Do Not Abate School Taxes
Property taxes are the largest single source of revenue for K-12 education, so localities should ideally prohibit abatements of property taxes that funnel into schools. At minimum, where there is no conflict with state law, localities should give school districts the power to opt in or out of any abatement deal, for a negotiated duration and percent.
Weak (cautionary) example
In 2024, Morrow School District 1 in Oregon lost $18 million because of tax breaks granted to Amazon data centers located in the district.
