colorado association of school boards
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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?
Pew Research Center February 2011
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
PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD TAXES
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%
PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD TAXES
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
PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD TAXES
CBS News February 2011
Taxes not on the list
PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD TAXES
Gallup Nationwide Survey April 2010
Satisfaction with Federal income taxes near 50 year high.
PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD TAXES
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%).
Survey review: Colorado Nonprofit Association Fall/Winter 2010
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
Survey review: Colorado Nonprofit Association Fall/Winter 2010
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
Survey review: Colorado Nonprofit Association Fall/Winter 2010
THE PUBLIC IS ASKING…
Where’s the leadership?
65% = Republicans and Democrats don’t work together on important issues facing the country.
Pew Research Center February 2011
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: john@creighton.com
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