who speaks for independent schools, then. But I don't see NAIS or our
regional associations pressing our legislatures to turn to socialism or any
other radical method of redistributing income any time soon, nor would I
expect them to. Especially in a world where corporate giving to political
causes is now apparently unlimited, what paltry sums even the wealthiest of
our schools could expend wouldn't go very far. I'd go back to my previous
assertion that independent schools' programmatic and demographic efforts to
support social change for social and economic justice are far more likely to
make a difference in the long-term prospects of our society and our world.
That said, changes in inheritance, capital gains, and other tax are areas of
concern. I worry more about threats to tax-exempt status for institutions
that in some way irk one extreme or another than I do about whether NAIS
takes a strong position and expends its resources with regard to influencing
legislation on extending the Bush tax cuts. (Schools that make a real effort
to participate actively and conspicuously in their communities--and whose
"community impact statement" is thus positive, substantial, and true--are in
a sense doing some of this redistribution on their own, to add to a thread
of my previous post; their SILOTS--services in lieu of taxes--are doing the
rest of us some second-hand good.)
And some of these things cut both ways. If the inheritance tax is pushed
back up to where it could be, there is short-term incentive for the wealthy
to give more quickly in large doses to avoid what tax extremists insist is
the "confiscation" of their wealth, even if their aggregate family wealth
isn't moved along to another generation. Higher taxes generally incentivize
(there, I've used a word I detest) giving by people in the highest marginal
tax categories; for example, raising the capital gains tax would
theoretically and practically inspire some bump in the giving of appreciated
securities. The idea of tax-exempt status for non-profit and non-political
organizations, which lies at the heart of this process, is in my mind a
precious expression of American political and social values, and I imagine
our schools and our representative organizations would go to the wall to
maintain this.
No, I'll admit I don't see the NAIS staff and board nor The Head Mistresses
Association of the East (love that name!) and like bodies picketing for
higher taxes on big wealth like some sort of tweedy anti-Tea Party. I am
optimistic, though, that as an industry we do our work toward higher social
justice goals in other ways, and that more and more schools are becoming
more and more explicit in this--PG
On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 8:04 AM, Fred Bartels <fredbartels@gmail.com> wrote:
> Peter,
>
> You provide a wonderfully brilliant defense of independent schools but it
> doesn't really answer my question.
>
> Let me rephrase the question.
>
> -Independent schools are funded primarily by the wealthy.
>
> -If income distribution needs to be corrected in order for our nation to
> get
> back on track, the wealthy will need to receive a much smaller piece of the
> economic pie.
>
> -If the wealthy have significantly less income that will mean significantly
> less money for independent schools.
>
> So the question is, will independent schools support a change in income
> distribution that helps the nation but financially hurts independent
> schools?
>
> Perhaps dipping into our cultural memes will help illustrate the heart of
> my
> question.
>
> Tolkien, in the Lord of the Rings, has Frodo freely offer the Ring to a
> number of the main characters. Gandalf, Galadriel, and Aragorn -all who
> embody values that would grace any independent school- are sorely tempted
> to
> take the Ring and use it to do good. In the end they choose not to be
> seduced by the power of the Ring. As Galadriel says, "I pass the test. I
> will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel."
>
> Fred
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see https://www.gds.org/podium/default.aspx?t=128874]
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>
--
Peter Gow
Director of College Counseling and Special Programs
Beaver Country Day School
791 Hammond Street
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467
www.bcdschool.org
617-738-2755 (O)
617-738-2747 (F)
petergow3 (Skype)
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