SQ 744 - A catastrophe for working Oklahoman's

In November 2010, Oklahoma voters will decide the fate of State Question 744, which would tie Oklahoma's common education funding to a regional average set by lawmakers in other states.
If approved, SQ 744 would require spending at least $850 million more for common education per year, on top of the $2.5 billion provided this year.
Because the ballot question does not explain how to provide that additional funding, I requested a legislative study to explore the issue in depth.
If SQ 744 is approved, an analysis by non-partisan fiscal staff shows it will require increasing the income tax rate 34% or the state sales tax rate 38%.
The only other option is to cut spending across the board in all areas of government, except for common education, by as much as 20%.
As a small-government conservative, I am certainly not opposed to spending cuts, but I also believe government should do a few core jobs and do them well. Unfortunately, SQ 744 could imperil even the most basic functions of government.
* Experts predicted the potential cuts at the Department of Transportation could ultimately
strip $395 million from road programs.
* At the Department of Safety, up to one half of state troopers could be laid off.
*At the Department of Corrections, the cuts could require cl0sing up to nine state prison
facilities and releasing as many as 8,400 criminals onto the streets.
*College students could face tuition increases of as much as 33% to make up for potential
SQ 744 budget cuts.
Worse yet, SQ 744 would provide no clear benefit to school children. The ballot question does not specify how the extra money will be used. When Kansas attempted a similar measure, they nearly doubled spending, but saw little improvement in student performance. In 1997/98, Kansas spent more than $6,828 per student and roughly two out of three students were not proficient in reading according to national tests. Ten years later, Kansas spent $12,188 per student, yet two out of three children were still not proficient in reading.
Oklahoman's have long supported our schools, but can Oklahoma afford to fund this initiative, proposed by the teacher's labor union, at the high cost of punitive tax hikes on working families during a recession? Because of our state's balanced budget amendment the alternative would be to early release thousands of criminals onto our streets and end the repair of crumbling bridges.
More money poured into a system is not always the answer. Sometimes the answer requires restructuring, administrative changes, and results based plans.
The OEA believes that natural growth of the state's economy would pay for this measure. However, fiscal experts disagree, as potential state growth is met with inflation in all areas of state government spending. State Question 744 is an unfunded mandate on the citizens of our state, and I urge voters to weigh the consequences before going to the ballot box.