A proposal in President George W. Bush's budget intends to eliminate funding to schools that educate the children of military personnel that do not reside on military bases. According to a Feb. 7 article on CNN.com, a total of 1,300 districts that school children of military personnel attend receive impact aid from the federal government. School funding comes from property taxes, and as members of the military do not pay property taxes, impact aid is intended to compensate schools for the lost revenues.
However, Bush's proposed plan will eliminate impact aid without compensating schools that educate children of off-base military personnel. Schools would not receive funding for 240,000 military children living off base. In addition, Bush's proposal will also eliminate payments for children of civilian workers who are employed on government property.
With all of the controversial budget cuts to education recently, this proposal is yet another certain to negatively affect public schools. By not offering funding for schools responsible for educating thousands of children covered by impact aid, districts will lose substantial amounts of their budget.
Robert Edmonson, controller of the Copperas Cove district in Texas, reported that his district would lose $9.5 million, roughly 20 percent of its budget. Similar figures are being calculated in other schools around the country.
While the children of off-base personnel would not be counted in the distribution of aid, the 142,000 children living on bases would, meaning districts where these children attend school would still receive impact aid.
Because military personnel living off and on bases contribute equal amounts of time and manpower for the U.S. military, Bush's proposal is unfair. All military personnel should receive equal benefits, no matter where they are currently housed.
However, Amy Call, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget, said in the CNN.com article that personnel living in off-base private property would already pay property tax that would go toward financing their children's education.
What Call doesn't take into account is that a majority of military personnel are employed on bases voluntarily. Deciding to join the military is a difficult decision for some people, and perks such as the exemption of property taxes and, in this case, a guaranteed education for their children, are incentives in motivating citizens to enlist. These military personnel - especially now, when the nation is on the brink of going to war against Iraq - are willing to risk their lives to defend their country; educating their children is the least the country can do for them.
As the parents of these children are preparing to be shipped off to Iraq, they should not have to be concerned that the government is unwilling to support the nations' educational facilities and the education their children will receive.
"You simply don't send servicemen and women off to the Iraqi theater and as soon as they get on the plane tell them, 'By the way, we are cutting education funding for your children, who will be back here at home,'" said Representative Chet Edwards, D-Texas in the CNN.com article, in response to the proposal.
There are far too many budget cuts to education in Bush's proposed budget this year. While Bush is stubbornly focused on the war, he continues to drain funding for children and school systems, depriving soldiers of educational security for their children while demanding they risk their lives in the Middle East.
Pointing out what he feels are contradictions Bush has made in his budget cuts, Edmonson said, "If these children go unfunded, as opposed to no child lift behind, we'll be leaving all military children behind."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
