Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Education issues top session discussions

State Sen. Percy Malone said the General Assembly won't end on time, but, unless something unexpected develops, should be over by April.

The number one item being discussed and worked on so far this session has been the school facility study. "It's taken a lot of the early session to put a formula together from the assessment," he said.

The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled the state must provide equitable facilities for every district in the state so students can attend school in safe, secure buildings and have the equipment they need for their classes.

"The assessment has done some good things," Malone said. "We now have an inventory of the schools, how many buildings there are and how many square feet are in each, along with the state of repair each is in."

Those buildings dangerous to students and faculty, he said, have bene repaired and are now safe. The next area of focus will be on air conditioners and roofs. "We have to make sure they're all substantially equal, but the ASC didn't define adequate. That's up to the legislature to determine."

Malone said the legislature will soon have a good idea of what needs to be done with facilities, and can then figure out how much it will cost the state and local residents. Paying for facility upgrades will be a joint venture between the state and local districts to get the buildings into compliance. "It won't be totally funded by the state."

Once the facility situation has been dealt with, he said, the legislature will work on the budget process for prisons and the Department of Human Services, along with trying to find additional money for schools.

The state anticipates having $160 million come in over the next year to help fund other areas.

"There's no way we can cut the Medicaid program," he said. "People need it to survive. We must spread the money we have and live within our means. It will be difficult." Under Arkansas's Constitution, the state must operate under a balanced budget, unlike Texas, which can have a deficit at the end of its fiscal year.

It is unlikely, he said, there will be any money available for new programs. This would include programs such as those proposed by Gov. Mike Huckabee for higher education, health and highways.

"We would all like to have better roads," he said, "but I don't see the legislature going for higher taxes. Some for the highway program want to take money from general revenue, but if we do that we'll have to cut programs. Right now our main goals are to get compliant and live within our means."

The important thing right now, he said, is for the legislature to take care of essential services the people expect the state to provide.

Huckabee, he said, proposed taking $62 million for his projects out of a supplemental $72 million the state currently has. However, with no firm price tag on what it's going to cost to get the education situation in compliance, it is unlikely this will occur.

There was talk, Malone said, of taking the sale tax from vehicle sales, freezing it at its current level, and using any increases to fund highway projects. However, he added, these taxes tend to pay for Medicaid, education and prisons. Freezing the budgets of these two departments would mean money would have to be taken from elsewhere to keep them operational.

Malone got a bill through the Senate and House limiting the sale of pseudoephedrine to pharmacies. This, he said, will help reduce the distribution of the drug, which is a key ingredient in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Arkansas, he added, leads the nation in meth production. "It kills people and destroys lives."

Malone patterned his bill after one in Oklahoma that became law last year. The Oklahoma law helped reduce the number of meth labs in the state substantially, he said.

He also got a bill passed removing the 3 percent surcharge from the state income tax. This was initially passed, he said, in the last session to make up for a budgetary shortfall the state was experiencing. It was established as a temporary tax. "We want people to know we're honoring our word."

The surcharge will be in effect for the 2005 tax season.

The legislature passed a bill for $1.7 million for the Arkansas State Crime Lab. The lab, he said, is years behind and this money will help it get caught up on its case load somewhat.

"I'm glad Gov. Huckabee is cooperating with us," he said, "and is working with the legislature. If we disagree on something, we can discuss it without becoming disagreeable."