Let's put our money where our mouths are.

• Author: Stewart, Heather Dawn
• Position: From the Editor - Editorial

The 2015 Legislative Session is well underway, and we've already had the usual pleas for additional funding for education and the standard refusal to generate new tax revenue to pay for it.

I get it. Not many people would raise their hand and volunteer to pay extra taxes. I would certainly not be excited to see my tax bill increase. But I also have a son who will be entering kindergarten in the fall, and I have serious concerns about the quality of education he is going to receive.

According to a recent report from the Utah Foundation, Utah is slipping when it comes to higher education graduation rates. The state ranks 39th among states for on-time graduation, and only 47 percent of students in public, four-year colleges graduate within six years. In fact, only half of Utah's graduating high school seniors even start on post-secondary education to begin with.

In December, Gov. Gary Herbert proposed a state budget that included the largest increase for student funding in the past 25 years. His budget calls for $502 million in new funds for public and higher education. And, with revenue forecasts projecting $638 million in new funds for this fiscal year, Herbert isn't calling for new tax revenue to pay for his proposal.

But some in the business community are backing away from a rigid anti-tax stance, calling for meaningful investments in Utah's public education system in order to ensure the state's continued economic prosperity. The Salt Lake Chamber, for example, came out strong in support of education investments--even if that entails new taxes.

"This is the chamber of commerce. We hate taxes. We don't like them. We would just as soon have less...