EDITORIAL: Proposal needs more consideration

The S.C. School Boards Association has a school funding proposal that is certainly worthy of consideration - but needs a great deal more thought and ideas for how to make it happen.

The association wants to equalize the operational tax rate for the state's school districts while giving a tax break to small business and industry. The idea of giving a tax break is good, especially for the smaller counties, but how will those lost revenues be made up? The association's answer is that it will come from the state. We really can't imagine that in these lean budget times the General Assembly is going to find an additional $600 million to give to education - a reality the association acknowledges.

It's unfortunate that the association doesn't offer any suggestions for where the money would come from. It just wants to cut some taxes and pull it from other sources.

Equalizing the tax rates across the state is a worthy goal. Now businesses and industries in some counties with a larger commercial base pay lower property tax rates than those in smaller counties with a smaller commercial base. Why? The pool of commercial property in those larger counties is much bigger and often more valuable than in smaller counties. Since homeowners no longer contribute to school operations, it's the businesses who have to foot the bill for the counties' portions.

Scott Price, the association's attorney who presented the plan to the Aiken County Board of Education on Tuesday, said that would be up to the legislature and would be part of a comprehensive tax reform. He said the association has received positive responses from some state lawmakers.

The plan is interesting and it would offer businesses a tax break. But the money has to come from someplace.

The idea is one the legislature should consider, but it would be helpful if the association offered some suggestions for how the state would come up with an extra $600 million.