Arizona Education Network

Arizona State University President Michael Crow addresses the impact the state budget impasse will have on university services.

Investment in State Universities is Investment in Future

Robert N. Shelton is president of the University of Arizona. Taylor W. Lawrence is president of Raytheon Missile Systems

Excerpt by Robert Shelton and Taylor Lawrence – Jun. 18, 2009
My Turn

The following article is a rebuttal of sorts to information that has been disbursed by not only the president of the senate, but some legislators and special interest groups. It contains information on pupil funding, teacher salary, school rankings and other subjects that need truthful clarity.

Saturday’s budget process ground to a halt when it appeared as though there weren’t enough votes to pass the budget with the sales tax increase. So where does that leave us? Running out the legislative clock, that’s where! . Below is the rundown for Monday’s committee meetings with links to respective agendas and hearing rooms, as well as details on  Continue Reading >

The standoff between the legislative leadership and Governor Brewer has reached a new level: We’ve made news…in California! . In January, Napolitano moved to Washington to become secretary of Homeland Security, and Jan Brewer, a staunch fiscal conservative who was then Arizona’s secretary of state, took her spot. “We thought, we’ve got a friendly face  Continue Reading >

It was a long Saturday at the Capitol today. The House Appropriations meeting was scheduled for 9 AM but was delayed until 11:38 AM due to large turnout of protesters who marched the Capitol expressing their opposition to the budget. .. Related Articles: Arizona teachers protest budget plan’s tax cuts ~ Arizona Daily Star Boisterous education rally briefly shuts  Continue Reading >

House legislators are scheduled to reconvene Saturday, June 27th, at 9 AM in House Hearing Room 1 to consider the budget deal reached between Governor Brewer and legislative leaders. A vote could be held in the House as early as 1 PM. Friday’s late-afternoon Arizona Republic report indicated the Senate may try to squeeze in their vote as well, but  Continue Reading >

GOP leaders, Brewer have budget deal

TSN- Excerpt The Arizona Daily Star by Daniel Scarpinato – Jun. 27, 2009 01:19 PM

House Democrats, however, criticized the income-tax proposal as a giveaway to top earners, calling it “the worst budget deal in Arizona history.” They said it’s particularly irresponsible since income tax is one of the state’s few reliable revenue streams.

Guest Editorial: How do we look taxpayers in the eye and explain this tax shift? Arizona Association of Assessing Officers

Excerpt: Camp Verde/Cottonwood: CVBugle.com June 20, 2009

As elected officials on the front line of the property tax issue, we need to bring to the public’s attention one of most important tax policy changes in recent history.

In Senate Bill 1036, a companion bill to the state’s budget, the Arizona Legislature is proposing to redistribute a substantial portion of the current tax burden from commercial and vacant land property owners and place it on residential property owners for voter approved bonds and overrides.

Uncertainty is Arizona Teachers’ New Realty

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PHX–Excerpt, The Arizona Republic by Ray Parker

Thousands of teachers in Arizona, including many with brand-new education diplomas, are in limbo, awaiting word on whether they will have jobs this fall.

More than 7,000 teachers received formal warnings in the spring that they would be laid off, according to the Arizona Education Association.

Arizona Supreme Court case filed by Governor Jan Brewer on June 16, 2009. The Governor seeks to compel Arizona Senate President Robert Burns and Speaker of the House Kirk Adams to advance their recent budget bills for her consideration – oral arguments were heard beginning at 10am on  June 23, 2009. Brewer v. Burns (55 page pdf  Continue Reading >

Listing and links to the House Education Committee bills scheduled to be heard on June 22, 2009

We examine House bill HB2495 (In-State Tuition; Veterans) as part of our education legislation series. There are currently 1,111 bills posted in the Arizona State Legislature – is this one a benefit to the citizens of our state?

We examine Senate Bill 1437 (Schools; gun safety instructors; certification) as part our education legislation series. There are currently 1,111 bills posted in the Arizona State Legislature – is this one a benefit to the citizens of our state?

Proposed budgets from both Governor Brewer and House and Senate leadership spare operating costs while slashing millions from other governmental agencies. In fact, Governor Brewer’s budget proposal allows for a $600,000 increase. Phoenix — Excerpt from Arizona Republic article by Mary Jo Pitzel These leadership offices are among the few subdivisions of government not targeted for some sort of  Continue Reading >

The Senate heard several education bills in the Committee as a Whole (COW).  We have provided an analysis for one specific bill – SB1023 – which would allow for an increase in Premium Tax Credits to private schools.  A list of other education-related Senate bill actions from June 18, 2009 can be found at the  Continue Reading >

On June 18th, the Senate heard several education bills in the Committee as a Whole (COW). We have provided an analysis for one specific bill – SB1023 – which would allow for an increase in Premium Tax Credits to private schools. Links to the other pieces of education-related legislation are also included on the bottom of this post.

Incoming President of Regents Aims to Cut Students’ Costs
FLAGSTAFF – Article excerpt The Arizona Daily Star by Aaron Mackey (6/20/09)
During a presentation to the board, Regent President-elect Ernest Calderón outlined a wide variety of proposals to increase the number of graduates while simultaneously lowering costs to students.

he lawsuit threat followed a weekend of negotiations between Brewer and GOP leaders in her office at the Capitol. They fell apart Sunday evening when, according to the governor, Senate President Bob Burns, R-Peoria, made a dramatic exit, “stunning” those in the room.

You may notice, upon occasion, that the Arizona legislature will strip all the legislation from a pending bill and replace it with completely new legislation.  This is called a “strike all” amendment. What is the point of changing all the legislation in a bill?  The following excerpt from the Arizona Republic sheds light on this  Continue Reading >

Explanation of the ins-and-outs of the state legislature including bill drafting, committee actions and the budget process, among many other topics.

Gov. Brewer, R, threatened today to sue senate president Bob Burns if he does not send her the package of GOP-approved budget bills by the end of the day-bills she says she probably won’t sign.

Also contains other related article links.

Five Key Reasons for Arizona’s Budget Stalemate Article Summary from the Arizona Daily Star: TUC-Here are five things that have stalled state budget negotiations; 1.) Janet Napolitano left. 2.) Brewer went her own way. 3.) The “no new tax pledge.” 4.) Changing revenue projections 5.) Promises of bipartisanship never came to life. For full article,  Continue Reading >

Click into this section to learn more about recent legislation related to education.

A full copy of the Application for Initial Funding under the State Stabilization Fund Program can be found here.

Best Practices – What works? What ideas are out there for improving our schools?
Click this link to read more about top performing schools, effective academic programs, accountability enhancements and what other states and countries are doing to improve their schools.

Recently governors and state commissioners of education across the country have to join a state-led process to develop a common core of state standards in English-language arts and mathematics for grades K-12. Learn more about this initiative here.

Educating Arizona: Assessing Our Education System (Birth-Grade 12) January 2008, Arizona Community Foundation This report examines Arizona’s student performance and system indicators and concludes with seven suggestions for improving the schools in our state. Lead with Five: Five Investments to Improve Arizona Education Rodel Foundation, February 2005 Bridging the Grad Gap: Measuring the Economic Benefits  Continue Reading >

State Public School System Ranked Best in the US by 2 Reports Washington Post, January 8, 2009 Excerpts from article: “A six-year Maryland effort to spend billions of dollars more on public education has led to major performance gains that have helped make the state’s schools the best in the country, according to a pair  Continue Reading >

How many students should there be in an Arizona classroom? A response to ATRA’s Special Report April 2009

On May 15, 2009, the Governor signed Legislation approving the sweep of funds from Arizona School Districts in excess of their year-end operating budgets. What excess are they talking about? And what does this mean? Learn more here.

Public School Insights: What is Working in Our Public Schools Best practice information compiled by the Learning First Alliance, a partnership of education groups from around the United States. Arizona’s Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Recent good news and best practice information from schools around the state.

Teachers, Performance Pay, and Accountability: What Education Should Learn From Other Sectors Economic Policy Institute, May 2009 Excerpt: “Some school policymakers are promoting a new idea for improving the schools: merit pay plans that would tie teachers’ pay to the scores their students earn on standardized math and reading tests. Advocates of this approach base  Continue Reading >

Listing and links to bills scheduled to be heard in the Arizona Senate Committee on Education Accountability and Reform on June 24, 2009.

NOTE TO READER:  THIS POST HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE GOVERNOR BREWER’S RECORD ON EDUCATION LEGISLATION PAST MAY 29, 2009.  SEE INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES UNDER THE GOVERNOR’S RECORD TAB FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON GOVERNOR BREWER’S RECORD ON EDUCATION   RECORD ON EDUCATION – BILLS SIGNED or VETOED May 29, 2009 – Signed special session legislation  Continue Reading >

A quick visual on how our elected officials voted on educational legislation.

2009 Arizona State Legislators Click here to find your District District 1 Sen. Steve Pierce R-Prescott Phone: 602-926-5584 Email: spierce@azleg.gov Web site: electstevepierce.com Rep. Lucy Mason R-Prescott Phone: 602-926-5874 Email: lmason@azleg.gov Rep. Andy Tobin House majority whip; R-Paulden  Phone: 602-926-5172 Email: atobin@azleg.gov Web site: andytobin.com District 2 Sen. Albert Hale D-Window Rock Phone: 602-926-4323 Email:  Continue Reading >

By clicking the above link, this section provides a listing of education activists located around the state of Arizona.

A review of the educational history of Arizona

Personal and Corporate Tax Credits & STOs: What they are and how they work.

The best way to make a difference is to act now! You can follow these links for more information on what you can do and contribute to Arizona’s Education. List of Arizona School Districts How to advocate for our schools Calendar of Events

Lifetime Effects: The HighScope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40 (2005) Excerpt: This long term study examined the impact of early childhood education on a group of individuals from 1962 through the present day. Excerpt: “From 1962-1967, at ages 3 and 4, the subjects were randomly divided into a program group that received a high-quality  Continue Reading >

Best Evidence Encyclopedia Johns Hopkins University School of Education, Website, 2009 Which research programs have been successfully evaluated in valid research? What works in education? The Best Evidence Encyclopedia (BEE) presents reliable, unbiased reviews of research-proven educational programs to help evaluate academic and structural performance. CSRQ Center Report on Elementary School CSR Models This report  Continue Reading >

Short bio of Governor Brewer and a contact link.