The Jan. 26 editorial “Kids need an earlier start” praises a plan to increase the state’s investment in early childhood education. Who could disagree? Research clearly demonstrates that early childhood education is one of the greatest investments we can make for our children.
This investment, which should be made, however, begs the question: Where will the state get the money to pay for it? While the Tribune says that an investment of this magnitude “will require creative funding,” it fails to recognize that the state has overutilized and exhausted its creative options–implementing $5.5 billion in one-time revenue enhancements and appropriation adjustments over the past three years.
Moreover, there is no mention of either the state’s existing deficit, estimated at more than $2 billion for the coming fiscal year, or the structural imbalance inherent in the state’s tax system. Simply stated, even if the state does not add or expand a single program, the costs of maintaining public services will outpace available revenues every year going forward, just accounting for inflation and population growth.
It is disingenuous to hold out the allure of increased spending for important programs, such as education and expanded KidCare, without first acknowledging that the state must make itself solvent and then add the resources needed to fund these initiatives. Without fiscal reform, no program, regardless of its merits, will be sustainable.
