DES MOINES — As disappearing public education budgets force schools to take drastic cost-cutting measures, a state representative called Thursday for a $367 million tax hike to inject life into Iowa’s education system.

State Rep. Ed Fallon, D-Des Moines, said the largest piece of the tax hike would come from eliminating a 10 percent across-the-board income tax cut passed in 1998.

Fallon, who dubbed his draft the “Fallon Education Funding Proposal,” said the increase isn’t a tax hike, but rather a repeal of tax reductions approved in recent years.

“It’s a return to the status quo,” he said. “If this draft passes, the money would allow schools to return to their status four years ago,” he said.

If passed, the money would go to all levels of education, from early childhood development to universities. Two hundred million dollars would go to K-12 students, and $130 million would be added to Iowa’s public universities.

Fallon said current education budgets aren’t growing quickly enough to maintain the current quality of education in schools and universities. Currently, school budgets only grow 2 percent annually.

If their budgets don’t grow by 6 percent annually, schools can’t maintain the current level of services and staff workers, he said.

Several school administrators showed up to voice support for a bill they said would save public schools from causing irreparable damage to students.

“So far, only school faculty has felt the effects of budget reduction,” said John Johnson, principal of Park Avenue Elementary School in Mitchell. “If we don’t get 6 percent, the parents and children will feel the pressure. Many teachers will be fired and programs will be cut.”

The money from the funding proposal also supports early childhood development. Marla Scheffler, executive director of the Iowa Childcare and Early Education Network, said the funds are needed for the under-5 age group, which is often neglected.

“For every dollar you invest in younger children, you get eight dollars in return,” she said, referring to research that indicated early childhood education programs reduce the number of welfare recipients and criminals.

Gallery members applauded the idea, calling it an end to the state government’s endless shifting of education resources from one age group to another.

“If this draft passes, different education systems won’t have to play off each other — they can represent a united front for all education,” said Drew Miller, senior in computer science.

The bill was opposed by some representatives. Rep. Kent Kramer, R-Johnston, said repealing certain tax reductions would create its own problems.

“I wouldn’t favor repealing the 10 percent tax cut because Iowa already has one of the highest rates of income tax in the country,” he said. “If there’s any kind of expansion, we would look somewhere else, such as the sales tax.”