Education:  A Time Tested Priority

By Chuck Betts, Co-Chair Capital Campaign, Class of 1950

On first reflection, no one likes the idea of our public schools not having the financial means to provide the best school buildings and facilities possible.  Historically, whatever was needed was built and the taxpayer did not object to that priority.  After all, educating our children was one of those universally accepted truths that said we all benefit from that action, so we should all pay.  It’s like the police force, the fire department, the streets department.  They are the “necessities” we all want and we agree that we all pay our share.

Those priorities have not changed.  What has changed, however, is our ability to pay for them in the traditional manner, through real estate tax levies.  There is more wealth and financial capacity available today in our country than in any time in history.  So, what makes us think that real estate taxes are the only way to fund our schools?

Our universities and colleges have the most modern buildings and facilities for their students of any place in the world.  Those facilities did not happen because of real estate taxes.  Billons of dollars funded that construction because individual people recognized the importance of educating our population.  They voluntarily gave their hard earned money to institutions, which in some cases, are hundreds of miles away from their homes, and to which none of their children or acquaintances’ children will ever attend, so that someone’s son or daughter will receive their education.

So, why not be sure we properly fund the schools where we live, where our own children and our friend’s children attend?   Why not guarantee that our neighborhoods remain economically strong and attractive by having the school facilities sought after because they are the latest state of the art? 

There is the financial strength in Polk County to make every single school property the best money can buy.  It is not a question of Des Moines vs. West Des Moines vs. Waukee vs. Ankeny vs. Polk City.  Our entire metro area is our “hometown.”  Call it what you want, it is Des Moines, Iowa.  We have the financial capacity to maintain that age-old priority that our public school buildings be the best, just like we want our universities to be the best. If the real estate taxes can’t do it all, let’s do like the colleges and universities.

Our taxes did not build the Civic Center, the Art Center, the zoo, Grays Lake Park, Living History Farms, YMCA, YWCA, Little League parks, soccer fields, flowers and trees on Fleur Drive, the outdoor skating rink, the River Walk, the new library, Animal Rescue Shelter or fund the Des Moines Symphony, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, etc.  While these are all worthy causes, our heritage says these lower priorities are not as important as our schools, or we would have collected taxes for them.

I hope we are not saying we can afford all these things at the expense of our schools.  Just because the traditional source of funding our schools is inadequate, it doesn’t have to change what we think is the most important priority.  We just need to be creative in finding ways to pay the bill.  We should not abandon the needs of the schools.

Just think what we could do if every human being used their abilities, their possessions and the fruits of our technology for the maintenance of family and the advancement of the common welfare, including having the finest educational facilities we can build.

For the moment, one answer is to make voluntary contributions.  Until our schools get back to where they should be, maybe we divert some of our “giving” from the lower priorities to this Time Tested Priority.