OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Creigh Deeds Statement On Protecting School Funding

Statement

Date: July 21, 2009

We need to bring parties together to reach agreement on a statewide, long term transportation plan. Yesterday I released the key components of my plan, and today Bob released his. There is a lot we can agree on. But one thing we can't do is divert funds currently going to public schools to pay for roads.

Four Ways Bob Mcdonnell's Plan Diverts Money for Schools to Roads

1. Drain $1 billion from the General Fund— a key source of public school funding—by diverting a percentage of the sales tax in northern Virginia to transportation.

2. Weaken future increases in public education funding by requiring that a percentage of future growth revenue over 3% be devoted to transportation.

3. Squeeze funding out of an already underfunded public school system by devoting a full 75% of annual budget surplus revenue to transportation (currently, two-thirds of surplus revenue is earmarked for transportation).

4. Use the proceeds from selling the Port of Virginia to fund roads instead of schools.


Source
arrow_upward