Proposed teacher tax break not well received

By Michelle Alaimo

A proposal by Gov. Gray Davis to exempt schoolteachers from paying California income tax is getting the cold shoulder from many teaching organizations.

In the May revision of the state budget, Davis announced he would like to initiate the first 100 percent state tax exemption to every teacher in California. The total savings to a beginning teacher would be $500 while an experienced teacher making $50,000 would receive $1,350 tax break.

"We believe strongly that this initiative will benefit teachers," said Ann Bancroft, spokesperson for the Office of the Secretary for Education.

But many teachers are telling their local teacher organizations they are not interested in Davis' proposal.

"It hasn't really taken off with teachers," Dorothy Brough, executive director of the Cupertino Education Association said. Neither the CTA, the largest teacher's organization in the state, or the CEA, has taken an official position on the proposal, Brough said.

California presently is facing a teacher's shortage. It is estimated that the state will need 300,000 more teachers within the next 10 years.

The current salary for most teachers is less than $30,000, according to California Teachers Association spokesman Mike Myslinski.

"We're very pleased that the governor wants to honor teachers in some way and help teachers financially because clearly they are underpaid," Myslinski said. But, he said, teachers don't want to be singled out, because they fear it could cause public resentment toward their profession.

"We are willing to pay taxes, just pay us a professional salary and we'll pay taxes on it," Mary Bergan, president of the California Federation of Teachers, said in a written statement.

Bergan said that the more than $500 million the state would lose in taxes collected from teachers could actually do more harm than good. The tax break could create an almost $200 million loss from the education budget statewide and could actually result in teacher paying more in federal taxes.

The CFT, which represents more than 100,000 teachers, suggests that the state instead should increase teachers salaries overall, pay all or part of the teacher contributions to the State Teachers' Retirement System or increase funding for school districts.

Davis' proposal, part of a series of "Investing the Dividends of Prosperity" initiatives included in the proposed state budget revision plan--has not yet been approved. The proposal must be approved by the legislature before the July 1 state budget approval deadline.

However, because of lack of teacher support, Brough does not think that the tax break initiative will pass through the legislature.

But another initiative proposed by Davis that would provide $1.84 billion in discretionary funding each year to school districts--with no strings attached--does have the support of many teachers. The money could be used for teacher salaries and be useful in recruiting new teachers, Myslinski said.

In a written opinion to the San Diego Union-Tribune, California's interim secretary for education, Susan Burr, said that these kinds of initiatives are needed to draw new teachers to districts because the teacher shortages are not limited only to California. Incentives are a necessity to lure teachers to California, she said, because of the state's high cost of living.

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