Education Secretary Arne Duncan today (7/27/10) released the list of finalists for the second round of the Race to the Top federal grant program.  Arizona is one of the 19 finalists.  The other finalist are California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.  All finalists are invited to make a presentation to the review committee the week of August 9th.  The winners will be announced in September.
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Governor Jan Brewer released a statement praising those who worked on the Arizona application.  She cited Senator Huppenthal’s SB 1040 (Teacher and Principal Evaluations), Representative McComish’s HB 2298 (Preparation Providers; Teacher Certification), and Representative Crandall’s HB 2733 (Department of Education; Data Collection) as legislation important to the Arizona application.  Brewer said, “[t]hese bills provided for the adoption of new teacher and principal evaluations, alternative teacher and principal certification, as well as an assessment of and governance for our data system.”
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On March 4, 2010, Secretary Duncan announced the sixteen finalists for the first round of the program.  Arizona’s application came in 40th out of 41 applications.  Ultimately, two states were awarded the first round of program grants.  Tennessee was awarded almost $500 million and Delaware was awarded almost $100 million.  The U.S. Department of Education later released the scores and feedback for all applicants to review.  Arizona applied for the second round of the Race to the Top in June.

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To read more, see below:

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18 States and D.C. Named as Finalists for Race to the Top, US Department of Education, ED.gov, July 27, 2010

Statement by Governor Jan Brewer, July 27, 2010

Secretary of  Education, Arne Duncan’s Remarks at the National Press Club (announcing the finalists), July 27, 2010
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What to Expect: Arizona’s Race to the Top Application, Arizona Education Network, December 17, 2009
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Arizona Doesn’t Make “Race to the Top” Cut, Arizona Education Network, March 5, 2010
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Only Two States (TN & DE)  Win Race to the Top Grants; Arizona’s Scores Released, Arizona Education Network, March 30, 2010

To register to vote or request a mail-in ballot, click here.

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Reminder: independents can vote in the August 24th primary election.

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This post contains the following information:

*2010 Survey on Education for all legislative candidates can be found here.

*2009 Voting Record on Education Funding for the incumbents running in 2010

*2010 Voting Record on Education Funding for the incumbents running in 2010

*Televised debate for both democrats and republicans running for the state-wide office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.  The post can be found here.

*Citizens for Clean Elections debates, both state-wide elections and legislative elections, can be found here.
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2009 Summary of Voting Record on Education Funding: click here for original post.

Legislative Districts are grouped by color for visual differentiation only.
*Resigned in 2010 to run for a Congressional Seat.

SUMMARY VOTING RECORD: EDUCATION BUDGET LEGISLATION 2009 SESSIONS
		Of Total Education Votes				Of Actual Votes Cast
District	Legislator	% For	% Against	% Didn’t Vote		% For	% Against
30	Senator Jonathan Paton*	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
30	Representative David Gowan	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
30	Representative Frank Antenori	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
29	Senator Linda Lopez	55%	5%	40%		92%	8%
29	Representative Daniel Patterson	80%	0%	20%		100%	0%
29	Representative Matt Heinz	30%	5%	65%		86%	14%
28	Senator Paula Aboud	55%	5%	40%		92%	8%
28	Representative David Bradley	70%	5%	25%		93%	7%
28	Representative Steve Farley	90%	5%	5%		95%	5%
27	Senator Jorge Garcia	60%	15%	25%		80%	20%
27	Representative Olivia Cajero Bedford	55%	0%	45%		100%	0%
27	Representative Phil Lopes	70%	0%	30%		100%	0%
26	Senator Al Melvin	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
26	Representative Nancy Young Wright	95%	5%	0%		95%	5%
26	Representative Vic Williams	30%	65%	5%		32%	68%
25	Senator Manuel Alvarez	70%	5%	25%		93%	7%
25	Representative David Stevens	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
25	Representative Patricia Fleming	95%	5%	0%		95%	5%
24	Senator Amanda Aguirre	60%	5%	35%		92%	8%
24	Representative Lynne Pancrazi	75%	5%	20%		94%	6%
24	Representative Russell Jones	0%	95%	5%		0%	100%
23	Senator Rebecca Rios	55%	5%	40%		92%	8%
23	Representative Barbara McGuire	80%	5%	15%		94%	6%
23	Representative Frank Pratt	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
22	Senator Thayer Verschoor	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
22	Representative Andy Biggs	20%	75%	5%		21%	79%
22	Representative Laurin Hendrix	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
21	Senator Jay Tibshraeny	10%	65%	25%		13%	87%
21	Representative Steve Yarbrough	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
21	Representative Warde Nichols	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
20	Senator John Huppenthal	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
20	Representative John McComish	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
20	Representative Rae Waters	95%	5%	0%		95%	5%
19	Senator Chuck Gray	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
19	Representative Kirk Adams	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
19	Representative Rich Crandall	0%	95%	5%		0%	100%
18	Senator Russell Pearce	0%	95%	5%		0%	100%
18	Representative Cecil Ash	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
18	Representative Steve Court	5%	90%	5%		5%	95%
17	Senator Meg Burton Cahill	95%	0%	5%		100%	0%
17	Representative David Schapira	90%	5%	5%		95%	5%
17	Representative Ed Ableser	85%	0%	15%		100%	0%
16	Senator Leah Landrum Taylor	60%	5%	35%		92%	8%
16	Representative Ben Miranda	95%	5%	0%		95%	5%
16	Representative Cloves Campbell, Jr.	55%	5%	40%		92%	8%
15	Senator Ken Cheuvront	45%	0%	55%		100%	0%
15	Representative David Lujan	95%	5%	0%		95%	5%
15	Representative Kyrsten Sinema	90%	5%	5%		95%	5%
14	Senator Debbie McCune Davis	40%	5%	55%		89%	11%
14	Representative Chad Campbell	85%	5%	10%		94%	6%
14	Representative Robert Meza	70%	5%	25%		93%	7%
13	Senator Richard Miranda	40%	0%	60%		100%	0%
13	Representative Anna Tovar	78%	6%	17%		93%	7%
13	Representative Martha Garcia	45%	5%	50%		90%	10%
12	Senator John Nelson	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
12	Representative Jerry Weiers	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
12	Representative Steve Montenegro	0%	95%	5%		0%	100%
11	Senator Barbara Leff	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
11	Representative Adam Driggs	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
11	Representative Eric Meyer	80%	0%	20%		100%	0%
10	Senator Linda Gray	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
10	Representative Doug Quelland	55%	35%	10%		61%	39%
10	Representative Jim Weiers	0%	90%	10%		0%	100%
9	Senator Bob Burns	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
9	Representative Debbie Lesko	0%	95%	5%		0%	100%
9	Representative Rick Murphy	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
8	Senator Carolyn Allen	20%	30%	50%		40%	60%
8	Representative John Kavanagh	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
8	Representative Michele Reagan	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
7	Senator Jim Waring*	0%	95%	5%		0%	100%
7	Representative Nancy Barto	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
7	Representative Ray Barnes	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
6	Senator Pamela Gorman*	0%	90%	10%		0%	100%
6	Representative Carl Seel	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
6	Representative Sam Crump*	5%	95%	0%		5%	95%
5	Senator Sylvia Allen	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
5	Representative Bill Konopnicki	25%	70%	5%		26%	74%
5	Representative Jack Brown	80%	5%	15%		94%	6%
4	Senator Jack Harper	10%	90%	0%		10%	90%
4	Representative Judy Burges	15%	85%	0%		15%	85%
4	Representative Tom Boone	10%	90%	0%		10%	90%
3	Senator Ron Gould	35%	55%	10%		39%	61%
3	Representative Doris Goodale	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
3	Representative Nancy McClain	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
2	Senator Albert Hale	50%	5%	45%		91%	9%
2	Representative Chris Deschene	50%	0%	50%		100%	0%
2	Representative Tom Chabin	85%	5%	10%		94%	6%
1	Senator Steve Pierce	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
1	Representative Andrew Tobin	0%	100%	0%		0%	100%
1	Representative Lucy Mason	10%	90%	0%		10%	90%

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2010 Summary of Voting Record on Education Funding: click here for original post.

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* The LD 30 seat vacated by Rep. Antenori – who had been appointed to the Senate – was not filled by Rep. Vogt until after the Seventh Special Session, which contained three (3) of the five (5) bills considered in this voting record.  Because the seat was vacant and Rep. Vogt was not a member of the House, those three bills do not count as missed votes according to the Arizona Legislative voting record. Therefore, those three bills are not part of those considered in Rep. Vogt’s voting record.

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Televised debates for Superintendent of Public Instruction. For the complete post, click here.
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To view the Democratic Candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction debate, click on video link below.
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To view the Republican Candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction debate, click video link below.
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To learn more about the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and its importance to public education, go to Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction; Why You Should Pay Attention to this Office

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To read surveys submitted by candidates to the Children’s Action Alliance, click here.

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Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

 
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You can find your legislative district by visiting here or Votesmart.org.

Legislative Districts are grouped by color for visual differentiation only.
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Scroll to the bottom of the page for our methodology and a listing of bills, including links to summaries and voting details. 

As with our 2009 Education Funding Voting Record by Legislator, AEN compiled a summary of all legislators’ voting records pertaining to their support of public education at all levels (K-University) during the 2010 regular and special sessions.  Analyzing all the bills that passed Legislature and sent onto the Governor’s office, AEN identified five (5) pieces of legislation that dealt directly with public education budgets and the dollars allocated to it.   AEN totaled each legislator’s votes “FOR” and “AGAINST” public education funding.  AEN also tallied the number of times a legislator did NOT vote on the legislation pertaining to public education budgets. In our state, which is ranked next to last in education funding nationwide,  AEN defines a vote to protect dollars allocated to public education as a vote “FOR” public education.    Conversely, AEN defines a vote to take budget dollars away from public education as a vote “AGAINST” public education.

The summary is organized by district and then by legislative chamber:  Senate first, followed by the House of Representatives.  The first set of numbers following a legislator’s name provides the percentage of times the legislator voted “FOR” and “AGAINST” public education, as well as the percentages of times that legislator did NOT vote on the legislation.  This percentage was derived using the total number of bills on which the legislator could have voted.

The second set of numbers for each legislator shows the percentage of times he or she voted “FOR” and “AGAINST” public education, adjusted for the number of public education votes missed.  In some cases, adjusting for the number of missed votes resulted in a significant change in a legislator’s numbers.
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For a listing of non-funding bills from the 2010 sessions that related to education reform, accountability, and personnel changes/mandates, visit 2010 Second Regular Session Education Accountability Bills (PDF)..
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Links to Individual Legislative Summaries (PDF Format)
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Second Regular Session
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Second Regular Session SB1284: School Finance Revision
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Second Regular Session HB 2128: Omnibus; JTEDs
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Second Regular Session HB 2664: STOs; Tax Credit Requirements*
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Second Regular Session SB 1274: STOs; Contribution Date*
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*NOTE: These pieces of legislation do not directly reduce funding allocated to public education and have not been included in the voting record.  However, they increased the ability and extended the deadline for Arizonans to make tax credit donations to benefit private education.   These tax credit donations are monies that would otherwise be added to the state’s general fund, increasing the resources available to balance the budget and lessening the need to cut public education and other general welfare expenditures.
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Sixth Special Session
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Sixth Special Session SCR 1001: Temporary Sales Tax Referral *
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*NOTE: SCR 1001 was legislation that referred Proposition 100 – the temporary sales tax increase–to voters on May 18, 2010.  AEN did not count the vote to refer Prop. 100 to the ballot as a vote “For” or “Against” education related funding.  The fiscal impact to public education was wholly dependent upon the passage or failure of the measure by Arizona voters at the voting booth.  Furthermore, the fiscal impact was unclear until the Seventh Special Session when the budget appropriations and contingency for the passage or failure of Prop. 100 was identified. 
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Click “Senate ” and/or ”House” to see how your legislator(s) voted on this referral. 

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Seventh Special Session
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Three (3) of the five (5) bills in the 2010 Legislative Education Funding Voting Record are from the Seventh Special Session, when the legislature voted on and passed the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 budgets.  This particular budget had two sets of budget reductions for K-12, community colleges and universities, both of which were dependent upon the success or failure of Prop. 100.  Even though voters passed Prop. 100 in the May 18, 2010 special election, the K-12, community college, and university budgets were still cut, however not as severely as if it had failed.  
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Seventh Special Session HB 2001: General Appropriations; 2009-2010; 2010-2011
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Seventh Special Session HB 2008: K-12 Education; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
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Seventh Special Session HB 2009: Higher Education; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
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Seventh Special Session HCR 2001: Early Childhood Development; Health; Repeal *
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*NOTE:  In 2006, voters passed First Things First, approving an 80-cent per pack tobacco tax to pay for early childhood programs such as quality childcare, preventative health care and parenting classes–programs which provide infants and toddlers with a solid foundation to succeed in school.  HCR 2001 referred Prop. 302 to the Nov. 2, 2010 ballot, which if passed will repeal First Things First (FTF). This referendum will not only repeal the program but will redirect $324 million in reserve funds to the state general fund and redirect future tobacco tax revenues to the state general fund.  
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Like SCR 1001 (Temporary Sales Tax Referral), AEN did not include the vote on HCR 2001 as a vote ”For” or “Against” education-related funding.  The fiscal impact to FTF is wholly dependent upon the passage or failure of the measure by Arizona voters at the voting booth, Nov. 2, 2010.  
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Click ”Senate” and/or “House” to see how your legislator(s) voted on this referral.

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The Arizona State Legislature website is one of the best websites of its kind.  There are many points of information available, and this post will help you navigate it efficiently.  This basic tutorial will help a user to understand how the website’s menu bar is set up, and where to go to find the information you are seeking.  For a glossary of terms you might find on the website, click here.  To understand how the legislature is organized, click here.

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MAIN PAGE:

The  legislature’s website is http://www.azleg.gov. This link brings you to the main home page.  See the above photo for a screen shot of the home page.
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LIVE PROCEEDINGS:

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On the left side of the home page is an FAQ box.  The last item is Live Proceedings. Choosing this option opens a pop-up window to the live streaming of both the House and Senate hearing rooms.

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You may choose which room in the House or Senate to watch by clicking on the room number you want.  An agenda usually accompanies the video on the right side of the pop-up box.  If you are unsure of which room you want, click on each of them to find the committee you are seeking.
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You can also view archived video at this link.
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A.L.I.S.:

A.L.I.S. is an acronym for Arizona Legislative Information System.  The system allows a reader to quickly see what the legislative calendar looks like for the day checked.  You can find the hyperlink ALIS Today in the middle of the home page.

The A.L.I.S. Tracking web site is an extension of the AZ Legislature web site.  This is for users who track a large number of bills.  You can visit this site directly at http://alistrack.azleg.gov or download the PDF manual: AlisTracking

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HORIZONTAL MENU:

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BILLS:
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Scroll over Bills and a drop-down menu appears with the following threads:

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The Bill Info is the top choice on the list. This opens a page to a list of House or Senate bills, sorted by number.
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By selecting a bill, specific information can be found.
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The Bill Summary/Fact Sheets link brings the user to a list of the summaries of the bill written by legislative staff for the various committees.  In the case of longer bills, this can be a useful resource for a basic understanding of the legislation.
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The Bill Status link brings the user to a page listing the sponsors and co-sponsors of the bill, a list of actions related to the bill (when it was read in one or the other chamber, what committees it was assigned to, committee votes, floor votes, ultimate disposition of the bill, etc.)
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The Sponsors link show the user a list of the sponsors of the bill.  The first name listed is the original sponsor, any names listed with a “P” are primary sponsors, and those listed with a “C” are co-sponsors.
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The Bill Versions link shows the user the different versions of the bill – as introduced, and House Engrossed and Senate Engrossed (if a measure gets that far).

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The Adopted Amendments and Proposed Amendments links take the user to lists of adopted and proposed amendments.  These amendments are written based on the underlying bill so they don’t often make sense in their “stand-alone” versions.

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The House Agenda, Senate Agendas, House Calendars, and Senate Calendars links bring you to pages that show when the bill is scheduled for committee or floor action.
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The Bill Video Archive link shows a list of videos of the committee and floor considerations of the bill in question.  However, because bills reuse the same number every regular sessions, special session, and year to year; a bill number may be reused many times (i.e. HB 2001 was used multiple times in 2009 due to one regular session and multiple special sessions.) Therefore, it’s best to know when the bill you are interested in was up for consideration.

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COMMITTEES:

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Scroll over the Committees tab and a drop-down menu appears with the following threads:

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The Standing Committee is a list of links to each chamber’s permanent committees.

The Interim Committee is a list of links to the various temporary, ad hoc, and special committees.

The House Agendas, Senate Agendas, and JLBC Agendas are lists of links to the agendas of upcoming committee meetings. This is helpful in planning visits to the Capitol or viewing online sessions.

The Conference link is a list of conference committee meetings and agendas.  This one is rarely used.

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CALENDAR NEWS:

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Scroll over the Calendars/News tab and a drop-down menu appears with the following threads:

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The Press Releases link is an archive of press releases.
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The Capitol Events link provides a calendar of events at the legislature.

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.Legislative Districts are grouped by color for visual differentiation only.
*Resigned in 2010 to run for a Congressional Seat.

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Our Methodology:

The Arizona Education Network has compiled a summary of all legislators’ voting records pertaining to their support of public education at all levels (K-University) during the 2009 Regular and Special Sessions.  Sifting through all the bills that were passed by the Legislature and sent onto the Governor’s office, AEN found twenty-one (21) different pieces of legislation that dealt directly with public education budgets and the dollars allocated to it.   AEN totaled each legislator’s votes “FOR” and “AGAINST” public education.  AEN also tallied the number of times a legislator did NOT vote on the legislation pertaining to public education budgets. In our state, which is ranked last in education funding,  AEN defines a vote to protect dollars allocated to public education as a vote “FOR” public education.    Conversely, AEN defines a vote to take budget dollars away from public education as a vote “AGAINST” public education.

The summary is organized by district and then by house:  Senate first, followed by the House of Representatives.  The first set of numbers following a legislator’s name provides the percentage of times the legislator voted “FOR” and “AGAINST” public education, as well as the percentages of times that legislator did NOT vote on the legislation.  This percentage was derived using the total number of bills on which the legislator could have voted.

The second set of numbers for each legislator shows the percentage of times he or she voted “FOR” and “AGAINST” public education, adjusted for the number of public education votes missed.  In some cases, adjusting for the number of missed votes resulted in a significant change in a legislator’s numbers.

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Missed Votes:

Several special sessions of the Legislature were called during 2009, requiring legislators to report to the Capitol many times outside of the regular session.  This could be part of the reason your legislator missed votes.  If you are concerned with the number of public education votes your legislator(s) missed, AEN encourages you to contact your legislators to find out why.

For a short summary of each piece of legislation included in this analysis, please see the links below the table.

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Link to Individual Legislation Summaries, PDF Format
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2009 Regular Legislative Session:

First Regular Session SB1029 & HB2640

First Regular Session SB1035 & HB2636

First Regular Session SB1036 & HB2635

First Regular Session SB 1187 & HB2639

First Regular Session SB 1188

First Regular Session HB2028 & SB1189

First Regular Session HB2029 & SB1190

First Regular Session HB2643 & SB1470

First Regular Session HB2648 & SB1480

First Regular Session HB2649 & SB1477

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2009 First Special Legislative Session

First Special Session SB1001 & HB2001

First Special Session SB1006 & HB2006

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2009 Second Special Legislative Session

Second Special Session HB 2001 & SB1001*

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2009 Third Special Legislative Session

Third Special Session HB2001 & SB1013*

Third Special Session HB 2002 & SB1016

Third Special Session HB2006 & SB1020

Third Special Session HB 2011 & SB1027

Third Special Session HB2012

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2009 Fourth Special Legislative Session

Fourth Special Session SB1001

Fourth Special Session SB1002

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2009 Fifth Special Legislative Session

Fifth Special Session SB1001

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Question 1 covers education: Lawmakers have discretion over only 37 per cent of K-12 education.  School districts and universities have already taken millions in budget cuts, which affects everything from the economy to demands on government programs.  Should lawmakers continue to cut money to education?  What, specifically, would you do?

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For a full list of the questions asked lawmakers, click here.

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Arizona Education Network believes this is an opportunity for legislators in Southern Arizona to provide frank answers to a very specific questions.  We urge parents and community members to look closely at how these legislators answer the questions.

The following legislators have responded:  (AEN will update daily with their responses.  Here is a schedule of responses.)

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LD: 30

Sen. Jonathon Paton -response

LD25

Rep.  Patricia Flemming – response

Sen. Manuel Alvarez – response

LD 26

Rep. Nancy Young Wright – response

LD27

Rep. Phil Lopes - response

Rep. Olivia Cajero Bedford – response

Sen. Jorge Luis Garcia - response

LD 28

Rep. Steve Farley- response

Rep.  David Bradley- response

Sen. Paula Aboud- response

LD 29

Rep. Matt Heinz - response

Rep. Daniel Patterson - response

Sen. Linda  Lopez – response

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The following legislators have either chosen not to present answers or have just not responded: (if they change their minds AEN will update)

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LD 30

Rep. David Gowan – Letter to editor (AZ Daily Star Editor’s note: Rep. David Gowan, a Republican in District 30, sent an e-mail describing his legislative priorities last Friday night, but it arrived too late to be included in the Feb. 13 editorial, “Southern AZ lawmakers lay out their priorities.” As a public service, we offer it.) 

Rep. Frank Antenori

LD 26

Rep. Vic Williams

Sen. Al Melvin

LD 25

Rep. David Stevens

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If you need to find your legislative district, click here.

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To find the legislator representing your district, click here.

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For additional information on the questions to Arizona lawmakers, see:

State Budget: Our Lawmakers’ Views, Arizona Daily Star, January 25, 2010

House Education Committee
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Rep. Rich Crandall (LD 19), Chairman
Rep. Doris Goodale (LD 3), Vice Chairman
Rep. Nancy Barto (LD7)
Rep. Steve Court (LD 18)
Rep. Laurin Hendrix (LD 22)
Rep. Eric Meyer (LD 11)
Rep. David Schapira (LD 17)
Rep. Rae Waters (LD 20)
Rep. Vic Williams (LD 26)
Rep. Nancy Young Wright (LD 26)

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Senate Education Accountability & Reform Committee
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Sen. John Huppenthal (LD 20), Chairman
Sen. Linda Gray (LD 10), Vice-Chairman
Sen. Paula Aboud (LD 28)
Sen. Sylvia Allen (LD 5)
Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor (LD 16)
Sen. Linda Lopez (LD 29)
Sen. JonathanPaton (LD 30)
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House Appropriations Committee
The House Appropriations committee hears state budget related bills. Essentially, they decide how to appropriate the money.
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Rep. John Kavanagh (LD 8), Chairman
Rep. Andy Biggs (LD 22), Vice-Chairman
Rep. Olivia Cajero Bedford (LD 27)
Rep. Cloves Campbell, Jr. (LD 16)
Rep. Steve Court (LD 18)
Rep. Russell Jones (LD 24)
Rep. Nancy McLain (LD 3)
Rep. Rick Murphy (LD 9)
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (LD 15)
Rep. Vic Williams (LD 26)

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Senate Appropriations Committee
The Senate Appropriations Committee hears state budget related bills as worked through and passed out of the House.
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Sen. Russell Pearce (LD 18)
Sen. Al Melvin (LD 26), Vice-Chairman
Sen. Paula Aboud (LD 28)
Sen. Amanda Aguirre (LD 24)
Sen. Sylvia Allen (LD 5)
Sen. Ron Gould (LD 3)
Sen. Jack Harper (LD 4)
Sen. Steve Pierce (LD 1)
Sen. Rebecca Rios (LD 23)

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Today’s articles in both the Arizona Daily Star and the Arizona Republic highlight the crisis — that which is seen, as well as that which is unseen. Rest stops have been closed. State parks could be shut down by July of 2010. Our state’s disabled and poor have lost needed services. And “78 percent of the K-12 dollars that aren’t protected by voter mandates or federal requirements” have been cut.
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With a current budget-year deficit of nearly $1.4 billion, the second session of the 49th Legislature promises more cuts with very little mentioned in projected plans for revenue.  State employees could see a 5% pay cut, as well as layoffs in various department/agencies. As reported in the Arizona Republic, a bill to end all-day kindergarten is expected to be introduced this week, and will be one of the cuts to Education. Representative Lucy Mason (LD-1 Prescott) who once supported the all-day approach to educating our state’s kindergartners, is now supporting ending the program because “[W]e can’t afford it….It’s not that our hearts aren’t in the right place.”  In addition, voter protected funds, as well as Health and Human Services, are also seen as vulnerable.
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Be sure to tune in to your local news Monday evening for coverage of Governor Brewer’s “State of the State” address. Additionally, many media outlets will be covering the address live, as well as in review. Channel Eight Arizona PBS (Phoenix) will air a special one-hour HORIZON at 7 PM featuring Governor Brewer’s address followed by commentary.