Montgomery County is cheap
Only one Virginia county spent less per capita on education than Montgomery County last year — tiny Greensville County on the North Carolina border. As supervisors and residents suffer tax and budget heartburn, they ought to keep that sort of dismal factoid in mind.
The current property tax is 75 cents per $100 of assessed value. County Administrator Craig Meadows and his finance team on Thursday recommended a 12-cent increase, but even that falls short of what departments, especially schools, seek.
The rate would need to jump to 99 cents to pay for everything they want.
Some residents are ready to pay that much; others refuse. The schism cuts along the tired line of Blacksburg vs. everyone else. It also is tinged with tea party rhetoric and a parental sense of entitlement.
Supervisors will set the character of the county for years with this budget. After even a 12-cent increase, few people will have the stomach for another big increase next year or any time soon.
Every year around this time, the State Auditor of Public Accounts releases a handy report containing revenue and spending for each county, town and city. I spent some time digging through the county data last week.
Montgomery County’s tax burden and spending are very low compared to other counties.’
The per capita school spending figure with which I opened this column is a good attention grabber, but it is a little unfair. Virginia Tech students inflate the county population, skewing comparisons to per capita spending in other counties.
Every metric has strengths and weaknesses, but some are better. A straight rate comparison, for example, is poor because property values vary.
How much a county collects per person in property taxes is a decent point for comparison. Tech students, at least those who live off campus, pay property taxes, if only indirectly through rent.
By that measure, Montgomery County is cheap. The county collected $540 in property taxes per capita, considerably less than the state average of $678.
Nor does the county rely more heavily on other local taxes like the machinery and tools tax. Montgomery County’s local revenue per person, including taxes fees and other sources, is less than the state average, too. In fact, the county is among the least taxed per capita. It sits near the bottom of the list with the likes of Floyd and Craig counties. Meanwhile, counties like Fairfax, Loudoun, Albemarle and even Roanoke collect two or even three times as much per person.
The county therefore has less money to spend, and it shows. Per student spending, which is not affected by Tech students and includes state and federal funds, also is below average.
It is not fair that state leaders put Montgomery County in this position nor that fate and snow conspired against the county at the worst possible time.
Yet residents and supervisors cannot pin their hopes on the General Assembly coming to the rescue. Lawmakers cannot even pass their own budget, and they plan to divert up to $25 million to private and religious schools. Even if they find some scraps for localities, Montgomery County will still face big funding problems.
Residents and supervisors must ask themselves if they are willing to pay more for better schools and other services. They must ask themselves if they are content being like Craig and Floyd counties or if they aspire to be more like Albemarle and Loudoun counties.
Potential employers and residents will notice how they answer.
By Christian Trejbal
The Roanoke Times | 981-1645
Trejbal is a Roanoke Times editorial writer.
He is based in the New River Valley.
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If you like Albemarle and Loudoun counties – move.
Comment by concerned — March 4, 2012 @ 8:00 am
If you compare per-student spending based on actual PreK – 12 public school population, Montgomery County is around or above the average for the school districts of similar size.
Looking at total school system operating budgets and cost per student for 2009 -2001, 2010 – 2011, 2011 – 2012, and projected 2012 – 2013, here are the numbers based on actual school enrollment numbers available by the Virginia Department of Education and budgets available on the individual school district websites.
Campbell County – Average Student Population 8,511 – Average School Budget 74,824,577 – Average Cost Per Student $8,792 (2011 – 2012 Cost Per Student $8,689)
Lynchburg City – Average Student Population 8,644 – Average School Budget – $78,490,636 – Average Cost Per Student $9,081 (2011 – 2012 Cost Per Student $8,714)
Pittsylvania County – Average Student Population 9,266 – Average School Budget – $81,781,119 – Average Cost Per Student $8,827 (2011 – 2012 Cost Per Student $8,522)
Montgomery County – Average Student Population 9,643 – Average School Budget – $89,948,812 – Average Cost Per Student $9,328 (2011 – 2012 Cost Per Student $9,499)
Bedford – Average Student Population 10,665 – Average School Budget $99,801,671 – Average Cost Per Student $9,358 (2011 – 2012 Cost Per Student $9,140)
Augusta County – Average Student Population 10,774 – Average School Budget – $90,218,609 – Average Cost Per Student $8,374 (2011 – 2012 Cost Per Student $8,271)
Williamsburg – James City County – Average Student Population 10,876 – Average School Budget $111,340,078 – Average Cost Per Student $10,237 (2011 – 2012 Cost Per Student $10,074)
Montgomery County doesn’t look so cheap anymore does it? Liberals, the occupy movement and unionized teachers want you to believe that Montgomery County is cheap. If anything we are far from it, especially when at least 59% of the county’s budget goes for education and only 33% goes for public safety. The remaining 8% goes to all other services and programs. Looks to me like the school system gets a pretty good slice of the pie and shouldn’t complain when they are asked to reduce costs in a horrible economic situation. If you have over 1/2 of the county budget annually, you should be leading other county departments by example and trimming every cost possible.
Comment by James — March 4, 2012 @ 9:22 am
“Lawmakers…plan to divert up to $25 million to private and religious schools”–WHY???? Why should tax dollars be diverted to private and church schools? I would absolutely NOT support such a blantant misuse of my hard-earned pay.
Comment by Kathy — March 4, 2012 @ 10:25 am
Thanks, James for the analysis. The cost per student of $9,499 is based only on our average operating budget. We should also consider what we pay in school debt service which in FY2013 will be around $19 million.
As to DIVERTING money to private and religious schools, this must be Trejbol’s misrepresentation of tax credits being considered in the General Assembly. Personally I think parents rather than bureaucrats should choose schools for their children. We’ve had decades of flatlined performance with our public schools; the educational system in the US is mediocre at best when compared to education in other countries such as Finland, and it’s not because we haven’t spent enough! Expenditures in the US per pupil are nearly two-and-a-half times higher today than in 1970, adjusted for inflation. Again, this is with NO improvement in achievement levels. Check out the Cato Institute report, 2010.
Comment by Barbara S. — March 4, 2012 @ 3:19 pm
Christian – What county do you live in????
Comment by Matt Herring — March 5, 2012 @ 10:05 am
I live in Montgomery County.
Comment by C. Trejbal — March 5, 2012 @ 10:24 am
If residents aspire to be like the counties you mentioned, its easy to move.
Second, I find nothing wrong with Floyd, Giles or Craig County. To aspire to
be like Nova, your income would have to be 3 times what the average is for our area. The population would have to increase to over 300,000. Guess that would mean, MORE schools, more funding. The roads would have to support the added traffic.Our home values would have to increase more than twice their values.
It’s comparing apples to oranges.
The problem is the spending, and never having enough. Everyone has to cut back
and it needs to start with the schools!
Comment by b.o.h.i.c.a. — March 5, 2012 @ 12:02 pm
Virginia teachers are not unionized. Collective bargaining by educators is prohibited by the Virginia Constitution.
Comment by Billy — March 5, 2012 @ 12:03 pm
Finland! A very interesting article in a recent Smithsonian Magazine about Finish educational system (Sept. 2011) – purely public, no standardized testing, universal support for teachers, teachers well respected, no vouchers, etc.
Comment by Fernando — March 5, 2012 @ 1:18 pm
I think the bottom line on the issue is this: no one is opposed to spending money on education in Montgomery County, but there has to be a better way of paying for it without always raising taxes on the property owners. It simply is not fair to raise the taxes on a certain segment of the population of the county, and not on everyone. I personally favor a two fold approach – a combination of county taxes + a user fee. If you have children in public school in MC, you should pay a fee based on the number of children. That way, everyone is paying their “fair share” but the people who are actually using the schools pay a little more. Then those parents who are complaining that the new schools won’t have big enough auditoriums (in my days, our gym WAS our auditorium)can volunteer to pay more, so little Johnny can sit in an upholstered chair, instead of the standard issue metal folding chair.
Comment by Matt Herring — March 5, 2012 @ 1:53 pm
I and most of my acquaintances like Floyd and Giles and Craig counties a lot. Why should Montgomery county be so different, it sits in between them.If people come here for jobs, they just shouldn’t come her if they don’t like it here.
I think, possibly, most of the people wanting better and better and more and more taxes, are people who have moved here from places they liked better or were used to how those places were and want to have this wonderful place like the places they came from.
I went to a new doctor about three years ago, he and his family were new here and I ask him if they liked it here. His response was ” if we didn’t like it here, we wouldn’t be here.
Comment by Lynda Nelson — March 6, 2012 @ 10:58 am
Since Virginia Tech won’t collect meals tax, which would help the short fall greatly, why not raise meals and lodging taxes in the county? If Virginia Tech won’t assist the local community through this crisis then put the burden on the backs of Virginia Tech supporters. People are going to come to football games, stay at local hotels, and eat at local no matter what those taxes are.
Comment by Debbie-VT Class of 2005 — March 6, 2012 @ 2:13 pm
I agree with you Debbie-VT Class of 2005, the only problem is most of the lodging and eating establishments are in the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, who don’t have to budget for the school system. The county could have many more eating establishments if they would pass liquor by the drink, which would attract more restaurants, which may spawn more lodging. Another idea which has been tried in the past with no success is to add a fee to EVERY Tech sports ticket sold. The folks who come to games, no matter what sport, use the roads and over utilize the resources of this county, so make them pay for it!
Comment by Edward — March 8, 2012 @ 10:19 am
Has anyone been in the new Prices Fork Elementary School since it opened?
Would someone please explain the educational value of the lighting in the
foyer alone! Who was the watchdog who approved such extravagant expenses?
I would like that person to justify these expenses and tell us what kind
of expenses are going to be frivolously spent on the new schools still to
be built? We probably could have saved a bunch a money by shopping at
Home Depot!
Comment by P. LYNCH — March 8, 2012 @ 12:59 pm
Buying lighting at Home Depot, going for the cheapest possible materials IS WHAT GOT US INTO THIS MESS.
Blacksburg High School was built to low standards of quality, poorly made materials…and it collapsed. Had that facility been “extravagantly” built it probably would still be standing and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. “you get what you pay for” is the truth. Disposable is disposable.
Comment by Insider — March 9, 2012 @ 2:24 pm
I hate to point out the flaws in the “State Averages” but this is completely misconstrued. Of course Montgomery county collects less property tax per capita than the state “average” home prices in Northern Virginia alone will skew this “average” not to mention the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area and the Richmond area. As for cheap try Franklin county at 48 cents per $100 and some of the best schools in the state. Schools should be built to last but they should also be utilitarian, glass edifices and hauty lighting are a gross waste of funds. Children can learn just as well in a rectangular brick building as they can in some art-deco architects wet dream.
Comment by bigd7400 — March 10, 2012 @ 1:44 pm
@ James – thanks for the interesting numbers but I’m not really sure what they prove/disprove in this discussion. Regarding your statements about the percentage of county spending that goes to education, are you really that surprised? The roads are maintained by the state. That leaves public safety & other services. The number one responsibility of the counties IS education, you shouldn’t be shocked. BTW – public safety, health, courts are receive monies from the state too.
@ Barbara S – tax credits for parents = tax breaks (less tax revenues for the state and therefore the localities). I do not have children but I do have a problem with my tax support going to pay for private and/or religious schools. You want to send your children to a private school, then pay for it yourself. We don’t live in a society where one gets to pick and choose where are taxes are applied, accept it and stop ‘throwing public education under the bus’. Quoting the Cato Institute (a libertarian and neo-conservative think tank) as an independent source of information does not provide good, balanced, unbiased support for your assertions. Do you homework and come up with some original ideas on why YOU think public schools aren’t worthy of public support….as it stands, you come across as a tool of the Cato Institutes biggest supporters.
Comment by StanZ1987 — March 10, 2012 @ 8:30 pm
BTW – all the folks that took the time to comment with the statement “Don’t like it, move”. I applaud your rational, mature responses. Took me back to the playground in elementary school….please grow up and provide constructive comments.
Comment by StanZ1987 — March 10, 2012 @ 8:33 pm
STANZ…I DON’T GET YOUR MATURITY TAKE ON THE ISSUE, IT WOULD BE A LOT EASIER FOR THE UNHAPPY PEOPLE TO MOVE THAN TO MAKE THE CHANGES IT WOULD TAKE TO MAKE THEM HAPPY
THEY COULD GO WHERE IT SUITED THEM AND THE REST OF US COULD STAY IN OUR HOMES BECAUSE WE DIDN’T HAVE TO PAY MORE AND MORE TAXES TO KEEP UP MORE AND MORE CONCRETE EDIFICES TO GREATNESS.
Comment by Lynda Nelson — March 14, 2012 @ 4:08 pm
Well said Lynda!
Comment by Matt Herring — March 15, 2012 @ 11:19 am
I came here, bringing my software company (which sells software nationally and internationally) largely because of the schools (9 years ago).
I did not count on mother nature (or poor construction) rendering the BHS unusable. I think it’s quite reasonable to expect the status quo to be maintained at a minimum.
Comment by Clay Nichols — March 21, 2012 @ 1:16 pm