Voters will have a say on how to fund public education

UC Associate Professor Amy Farley weighs in with The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that several school districts in Greater Cincinnati are proposing earnings-based taxes instead of property taxes to fund operations. 

It reflects a desire to offer tax relief to property taxpayers, but critics say the move unfairly places the financial burden for schools onto working families and away from businesses, according to The Enquirer.

The proposals may appear on the May election ballot.

Amy Farley, an associate professor in UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services and Information Technology, spoke with the Enquirer about the shift towards earnings-based taxes.

headshot of Dr. Amy Farley

Dr. Amy Farley. Photo provided.

Her research focuses broadly on fairness in P-20 education systems and how consequential policies impact educational opportunity, access and student outcomes. Farley says the unintended message sent by proposed earnings-based taxes is that seniors, businesses and rural communities are not as responsible for supporting schools as young, working families.

"There is a community benefit to having good schools," Farley told the Enquirer. "It's the responsibility of society and not just those with school-aged children."

Ultimately, Farley said, the trend toward income taxes "shifts the tax burden onto individual taxpayers and absolves the burden entirely from businesses investing in our schools."

The full story is available in the Cincinnati Enquirer online.

Learn more about Dr. Farley in UC’s research directory online.

Featured top image of a classroom in a pubic school. Photo/Istock.

Related Stories

3

Ex-smokers who vape at higher risk of lung cancer

May 21, 2024

Ashley Merianos, PhD, is cited as an expert in two recent Deutsche Welle articles on vaping research. Merianos, a prolific tobacco researcher, is an assistant professor of human services in UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH).