Signs of the Times: Connecting Student Achievement, Wealth

and Taxes

2–1

TEF Lessons for Members and CitizensLesson 2

Objective:

Participants will examine the connections between student achievement, wealth and taxes.

2–2

As a group can we agree that we will:

1) Respect and value differences of opinions and varying levels of content knowledge

2) Be fully attentive

2–3

SIGNS OF THE

ECONOMIC TIMES

2–4

The Vicious Cycle…

2-5

The Vicious Cycle…

2-6

The Vicious Cycle…

2-7

The Vicious Cycle…

2-8

In these troubled economic times, coupled with a high stakes testing environment, the call to close the achievement gap does not recognize poverty’s impact on student achievement.

2–9

The 10 Chairs

Who owns how much wealth?2–10

2–11

Wealth and the Achievement Gap

2-12

The WEALTH (or asset) Building Train

2-13

• We are armed with the knowledge of the relationship between wealth and student achievement…

• We’ve acknowledged the boosts and barriers to wealth…

• Where do we go from here?

2-14

“Closing the gap….[]…doesn’t just require better schools. It requires social and economic reforms that would give children a more equal chance to succeed in schools.”

Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Education

Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap, Richard Rothstein (Economic Policy Institute and Teachers College, Columbia University, 2004)

2–15

“Unfortunately, the trend is to shift most of the burden to the schools, as if they alone can eradicate poverty and inequality.”

Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Education Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap, Richard Rothstein (Economic Policy Institute and Teachers College, Columbia University, 2004)

2–16

Schools are being held accountable for results…

When they lack the capacity to deliver those results…

When funding is inadequate and inequitable…

When tax structures are out of sync with the economy…

School Capacity

School Funding

Economy & Tax Structure

Accountability

MAKE THE TEF CONNECTION

2-17

2–18

Schools are being held accountable for results…

When they lack the capacity to deliver those results…

When funding is inadequate and inequitable…

When tax structures are out of sync with the economy…

School Capacity

School Funding

Economy & Tax Structure

Public Support

NOT EVERYONE IS AWARE.

Accountability

MAKE THE TEF CONNECTION

2-19

Through TEF, the NEA is advocating:

Tax structures that are fair and broad-based (removing barriers to wealth accumulation) to create the conditions for student success!

2–20

A level economic development playing field with increased investment in public education for greater economic returns.

2–21

Through TEF, the NEA is advocating:

Adequate and equitable funding

for all students.

2–22

Through TEF, the NEA is advocating:

REFLECTION

1. What stands out in your mind from today’s lesson?

2. What does this mean for you? For your students?

3. How might you act on this knowledge or awareness?

2-23

A few examples…

This video address from Alabama EA President, John Wright.

Alabama EA sheds light on corporate tax avoidance

in Alabama

Detroit News, Friday, July 25, 2008

MEA Press Release: Drop-outs One Too Many, April. 4, 2008

Honolulu Advertiser, Dec, 2006Honolulu Advertiser, Feb. 2007

Iowa State EA News Article Kentucky EA - School Funding Statement.

Michigan’s Business Tax Incentives: A study commissioned by MEA and NEA to improve the quality of the debate on business tax incentives.

Mississippi EA op-ed piece.

State Affiliate TEF Websites: Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma

States Facing Budget Shortfall – Center for Policy and Budget Priorities (CBPP) reports state fiscal profiles.

State-by-state tax news and policy analysis provided by the Institute of Economics and Policy Analysis (ITEP).

Economic Policy Institute’s (EPI) new report analysis rank states by overall unemployment as well as the change seen since the start of the recession in December 2007.

Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation show state returns in budget, salary, crime reduction by investing in Pre-K thru 12.

Find out how much Wal-Mart is costing your state in subsidy deals, healthcare cost, and property tax appeal appeals.

Combined Reporting, How Does Your State Stack-Up? Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) This reporting requires multi-state corporations to report the income earned by both the parent corporation and all of its subsidiaries and to determine their income tax liabilities on that basis.

Good Jobs First state-by-state corporate subsidy websites.

Studies supporting TEF concepts:

• The Effects of State Public K-12 Expenditures on Income Distribution

• K-12 Education in the U.S. Economy

• Protecting Public Education from Tax Giveaways to Corporations.

• School Funding, Taxes and Economic Growth

• TEF Series

Why invest in education makes sense:

Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation

Corporate abuse:

The Great American Job Scam - corporate tax dodging and the myth of job creation.

Your Tax Dollars At Work…Offshore - foreign outsourcing firms are capturing state government contract.

No More Secret Candy Store - A grassroots guide into investigating corporate subsidies.

Publications1 2 State affiliates in TEF Action3

TEF Tools and Resources

State-SpecificData Sources

TEF Website: http://www.nea.org/tef

2–24

NEA Information on establishing a social networking site to use as an organizing tool.

Others are: (http://www.ning.com/ ) and (http://www.groupsite.com/)

http://www.faireconomy.org/tfoc to locate your state’s tax fairness organizing collaborative. These groups are located in 21 states.

Community Organizing• Business Outreach

Sample Political Action Tools

• Corporate Legislation• TEF Model Legislation

Customizable Tools4 Other

Useful Links5Introducing aNew TEFInteractive Tool

6

TEF Tools and Resources

www.nea.org/tef

TEF Website: http://www.nea.org/tef

2–25

U.S. PIRG on Countdown. Olbermann talks about U.S. PIRG's report "Tax Shell Game.”

Free Lunch, Corp Welfare, Bill Moyers and David Cay Johnston

(9:49)

David Cay Johnston - A History of Government Subsidies (3:08)

David Cay Johnston - Are Government Subsidies Unfair? (4:43)

David Cay Johnston - A Moral Argument for Progressive Taxes (3:04)

Videos

PBS Now, "Taxing the Poor" ((26.03)

Wal-Mart Subsidies (7:48)

Warren Buffett's Tax Rate is Lower than His Secretary's (4:39)

TAXES: Warren Buffett - Rich Taxed Too Little, Poor Too Much (5:17)

Eye To Eye With Katie Couric: Buffett's Tax Code (CBS News) (1:40)

On Taxes…7 On Economic Policies8 Funding for

Schools9

Other Resources

Access Quality Education: School Funding Litigation A National Network of Advocates Involved in Education Finance Litigation,

Abbott vs. Burke is the New Jersey Supreme

Court ordered a set of education programs and reforms widely recognized to be the most fair and just in the nation.

Videos

2–26

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

2–27