Colorado Association of School Boards

WHAT DO WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO?Colorado Association of School Boards

February 24, 2011

John Creighton

FACING COLORADO RIGHT NOW…

Unprecedented budget challenge: Costs of public services at current levels exceed available revenues.

Unprecedented leadership challenge: How do we maintain the public services vital to our quality

of life? How do we reduce/eliminate public services that aren’t

vital to our quality of life? How do we encourage voters to sort out this mess at the

ballot box?

THE QUESTION ON POLICYMAKER’S MINDS

Do voters have an appetite for a tax increase?

Yes No

HOW DO WE EXAMINE PUBLIC ATTITUDES?

Campaign lens – what will voters support at the ballot box?

Leadership lens – what are people asking of public leaders?

PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD BUDGET CRISIS?

Pew Research Center February 2011

Yes No

PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD BUDGET CRISIS?


WHAT DO CONFLICTING VIEWS SAY ABOUT PUBLIC?

Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle

MAKING SENSE OF PUBLIC ATTITUDES

What’s behind these mixed messages?

PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD TAXES

Top Concerns for Colorado – volunteered (can name more than one issue):

Jobs, wages, economy = 75% Health care/insurance = 25% Government Spending/Taxes = 11% Cost of living = 10%

Survey review: Colorado Nonprofit Association Fall 2010


Gallup Nationwide Survey December 2010 andProject New West

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35% 30%

24%

13%10% 8% 6% 5% 5% 4% 4%


Top Concerns for Colorado:

Economy/jobs = 50% Education = 12% Illegal immigration = 11% Health care = 8% State budget = 7% Taxes = 3% Crime = 2% Roads/transportation = 2%

Survey review: Colorado Nonprofit Association Fall 2010


CBS News February 2011

Taxes not on the list


Gallup Nationwide Survey April 2010

Satisfaction with Federal income taxes near 50 year high.


Taxes rank low on people’s list of concerns when asked to choose from a fixed list of issues.

Taxes barely register as a concern when people are asked an open ended question.

Satisfaction with taxes is near a fifty year high.

Taxes only rises as a concern when conflated with government spending and/or debt.

PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD PUBLIC SERVICES

Majority of Coloradans agree public services underfunded:educationbasic health carepublic safetysenior serviceshighways and transit

Survey review: Colorado Nonprofit Association Fall/Winter 2010

PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD PUBLIC SERVICES

Coloradans voted overwhelmingly to defeat 60, 61 and 101.Amendment 60: No 75% Yes 25%Amendment 61: No 73% Yes 27%Proposition 101: No 68% Yes 33%

60, 61 and 101 defeated in every county.No vote > 60% on all measures in 56 countiesNo vote on 60 & 61 > 70% in 53 counties

PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD BUDGET

Almost nine in ten Coloradans believe state budget is at least a “major problem.”

Nearly thirty percent perceive the budget to be a crisis – up nine percent from one year ago.

(Before Gov. Hickenlooper budget proposals.)

A majority believe the budget is a long-term problem that won’t end as economy improves – one year ago, most attributed problem to poor legislative decisions.

Voters are just as likely to have unfavorable as favorable views of TABOR (30% - 30%).


WHY PEOPLE OPPOSE RAISING TAXES?

Two answers rise above others:37% = Recession not the right time33% = Government won’t spend money wisely

13% = More taxes will lead to bigger government

7% = Higher taxes don’t seem necessary 4% = The budget doesn’t affect me


PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD GOVERNMENT

CBS News 2010

WHAT ABOUT THIS MIXED MESSAGE?

Satisfaction with taxes at a 50 year high.

Trust in government at an all time low.

Gallup 2010

Pew 2010

IS ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY THE ANSWER?

Voters like all the ideas (75% or more agree):

Limit administrative overhead Specifically earmark how money will be spent Annual independent audits Evidenced based budgeting Consolidate duplicative programs Transparent contracting processes Citizen oversight committees


THE PUBLIC IS ASKING…

Where’s the leadership?

65% = Republicans and Democrats don’t work together on important issues facing the country.


WHAT FISCAL LEADERSHIP IS NOT… One time actions that push problems down the road.

Balancing budgets with deep cuts to valued services.

Warning people, “It will be tough.”

Assuring people, “Everything will be fine.”

Using the budget crisis to accomplish politically expedient goals.

Saying, “It’s in the voters’ hands.”

Easy.

WHAT FISCAL LEADERSHIP IS…

Articulating a clear vision…

How can we make progress toward shared aspirations?

How will we use public dollars to tackle critical challenges?

What are the implications of our priorities and choices?

FISCAL LEADERSHIP BASICS…

Can you answer these questions?

What are the aspirations and priorities of our community? This is the basis for local control, too.

How are we using public money to accomplish these goals?

How can we make better use of the public money we have?

How can we get to a better place with more public dollars?

How will our actions today affect what we’re able to do tomorrow?

What are the implications of our choices?

WHAT ARE OUR ASPIRATIONS & PRIORITIES?

Be the first choice for St. Vrain families

Increase and improve instruction time for students

Expand course offerings and focus programs

Upgrade technology to ensure it is a learning asset

Support teachers to succeed at the job we’re asking of them

Manage class size

Empower families to take more responsibility

Minimize impact on working families and our community

THE CRITICAL FISCAL LEADERSHIP QUESTION

Will our budget decisions move us closer to or further from the aspirations and goals of our community?

WHAT ARE WE DOING TO STAY ON TRACK?

Generate new revenues

Reduce future expenses

Hold the line on current expenses

Eliminate non-essential expenses

Re-engineer

Build a highly informed constituency

LOCAL V STATEWIDE TAX INITIATIVESFOOD FOR THOUGHT…

<25% 25-49.9% 50-74.9% >75%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

82%63%

39%25%

Percentage of Colorado Schools Dis-tricts with Voter Approved MLO

Percentage of Students on Free/Reduced Lunch

LARGER CONTEXT: AGE OF ANXIETY Schools encouraged to prepare all students for college; college being

priced beyond the means of many family

“Luxury” goods are common place; wages flat for 40 years

“Discretionary” time on rise; overwhelmed by overscheduled lives

Easier to connect than ever; people isolated, fewer close friends

Access to unlimited information; shared knowledge losing currency

Polls show tolerance on the rise; so is segregation

Only 1 in 5 people satisfied with the way things are going;lowest level of satisfaction in 30 years (Gallup)

LARGER CONTEXT: DEMAND FOR “PROSUMER” EXPERIENCES

Given the opportunity, people will choose to design and manage their own experiences.

Choice is only a starting point… Choose Customize Participate Create Socialize

People will gravitate toward institutions that help them design and manage their own experiences — with advice not prescriptions.

LARGER CONTEXT:DECLINING AUTHORITY OF CENTRALIZED INSTITUTIONS

20th Century problems fading away: Scarce resources Abundant resources High costs Low costs Cumbersome logistics Invisible logistics Limited communications Ubiquitous communications

20th Century solutions no longer valued: Mass market – what appeals to the most people Place based work Uniform schedules Centralized decision makers

LARGER CONTEXT:INSTITUTIONS THAT FLOURISH SOLVE NEW PROBLEMS

Individual problems: Create, identify and organize options Inform and facilitate satisfying choices Give people access to tools of production, distribution, participation

and collaboration Enable people to form ad hoc, short term and long term communities Help people sustain action over time

Social problems: Accidental extremism Self-selected segregation Opportunities to develop democratic habits

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Slides: http://www.slideshare.net/JohnCr8on

Blog: www.JohnCr8on.com

Email: [email protected]

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