News

Superior Court Rules in Favor of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts

A Maricopa County Superior Court has rejected a legal challenge by the Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) and the Arizona Education Association (AEA) to Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs). ESAs were established by legislation passed in a prior session allowing parents of special needs students to “cash out” of the public school system.  Ninety percent of  Continue Reading >

PRESS RELEASE: Arizonans Support Continuation of 1-Cent Tax for Education

Arizona Voters Support Sales Tax Continuation to Fund Public Education. Poll shows high level of support as well as demands for reform. Seven out of 10 Arizona voters support the continuation of the existing one-cent sales tax to fund public education. That was among the findings of a poll commissioned by a number of educational  Continue Reading >

A Wake-Up Call for All Arizonans

Today’s Arizona Republic offers a laundry list of issues Arizonans need to address before it’s too late.  In We’ve got problems, the Republic summarizes the Arizona Directions 2012 report. The state budget is about to go over a one billion dollar cliff as the one-cent sales tax expires in 2013.* Just 25% of Arizona fourth-graders were  Continue Reading >

Regents Weigh In On Education’s Benefits to the Economy

In their 2011 Student Financial Aid Report, the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) highlights the affect of state budget cuts on university students in Arizona. The report tells us: The number of students demonstrating financial need for higher education has increased by 88% in the last five years. Less than 1% of the roughly one  Continue Reading >

Preliminary Results of November 2011 Bond and Override Elections

Below are posted  the preliminary, unofficial bond and override results from the November 2011 election (as of November 9, 2011).  Results will be updated when all election returns are finalized in early December 2012. Several observations can be made: A higher percentage of bond projects was approved than of budget override measures.  (Ten of fifteen  Continue Reading >

Featured Articles

House Passes Budget Education Cuts Higher Than Governor Promised-Senate To Act Soon

**Updated with vote detail on related bills below.** . After an all night session, the House passed a budget that cuts $183.2 million from K-12 and $270.8 million from universities and community colleges for a total of $454 million in cuts to education in Arizona. The budget was a compromise negotiated among Governor Brewer, the  Continue Reading >

2011 Legislative Session: Education Funding Voting Record by Legislator

2011 Legislative Session: Education Funding Voting Record by Legislator . . Find your legislative district by clicking here or visiting Project Vote Smart at http://www.votesmart.org/. . Review our 2009 Voting Record here, and the 2010 Voting Record here. . You can download a copy of the 2011 record by clicking 2011 Education Legislation Handout. . Legislative Districts are grouped by  Continue Reading >

Education “Protected”? FY 2008-2010 Cuts Itemized

Recap: While Politicians Say They Protected Education in FY 2008 to FY 2010, Cuts Totaled $875.5 Million . Education is once again on the chopping block this 2011 legislative session.  While the Governor and many legislators claim they have protected education from cuts, there were actually $875.5 million in reductions to K-12, community colleges and  Continue Reading >

Quick Facts: Arizona’s Adult Education & GED Testing Vital to State’s Economy & Families

In the great debate over Arizona’s economy and education reform, a necessary program is often overlooked–adult education and GED (General Education Diploma) Testing. . In 2010, Governor Brewer signed a budget that eliminated the $4.5 million appropriation for Adult Education and GED Testing.  When Arizona eliminated this GED funding, it also lost $11 million in matching funds  Continue Reading >

Quick Facts: Public Education Funding in Arizona

FACTS ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING IN ARIZONA It’s the 2010 voting season!  Steer clear of the misinformation campaigns.  Take a moment to familiarize yourself with some quick facts on public education funding prior to the November 2 general election. . . In 2007, Arizona spent $61 less per pupil in real dollars than it did in  Continue Reading >

Take Action

Present This Update at Your School’s Monthly PTO/PTA/FFO Meeting

Every PTA/PTO/FFO is permitted to have a legislative report presented at its monthly meeting. The report must be a regular item on the agenda. This report can include information on the legislative action on education, budgets, school board elections, overrides, bonds and propositions. The report must be informational and cannot advocate a political position and  Continue Reading >

The Arizona Capitol Times Goes on the Road to Educate Arizonans

AEN is happy to pass on this invitation from the Capitol Times: Introducing the 2011 Arizona News Service Capitol Roadshow Join Arizona News Service, parent company of Arizona Capitol Times, as we go on the road across our state to help educate Arizonans about the legislative process. Our mission, as a non-partisan newspaper and media  Continue Reading >

Join The Campaign for Education 2012!

We need your help to put a voter initiative on the November 2012 ballot to ensure that our schools have the resources they need to educate our children. We will have a chance in November 2012 to put the people back in power, rather than feeling powerless over the cuts that have punished our children  Continue Reading >

Legislature Passes Bill Locking in Cuts for Years to Come; Tell the Governor to Veto! **UPDATED**

On April 28, 2011 Governor Brewer vetoed HB 2707 (TABOR).  Writing in her veto letter, Governor Brewer stated, “We should learn from the State of Colorado that experimented with a similar mechanism, an experiment that failed.” . We thank Governor Brewer for her veto of HB 2707 and we thank all of the Arizonans who called  Continue Reading >

Ask Arizona Business Leaders to Stand Up for Education!

In our last update, we told you legislative leaders are not listening to education supporters. It was made clear last week that they are listening to business leaders in the state. When 60 CEOs asked legislators to back down on pushing through more bills targeting immigrants, the legislators listened.  All five anti-immigration bills pending in  Continue Reading >