The campaign to support the bond measure and mill levy override proposed by School District 51 has focused primarily on how locally generated revenue will improve the classroom environment.

But an economic impact study suggests that the community as a whole will benefit from tax measures 3A and 3B. It stands to reason that the $125 million unleashed by the measures will ripple through the local economy in the form of jobs, wages and spending.

Making this point, however, is best done gingerly. We can see eyes rolling across the valley at the suggestion that higher taxes can spur the economy. If that were true, many would argue, why didn’t we tax ourselves out of the economic slump we’ve been in for the better part of a decade?

Because not all taxes are created equal. We’re talking about schools. Fixing them up puts people to work in the short term and improving educational outcomes delivers long-term benefits that factor into the community’s prosperity in a way that municipal services can’t.

Read more at The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.