All communities value their local schools and must have equal access to affordable levy revenue so their students can have the same educational opportunities seen in high-property wealth school districts.  SAFF’s top legislative priority is a comprehensive school levies tax relief and reform bill.  Over the summer, SAFF worked with members of our organization and Capitol Hill Associates to craft the legislation.

Legislative Plank #1: Make Education-Related Levies Fairer & More Consistent by

• Converting all equalization formulas to fixed percents of property tax wealth per pupil instead of fixed dollar amounts of property wealth per pupil. The current system relies too heavily on the latter format, which erodes state funded equalization as property valuations naturally increase. The former method will help keep state equalization support more consistent over time.

Legislative Plank #2: Improve the Stability of School Funding to Promote Greater Fairness

• Make certain that the new programs enacted in 2023—particularly the expansion of unemployment insurance and the investments in curriculum acquisition and professional development in the Read Act—are fully funded and that new cross-subsidies are not created for school districts to navigate.
• Increase and improve the amount of equalized Local Option Revenue a district can generate to the statewide average operating referendum revenue amount per pupil unit to provide support for districts without operating referenda.
• Increase and improve the amount of equalized revenue districts can access through the Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue formula.
• Improve the Equity Formula to help districts that don’t receive resources either through the current array of categorical formulas or the operating referendum. Proper levy equalization programs promote tax fairness and help narrow funding gaps between high property wealth and low property wealth school districts.