“Please raise my taxes!”

One doesn’t often hear that because we’d all like more money in our pockets and we resent anyone, like the government or the bank holding our mortgage, who takes our money.

We dislike the government even more than the bank because we entered willingly into an agreement with the bank, but the government seems like a huge impersonal machine gobbling up our dollars while delivering little in return.

But things aren’t always as they seem. I like paying taxes because I see what my tax dollars do. Taxation is the mechanism a civilized society uses to spread among everyone the cost of services that benefit everyone.

Take education, for example. Our taxes fund public education that benefits us all. Without it, only the wealthy could afford to educate their children and most people, lacking the skills to get a good job, would live in poverty.

Many countries are like that. But in America, our commitment to a quality education for all gives every child the opportunity to strive for the top. One reason people the world over want to live here is that we try to educate every student who wants to learn.

On March 31, we in Baldwin County can reaffirm that commitment for tomorrow’s children. We will go to the polls to vote on five measures to fund our schools. A yes vote on all five will mean a bright future for our county.

School rankings are based on a combination of teacher-student ratios, teacher education levels, student test scores, diversity of courses offered, and graduation rates. According to schooldigger.com, Baldwin County schools rank 33rd among 120 Alabama school districts (15 districts did not report information)---not bad, but not great. We can do better.

But why do better? Isn’t Baldwin County a great place to live already? Of course it is. We’re the fastest growing county in Alabama, and our relatively good schools compared to those in neighboring counties is one of the reasons.

But why settle for relatively good? Why not go for the best?

Education is the primary route to financial security in America. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that people with a bachelor’s degree earn 59 percent more than those with only a high school diploma (and those without the diploma are lucky to earn a living at all).

States with the best educated workforce are also those with the highest average income, and with higher incomes and higher property values, even a low tax rate can generate enough revenue to assure continued quality education for all.

 Investing in education therefore benefits not only students, but everyone. Success builds upon success. It’s a win for everybody.

Baldwin County’s school enrollment has increased by 25 percent in the past ten years and is projected to increase by another 15 percent over the next decade, boosting enrollment to 36,000 students. Over half of our 45 schools are already overcrowded.

Schools are funded through property taxes. Because state funding for schools is diminishing and because property values in Baldwin County have not yet recovered from the 2008 recession, new funding is needed to build the schools tomorrow’s children will need.

Moreover, Baldwin’s current tax rates are low compared to other Alabama school districts (and Alabama’s rates are low compared to other states).

A “mill” is one tenth of one percent of assessed property value. That means $10.00 per year for each mill of taxation on a single-family home assessed at $100,000.

Baldwin County schools are now funded at a rate of 12 mills. That compares to 29.5 mills in Mobile, 30 mills in Jefferson County (Birmingham) and 27.5 mills in the Huntsville City district. Baldwin ranks 97th out of 135 Alabama school districts in local mills available for education. Overtaxed we are not!

Alabama’s draconian state constitution (don’t ask me!) makes it hard to fund local education. Voters must approve a complicated array of small millages to get the job done. That’s why five proposals---all modest in scope---will be on the ballot on March 31. All the money would stay in Baldwin County and be used for needed school construction.

Vote yes five times on March 31!

Richard H. Schmidt is a retired Episcopal priest, editor and author who lives in Fairhope. He can be reached at courier@gulfcoastnewspapers.com.