A Tax for Schools

PRINCE GEORGE'S County public schools spend less money per student than any district in suburban Maryland or Virginia. The average teacher salary in Prince George's also lags behind. The cramped spending is a result of the county's wrongheaded tax limit. That a promising solution is now jeopardized underscores the failure of county leaders to unite behind an effort to address the issue.

County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) had proposed increasing the tax on telephones to produce an estimated $17 million each year for the schools. Mr. Johnson argued that because the state imposes the tax, it doesn't have to get voter approval as required by the Tax Reform Initiative by Marylanders (TRIM). Mr. Johnson was backed by an unequivocal opinion from the state attorney general. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for the County Council, which decided to submit the question to voters in November 2008. It's hard to argue with democracy, but the council's action strikes us as little more than a dodge on the always-controversial issue of raising taxes.

The decision takes a big bite out of the school system's budget, although Superintendent John E. Deasy thinks the system will be able to bridge the gap in the short term by using reserves. In the long term, however, people and programs will be lost, he said. That would be a terrible blow to a struggling system trying to improve.

The measure faces, at best, an uncertain outcome. Raising taxes is rarely popular, and, in truth, this is an inelegant solution. We would prefer a more progressive tax, but the estimated cost to the user ($25 a year on the typical wireless or land-line bill) is not onerous. Moreover, it is one of the few tools that Prince George's has on hand.

Much will depend on the county's local, state and federal leaders. It is to Mr. Johnson's credit that he has been an advocate for the schools and that he pushed for the phone-tax increase. He should use his office and his popularity to build public support. We hope that he'll be joined by council members who say they care about the schools.