Schools Around Arizona are Closings Due to Budget Constraints
In an effort to work within the anticipated budget the state legislature is providing schools to educate our students, many school districts are beginning to look at the necessity of closing some of their schools.
The Arizona Republic is running a series about the next decade in Arizona called Arizona 2020, A Framework for the Next Decade. The article focuses on six categories: Education, the Budget, the Border, the Government, the Economy and the Vision of AZ. Two of these categories are of great interest to the Arizona Education Network.
As the Arizona budget continues to increase, legislators have been busy finding ways to further diminish the general fund. Several bills are making their way through the legislature under the guise of private school tax credit reform that would drastically increase the amount of the tax credit deductions for private school tuition.
On Monday, February 1st, Governor Brewer issued a proclamation, calling for a sixth Special Session to run concurrent with the regular session. Voting began in the Senate Tuesday, where legislation passed and has been transmitted to the House and was later assigned to the House Committee on Rules.
The Pentagon has received anecdotal evidence suggesting military troops are avoiding deployment to Hawaii because of poor funding of its public education system.
December state payments to Arizona’s three public Universities were finally made on January 21, 2010. The Arizona Republic is reporting that the payment did not include the amount owed the universities from the general fund; only the tuitionheld by the state was remitted.
Education Week has recently released its annual Report Card on American public education, and it shows mixed results for Arizona.
It’s beginning of a new year and a new legislative session began this week. This update recaps the end of the last legislative session and provides information on what to expect going forward.
Monday, January 11, 2010 Governor Brewer will deliver her much anticipated “State of the State” address, in which she will promise to “right our ship” and “bring Arizona back home.” Governor Brewer’s address signals the return of Arizona lawmakers to the Capitol where they will begin work to address the state’s budget crisis.
A fifth special session has been called by Governor Brewer to address the remaining $1.6 billion deficit.
In this update we will cover two recent questions from AEN subscribers regarding Arizona spending statistics… How does our state compare and how much are we spending on education?
A recap of recent legislation as it pertains to education.
Governor Brewer signs legislation cutting $300 million from state’s K-12 and Department of Economic Security budgets. Governor and majority party will meet following Thanksgiving holiday to discuss scheduling a fifth special session to address $2 billion dollar deficit.
The Governor called the Arizona state Legislature into special session to address the $2 billion budget deficit.
A bi-partisan task force met in the House today for a second hearing covering investigations of School Tuition Organizations (STOs) and reform of the private-school tax credit program.
Arizona State University President Michael Crow was named one of the top 10 college presidents by Time Magazine this week. Time cites increased research funding and national merit scholars as some of the factors that led to this honor.
Lawmakers have been called back to Phoenix by Governor Brewer for a special session to address the budget deficit, now at $2.2 billion. House Majority Whip Andy Tobin said the deal that legislative leaders have reached with Gov. Jan Brewer would include $140 million in cuts to K-12 education. This would be to tackle the budget that was due June 30, 2009, now more than four months late.
Gates Foundation to take a more active role in education.
Az education forums heat up in light of the pending economic meltdown.
On Wednesday 10/21/09, the full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed its April 2009 decision that the Arizona School Tuition Organizations Program for private schools is unconstittutional.
The Arizona JLBC (Joint Legislative Budget Committee) now projects a 2010 budget shortfall at $1.959 Billion (Oct. 22, 2009).
The Arizona Republic and the East Valley Tribune have each published their respective analysis on private school tax credits, school tuition organizations (STOs), how they are meeting the spirit or intent of the tax credit legislation, transparency of programs and costs, and the players/organizations involved.
In response to a warning by Governor Brewer that some services may face cuts or elimination, Senator Russell Pearce suggested specific cuts to education.
The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that unless the Governor and Legislature act soon the Arizona Department of Revenue and the Corporate Commission will have to make drastic cuts and may even run out of funds. The AZ Department of Revenue has only $40.6M after the veto of an expected $67 million dollar proposed budget. [...]
State tax reveues fall as Arizona awaits action on budget by Governor Brewer.
After another very contentious week of wrangling, the House and Senate finally passed a set of budget bills and sent the resulting package to the Governor for her review. A full recap and links to media articles provided.
The Arizona Board of Regents, university leaders and students in Arizona are engaged in an ongoing effort to revamp the structure of higher education in our state. This week the Arizona Education Network looks at some of the latest statistics and information related to our higher education goals and outlook for the future.
While charter schools like Basis are known for their excelling programs, many other charter schools have not met their promises.
With the recent k-12 budget cuts the AZ legislature has enacted, many students are coming back to the new school year with larger than ever class sizes.
In the midst of the protracted state budget drama, Arizona families are sending their children back to school. Since early spring of 2009, schools have been preparing their operating budgets based on worst case scenarios. But was their “worst” actually the “best” they should have been hoping for? Unfortunately, we were afraid of this.
By a vote of 14-11, the Senate fails to pass the sales tax referendum for the November 3rd ballot.
Monday, August 10: Legislators are expected to resume budget negotiations today at 1:00pm. The temporary sales tax ballot proposal – long a sticking point with members who had signed a special interest “anti-tax” pledge – is now set to be spun off from the existing tax bill and voted upon as a separate entity. Your Arizona Education Network correspondents provide you with the latest links and answer a number of your questions regarding the budget, how it impacts our schools and how a Washington DC lobbyist seems to rank above the Arizona voter in some legislative circles.
The “drop-dead” date for getting the 1-cent sales tax on the ballot has been extended to Monday, August 10th. Arizona senators are still scheduled to convene on Friday, August 7th at 1 PM.
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The fiscal year 2009-2010 budget cleared the House last week but it remains to be seen whether or not it can make it through a vote on the Senate floor.
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Opposition to the bill runs strong on both ideological ends of the spectrum. Senators Ron Gould and Pamela Gorman are withholding their vote in opposition to [...]
July 31, 2009: Remember when your parents implied that nothing good happens after midnight? After sitting bleary-eyed and watching our elected representatives in action into the wee hours of the night, we are beginning to think Mom was on to something.
Our legislators are back from special-interest summer camp and yesterday was a flurry of action. Unfortunately, it appears that everyone got an extra dose of ideology while they were away and it has translated into some really bad news for education.
More cuts to education in this surprise budget.
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AZ Misappropriates Education Stimulus Money?
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Arizona qualifies for over $830 million in education cash under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. However, the state doesn’t have the $317 million it is due to pay schools Wednesday. The state has had to borrow $130.9 million to make that payment. But WHY hasn’t the state received any of [...]
AZ fiscal jam has laid-off teachers in area on edge
Districts find it hard to plan with budget uncertain
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TUCSON-Excerpt The Arizona Daily Star, Rhonda Bodfield
Tucson-area school districts are anxiously awaiting the final word on how the new state budget will play out — as are teachers who were laid off earlier this summer amid funding cuts.
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That’s in part because district officials are worried about committing to new spending when the budget is a bit like playing with funny money until lawmakers find a way to actually pay for it. The budget is still at least $2.1 billion in the red.
Brewer Signs Budget Deal into Law
Excerpt: Arizona Republic
[Brewer's] signature on the four-bill package was expected, and it restores funding that Brewer had vetoed last week as the state’s budget battle hit fever pitch.
That struggle produced new casualties Wednesday: Senate President Bob Burns changed a key leadership post and replaced another member of the rebellious Rules Committee while legislative attorneys filed an appeal of last month’s state Supreme Court ruling on the budget.
Brewer OKs Budget Deal
PHX- Excerpt by Mathew Benson, The Arizona Republic, July 8, 2009
Gov. Jan Brewer today signed into law a state-budget deal that ensures funding for public education as well as Arizona’s receipt of more than $2 billion in federal assistance.
The four-bill package cleared the Legislature in bipartisan fashion Monday. Amending an earlier legislative budget plan mostly rejected by Brewer, the new proposal calls for about $10 billion in general-fund spending.
In a rare display of bipartisanship, the House and Senate yesterday approved two education spending bills that restored many of the cuts to education threatened by the previous legislation passed in the chambers. Funding for the education budget still remains uncertain as the legislature has not yet taken up the Governor’s call for a temporary [...]
Monday, July 6, 2009
6:34 – House conveys bills to Governor; session recessed
6:25PM – Senate recesses until Monday, July 14, 2009.
Senate vote on bills transmitted from House -
HB 2001 (23 ayes, 0 nays, 7 nv)
HB 2002 (23 ayes, 0 naus, 7 nv)
HB 2003 (24 ayes, 0 nays, 6 nv)
HB2004 (23 ayes, 0 nays, 7 nv)
5:55pm – House Vote Below:
HB [...]
Dear Friends of Education,
APPLE, Arizona Parents for Public Education, is sending out a letter to our governor and legislators calling for a bi-partisan approach to crafting a k-12 education budget. Please click the following link to read the letter and sign the petition: http://www.ccsupportourstudents.com/APPLE_LETTER.html
Sincerely,
Your AEN Team
Burns: Brewer Bungling Her Job
PHOENIX —Excerpt from Howard Fischer, Capital Media Services
Stung by the veto of key elements of the Republican budget plan, Senate President Bob Burns on Thursday declared Gov. Jan Brewer unqualified for the job.
“It appears the governor is having problems managing the level of responsibility to which she has been elevated,” Burns said in a prepared statement. To read the complete article, click here.
Your AEN team hopes that Governor Brewer stands strong in face of tough opposition in regards to funding education. By vetoing the entire K-12 Education BRB (Budget Reconciliation Bill’s disallow for line-item vetoing, thus it is either accept the BRB as-is, or veto the entire bill, as Brewer did.), she has made a risky move in an attempt to get lawmakers to reconsider the devastation the previous education budget would have caused. Show your support by emailing a quick line to the governor at http://azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp.
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With Veto, Brewer seeks more K-12 cash
PHX- Excerpt The Arizona Republic, by Mary Jo Pitzl
Gov. Brewer on Wednesday put an exclamation point on her demand that the Legislature beef up education spending by vetoing the budget for the state’s K-12 system and calling lawmakers back to work next week to increase funding. For full article, [...]
Wed. July 1, 2009, 11:00pm: Update on Governor Brewer’s Budget Vetos
Governor Brewer’s office has posted the following information on her web site:
Statement on Budget by Governor Brewer
Governor’s Call for Special Session
Vetoed Bills for Special Session This includes both bills vetoed and line-item vetoes.
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Wed. July 1, 2009, 6:00pm: Governor Brewer Vetoes Education Portion of Budget – [...]
Wed. July 1, 2009, 10:00 am
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As of this morning the legislature is in recess and all eyes are on Governor Brewer. The governor can choose to sign, veto or line item veto the legislation passed early this morning. The legislation does not contain the Governor’s temporary sales tax increase. Below is running commentary concerning the [...]
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 standoff between the legislative leadership and Governor Brewer has reached a new level: We’ve made news…in California!
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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 in the [...]