New Democrat Update - March 2006
A DETOUR ON THE WAY TO BETTER SCHOOLS
Unfortunately, Governor Bill Owens has endorsed a proposed ballot initiative that, as was written here last December, “has nothing to do with raising student achievement and everything to do with politics.” The measure requires that local school districts spend at least 65 percent of their budgets ‘in the classroom.’”
It sounds good until you read the fine print. For example, providing breakfast to children or transportation to a better school can make a big difference in student achievement - but such expenses do not count toward the 65 percent mandate. As a result, schools that provide essential meals to kids, as well as those rural districts who must transport children relatively long distances, could be significantly penalized.
This top-down, centralized command-and-control, cookie-cutter initiative is filled with a number of other troubling flaws - but here is the kicker. If approved, it will be embedded in the constitution - where it cannot ever be changed unless the voters speak again. Apparently, Colorado’s bad experience with past inflexible constitutional amendments has not discouraged Owens and others from going down that same counter-productive path.
According to a new Standard & Poor’s analysis which includes Colorado, “there is no significant correlation between the percentage spent on instruction and student proficiency rates on state reading and math tests. In other words, higher instructional spending allocations were not consistently linked to higher achievement levels in any of the states evaluated.”
Education is essential to Colorado’s future economic and social prosperity. Instead of getting on with that important work, true education reform supporters must now spend their time defeating a mandate that will deliver nothing in the way of improved student achievement.
COLORADO’S BUDGET REFORMERS
Legislative Democrats, led by House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, in partnership with Governor Bill Owens, put Referendum C - a five-year “timeout” to retain funds that would otherwise be rebated to taxpayers - on the ballot. Last November, Colorado voters showed just enough faith, approving the measure by a slim margin.
Democrats realize that this trust in the state’s political leadership must be continually nurtured, earned and re-earned every day. True to their word, they are spending the money on what was promised during the campaign - education, health care and transportation.
A trio of Democratic reformers are working together to build on that important promise and change the way state government does its daily business and budgets its money. They want real results and accountability. That is good policy, and good politics.
State Rep. Val Vigil (D-Thornton) wants state government to act more like a well-managed business - define its priorities, set meaningful goals, establish success measures, and develop useful ways to report progress to the legislature and the public. His proposal creates a State Government Accountability Task Force to do that important work.
“You don’t leave your house without knowing where you’re headed,” Vigil said. “State government should operate the same way. We can’t fulfill our destiny if we don’t have a destiny in mind. When government is focused, when its priorities are defined, the taxpayers win.”
State Rep. Jerry Frangas’ (D-Denver) proposal weaves the above measures to the state’s goals, objectives and budgeting process. Any achieved savings will go toward preventing cuts in services during periods of fiscal downturn.
Frangas emphasizes “Government needs to be oriented towards efficiency, effectiveness and achieving savings. Referendum C barely passed and we have to clearly state what we are doing with this money and how we are going to try and save when possible.”
State Rep. Bernie Buescher’s (D-Grand Junction) proposal creates a kind of emergency fund. If the economy takes a nosedive and drags down state revenues, Colorado will not be in the same dire straits it was a few years ago. Putting funds aside during the good times will help prevent this sort of crisis in the future and make it easier to contain the fiscal damage that occurs when revenues fall quickly and sharply.
“We have an obligation to plan for Colorado’s future, and that must include setting aside money in case the economy takes a turn for the worse,” Buescher said. “We learned the hard way, recently, the painful cuts that result if we don’t plan ahead.”
Last month, at a DLC event, Buescher, Vigil and other Democratic legislators discussed Iowa’s new budgeting process with Governor Tom Vilsack, Chair of the national DLC. Vilsack talked about how his results-oriented approach has transformed state government.
Traditional budgeting - starting with last year’s numbers and adjusting them up and down - falls way short. The focus is on the margins, rather than at the huge amounts spent year after year. Programs, that do not produce much, survive even when resources are scarce. The very nature of the process stifles entrepreneurial creativity, missing many opportunities to provide better and more services at less cost.
Iowa’s budget strategy known as “Purchasing Results” focuses the discussion on getting the best value for taxpayers, rather then endless ideological debates. An Iowa budget document says it best:
“Think of the Governor and the Lt. Governor - with the Legislature - as buyers of government services on Iowans’ behalf. Think of state agencies as sellers of these services. Purchasing Results sets up a marketplace where buyers try to get the best deal they can from sellers. Conversely, sellers have a strong incentive to offer high value because value drives buyers’ decisions. The better results per dollar, the better the chance an offer will be funded.”
A web site - www.resultsiowa.org - helps citizens become an important part of the process. Iowans can now have an evidence-based debate on what and how state government is doing. For example, a visitor can raise or lower tax rates and see how many more or less children get health coverage.
The end results have been very impressive. Governing Magazine and the Maxwell School at Syracuse has ranked Iowa as 11th best managed state in the nation. Its state and local tax burden is at its lowest in 34 years. Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government gave the state an “Innovations in American Government Award” for cutting red tape and saving money.
All of which sounds like a good roadmap for Colorado.
YEAR OF THE GOVERNOR
The new issue of Blueprint looks at why gubernatorial races around the country will be especially crucial this electoral cycle. Governors Vilsack (D-IA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) make the case for why 2006 may be the “Year of the Governor” for Democrats - especially in the so-called red states.
Of course, there is much more. If you would like a hard copy, contact Jim Gibson.