We are fortunate in Alabama that our Constitution requires our state to operate on balanced budgets for the simple reason that balanced budgets must be prioritized, forcing our leaders to make difficult and fiscally responsible decisions. We are also fortunate that we have a separate budget that ensures funding of education on all levels is maintained and protected.
To date, various proposals to solve the shortfall in the General Fund have failed to gain support. Those proposals include significant cuts to essential public agencies and services (public safety, mental health, prisons, Medicaid and hospitals), tax proposals, potentially devastating raids of the Education Trust Fund and various gaming proposals.
It is vitally important that the leaders and citizens of Alabama focus on practical solutions to the very real challenges we face. Investing in education is an investment in workforce development, jobs, economic development and an improved quality of life for our citizens.
Investing taxpayer dollars in education and economic development provides an economic and social return on that investment that is unmatched and fiscally responsible.
Diverting education resources ensures that our education system on every level will lack the necessary resources to provide our children with the education they need and deserve to be successful in their lives. Also of grave concern, a raid on the Education Trust Fund exposes education to the devastating effects of proration. Consequently, our economy will continue to stagnate, incomes will continue to lag behind national and regional averages and the quality of life of our citizens will not improve.
During the regular 2015 legislative session, a bipartisan coalition of leaders in both the House and Senate affirmed their strong support for education by passing the education budget unanimously in both chambers. We are grateful for their efforts to protect education funding and we encourage the governor and legislature to stand steadfast in their commitment to education and resist threats to divert resources away from education.
We commend the governor and the many education supporters in the legislature and across our state for their strong support. As legislators return to Montgomery, we hope you will contact your senators and representatives today to remind them that diverting education dollars to prop up the General Fund is not an investment in the future of Alabama and is not a solution that anyone should support.
Dr. Robert Witt is Chancellor of The University of Alabama System and President of the Alabama Council of College and University Presidents.
