A House proposal that failed last year could form the foundation of a solution to South Carolina’s K-12 education-funding crisis.

The proposal would establish a statewide property tax rate to pay for schools. The taxes collected from businesses and industries would be distributed among the state’s 82 school districts, based on their student population.

Taxes from mega-industrial deals — including Boeing in Charleston County, BMW in Spartanburg County, nuclear reactors in Fairfield County and tire makers in Sumter and Aiken counties — would be spread among all schools across the state’s 46 counties, helping eliminate the disparity in the amount of money that industry-poor rural counties now have to spend on schools.

For 25 years, the plan would ensure that wealthier school districts do not see their budgets cut. But, after that, taxpayers in districts could find themselves subsidizing schools in poorer areas of the state.