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Friday, September 28, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
- Use Our Layaway Plan
KING of Jeans
Kansas Democrats call Regents plan political maneuver
843-3933
740 Mass.
By David Roach
Kansan staff writer
News analysis
A position statement released last week by the Board of Regents endorsing an increase in the cigarette tax to finance the Margin of Excellence may carry political baggage, some Kansas Democrats said.
Gov. Mike Hayden proposed such a tax in his campaign for governor, and some Democrats have said the tax would be valuable to an endorsement of Hayden
"Of course it is," said State Rep Joan Wagton, D-Dopeka. "Look who appoints them."
The governor appoints Regents members
"I think our Regents institutions are too important to be playing politics with," said Wagton, member of the House taxation committee.
Stanley Kopik, Regents executive director, said the position was not a direct endorsement of Haven.
"It's not so much an endorsement as the fact that we clearly both agree on the need to fund the Margin, and that should be used to do it," he said.
The Margin of Excellence was the Board of Regents three year plan to bring the total financing of its seven institutions to 95 percent of their peer schools and to bring faculty salaries to 100 percent of their peers. The Legislature financed the first two years, but not the third.
Kopik said that a bill to increase the cigarette tax and use the money to finance the Margin failed in the during the last legislative session.
But the bill focused legislators' attention on the importance of the Marain. Koplik said
"From that experience last year, the Board renewed its call for funding the Margin of Excellence," he said.
Koplik said the position letter was an unusual step for the Regents to take.
Robert Creighton, Regents chairperson, said it would be difficult to attribute any political motives to the position letter.
"The Board is made up of four Democrats and five Republicans, and all of them have unanimously endorsed this," he said.
Creighton would not elaborate on the timing of the policy statement; which was released less than two months before the November election and almost four months before the next session of the Legislature.
Hayden stressed his commitment to the Margin and the cigarette tax during campaign visits to the seven Regents institutions Tuesday.
Hayden opposed financing the Margin's third year out of the state's general fund last session. He said he believed the program would mark money for higher education.
The Regents Council of Presidents also endorsed Hayden's tax plan, though it has not endorsed Hayden's campaign.
Democrats also are questioning the Regents role in formulating tax policy.
"They were never elected by the voters," said Jim Parrish, state Democratic Party chairperson. "They shouldn't say anything about what the voters should do in terms of taxation or what taxes should be assessed
"I think the Regents have their hands full managing the universities and should stay out of tax policy."
State Rep. Rochelle Chronister, R-Neodesha and state Republican Party chairperson, said the Regents position on the cigarette tax represented a good way to finance theMargin
"I think they have been criticized in the past for not making proposals on how the money could be raised," she said. "I applaud them for coming out and saying this is how these goals can be achieved." she said
State Sen. Wint Winter, R.
Lawrence, agreed with Chronsfer.
"I always thought it was aloof of the Board to sit there and say, 'we want the money,' without coming up with a way to raise it', he said
Joan Finney, Hayden's Democratic opponent in the governor's race, said that she did not view the Regents' hat but that she would let Kansas voters decide whether the Regents should suggest tax policy.