping the keiki) then they are likely products of the Hawaii State educational system.

That said, I don't know how a family could make it on a teacher's salary living on Oahu, but that is true in every city around the country with sky high real estate. If the measure actually goes forth, the irony may be an Oahu teacher's rent going up because of the tax...

Cheers,
Kirt