The Rhino’s John Hammer starts off, writing that the Republican-led Guilford County Board of Commissioners didn’t think it through when they put the quarter-cent sales tax hike on the ballot:

They don’t call it the stupid party without reason. Look at the situation the Republican Guilford County commissioners have created by putting the quarter-cent sales tax increase on the ballot.

I told anyone who would listen that putting the tax increase on the ballot was a bad idea, unless you were in favor of increasing taxes. If you are a Republican running for office in favor of increasing taxes you are not going to get out of the primary, but the argument made by those in favor of holding the referendum was let the people decide.

Great idea, except there was no consideration that the proponents would run an inherently dishonest campaign in favor of the tax.

Hammer argues that the bigger effect will be that having the sales tax hike on the ballot will effectively throw the U.S. Senate election toward Kay Hagan —because “women will turn out in greater numbers to vote for schools.”

It’s a two-pronged effect —not only will women turn out in greater numbers but it also gives sales tax hike proponents and Hagan supporters further cause to hammer away at Thom Tillis for —yeah you’re hearing it alot these days —-gutting education in North Carolina.

I’ve got a couple of liberal friends weighing in on social media about the Senate race —one said you can tell Thom Tillis is lying just by watching his mouth move. It makes sick —especially when you look at the numbers as presented by JLF’s Terry Stoops:

So why are so many convinced that public school funding has taken a nosedive? I suspect that advertisements supporting the reelection of Senator Kay Hagan likely convinced the typical resident of Guilford County that their schools have been the victims of massive cuts at the hands of House Speaker Thom Tillis and eeeevil Republicans in Raleigh. That is not true, either locally or statewide.

….But residents of Guilford County are most interested in what they can control directly — local funding for schools. In 2013, the district spent $209.4 million in local funds for operating expenses, an 11 percent increase from the year prior. That increase added $286 in local per pupil spending during the same period.

How does this compare to districts statewide? In 2013, Guilford County Schools had the 44th highest per-pupil expenditure in the state, climbing 14 spots from 2011. In terms of local funding, Guilford County taxpayers provided the 11th highest per-student expenditure in the state. In other words, in 2013 only ten other counties allocated more per pupil funding to their public schools than Guilford County.

One may argue that the increases were not sufficient, but it takes a lot of imagination to conclude that there were no increases.

The question of sufficient funding is a valid one. But I would ask, sufficient funding for what? If the sole purpose of increasing education spending were increasing education spending, then I would argue that we have been diverted from our goal of ensuring that all children receive a superior education. Regrettably, outcomes seldom become the focus of campaigns to drain additional resources from taxpayers, particularly those who can least afford it.

All things to take into consideration as the debate heats up over the next three weeks.