Arizona Education Network – Legislative Update

Monday, March 8, 2010

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In This Issue:

• Budget Special Session Starts Today: The Writing is on the Wall for Public Education in Arizona
• Arizona Auditor General Report on Classroom Spending 2009: A Closer Look News Under the Radar
• Four Steps You Can Take to Support Public Education in Arizona: Vote, Vote, Vote, Vote
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Upcoming Events:

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Check us out:

www.arizonaeducationnetwork.com

Blog: http://arizonaeducationnetwork.blogspot.com/

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Budget Special Session Starts Today: The Writing is on the Wall for Public Education in Arizona

The Arizona Legislature meets today to consider an alternative budget if voters

do not pass Prop. 100–the temporary 1 % sales tax referendum–in a special election

on May 18. For more information, see Prop. 100 – Your Questions Answered.

Cuts to K-12 education since the beginning of the 2009 fiscal year total $424 million, which means our schools have already been cut to the bone. Many Arizona schools are dealing with the loss of teachers; increased class sizes; cuts to extra-curricular activities and athletics; and the loss of P.E., music, librarians, counselors, books and even paper.

If the Sales Tax Passes

Even if the sales tax passes, there will still be further cuts to K-12 education,

based on the budget being considered by the Legislature. These include:

• The loss of funding for all-day Kindergarten; gifted programs, summer school, after-school programs and preschool programs.
• Reduced funding for the second consecutive year for basics such as textbooks, computers and equipment for students.
• Suspension of funding for school building maintenance and repair for the fourth year in a row.

The Alternative Budget

If the Prop. 100 does not pass, additional state budget cuts starting in July could

total $900 million, including an additional $400 million in cuts coming from K-12

schools and $100 million from universities and community colleges.   For more, see the Arizona Daily Star, Ariz. lawmakers to consider budget-balancing plan.

Are Arizona Legislators Following Their Oath?

With cuts to education this deep, it is questionable whether legislators are following their oath to uphold Arizona’s Constitution, which calls for the “development and improvement” of public education.

The Arizona Constitution ensures the funding of public education:

Aricle 11, Section 10 states that the “legislature shall make such appropriations, to be met by taxation, as shall insure the proper maintenance of all state educational institutions, and shall make such special appropriations as shall provide for their development and improvement.”

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Arizona Auditor General Report on Classroom Spending 2009: A Closer Look

AEN has analyzed the recently released Auditor General’s Report on Arizona Classroom Spending for 2009.  Classroom spending has become a “hot potato” issue because of the restrictive definition of “classroom spending”. While classroom teachers, instructional supplies, and aides are included in the classroom spending figures, positions such as librarians, counselors, and nurses are not.  Also the inclusion of Proposition 301 money for teachers is disputed.

The Auditor General’s Report leaves out two important factors – cuts by the Legislature to K-12 education funding and a precipitous fall in the  Proposition 301 sales tax funds available for the Classroom Site Fund (CSF). To read more click here Arizona Auditor General Report on Classroom Spending 2009: A Closer Look.

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News Under the Radar

House Rejects Private School Tax-Credits Income Limits; Drops Attempts to Increase Dollar Amount

The House rejected an effort to put income limits on the private school tax-credit

program, refusing to establish a “means test” or income requirement for those applying for private school scholarships paid for by the tax-credit program.  The private school tax-credit program, which was established to create choice for those with limited means, starts to run the risk of looking like, as Representative Steve Farley called it, “welfare for the rich”. Click here House Rejects Private School Tax-Credits Income Limits; Drops Attempts to Increase Dollar Amount for the full article.

Arizona Doesn’t Make Race to the Top Cut

The Department of Education announced on March 4, 2010 that Arizona was not chosen for the first phase of the federal Race to the Top grant, resulting in the loss

federal funds to benefit Arizona public education. Click here Arizona Doesn’t Make Race to the Top Cut for details.

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Four steps you can take to support public education in Arizona: Vote, Vote, Vote, Vote

1. Vote YES if your district is holding an override or bond election on Tuesday, March 9th (tomorrow).
2. Vote YES on Prop. 100, the sales tax referendum, Tuesday, May 18th.
3. Vote for pro-education candidates in the Primary Election, Tuesday, August 24th.
4. Vote for pro-education candidates in the General Election, Tuesday, November 2nd.

Helpful Links:

AEN Voter Guide

Find your Legislator
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Find us at:

*  www.arizonaeducationnetwork.com

* Follow us on Twitter, AZEducationNet

* Join us on Facebook!
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AEN is a non-partisan, all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that exists to provide

factual information and advocacy for public education.

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Bills were posted late Monday afternoon and assigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House Appropriations Committee.  Hearings begin Tuesday, March 9 at 9:30 am in both committees.
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What can we expect for public education during this special session?  

We expect the first budget to closely resemble Governor Brewer’s budget proposal:  

• Elimination of funding for “non-formula” K-12 programs, including Gifted Support, Teacher Training, Adult Education and GED, the Early Education Block Grant, etc.
• The elimination of the ‘full day Kindergarten’ funding rate ($218 million)
• Reduced funding for charter schools ($10 million)
• Reduction of FY2011 per pupil support to FY2005-06 funding levels.
• No funding for building renewal and only $5 million for building renewal grant funds for the “most critical projects” state-wide.
• Support for Community Colleges and Universities at FY 2006 levels. Per pupil support would drop for universities from $9,480 to $7,100 per student.
• Continue to rollover payments to K-12 and universities – total rollovers at the end of FY201 = $1.3 billion

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The big difference so far seems to be the inclusion of a major bed increase for prisons.  The budget proposal now includes appropriation of $98 million from the state’s general fund to cover the purchase of 6,000 new prison beds; 2,000 private prisons beds at approximately $20,000 each for a total of $40 million and 4,000 new state prisons beds at approximately $14,500 each for a total of $58 million. Note that the private prison bed price is $5,500 more per bed than the state prison price per bed and “beds” likely refers to construction or expansion to allow for increase in prison population.
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Related News Articles:
All-day kindergarten on chopping block ~ KTAR.com, Associated Press, 3/8/2010
Debt to feds may be high if voters reject tax hike ~ The Sierra Vista Herald, Howard Fischer, 3/9/2010
Plan for state budget counts on steep cuts ~ Arizona Republic, Mary Jo Pitzl, 3/9/2010
Education cuts are certain if proposed tax is rejected ~ AZ Daily Star, Howard Fischer, 3/9/2010
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Seventh Special Session Bills
Below you will find a list of each of the bills being heard in both the Senate and the House. Bills related to public education will be in bold. For now, bill information is limited to number(s) and title. 

Note: Bills are listed in the order they appeared on both the House & Senate committee agendas. Awaiting vote details on Senate Appropriations Committee to be posted. Final details will be added/updated as information becomes available.

Point of fair representation: Due to length of both of today’s committee hearings, some members appear as “AB” or “Absent” on one bill and as an “N” or “Y” vote later. This is due to the chairmen of both committees agreeing to run without breaks and/or a lunch. Members stepped out and returned later.

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HB 2001 / SB 1001: General Appropriations 2009-2010; 2010-2011
(Cuts to AHCCCS, public education, with contingency budget with further cuts to these programs in the event Prop 100 is not passed by the voters.)
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Passed House Appropriations: 8 – 5
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 6 – 2, 1 “Not Voting”
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HB 2002 / SB 1002: Capital Outlay Appropriations; 2010-2011
Maintenance and repair of state buildings and capital projects in Fiscal Year 2010-2011 and makes revision to previously approved projects.
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Passed House Appropriations: 7 – 3, 3 “Absent”
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 6 – 0, 3 “Not Voting”
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HB 2003 / SB 1003: Budget Procedures; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
Government employee salary reductions.
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Passed House Appropriations: 8 – 5
House Appropriations Vote Detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 6 – 2, 1 “Not Voting”
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.

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HB 2004 / SB 1004: Regulation; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
Department of Fire Safety, Building and Life Safety
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Passed House Appropriations: 7 – 5, 1 “Absent”
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 8 – 0, 1 “Not Voting”
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HB 2005 / SB 1005: General Government; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
Eliminates $27.5 million from the 21st Century Fund, which brings high-tech jobs to Arizona.
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Passed House Appropriations: 8 – 4, 1 “Absent”
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 6 – 2, 1 “Not Voting”
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HB 2006  / SB 1006: Criminal Justice; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
Funding cuts for Department of Juvenile Corrections, transfers cost to counties; Eliminates funding for monitoring of sexual predators.
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Passes House Appropriations: 8 – 5
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 6 – 3
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.

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HB 2007 / SB 1007: Environment; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
Changes in to law to enact Fiscal Year 2010-2011 budget for the environment and natural resources of Arizona.
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Passes House Appropriations: 8 – 5
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 6 – 3
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HB 2008 / SB 1008: K-12 Education; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
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HB 2008 and SB 1008 addresses 2010-2011 education budget WITH the passage of Proposition 100:

• 1.2% inflation factor only applied to the transportation support level (TSL) rather than across the board as required by Prop. 301
• Repeals full-day kindergarten; allows a district to charge tuition
• $165 million cut to soft capital (leaves approximately $47 million)
• Continues to fund JTEDs at 91%
• Limits Career Ladder funding to 5% and no new applicants for Fiscal Year 2011
• Continues the new school construction moratorium
• Suspends the Building Renewal formula

Also included in both HB 2008 and SB 1008 are the following cuts, which are contingent upon Proposition 100 NOT passing: 

• Suspends soft capital funding (additional $47 million)
• Suspends Capital Outlay Revenue Limit ($248 million)
• $102 million, or approximately 2%, cut to the basic support level
• $31 million cut to charter school additional assistance

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Passed House Appropriations: 8 – 5
House Appropriations vote detail, here. 

Passes Senate Appropriations: 5 – 4
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HB 2009 / SB 1009: Higher Education; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
If Prop 100 does not pass, statutory provision for Indian postsecondary educational institutions would be repealed; no longer allows out-of-state students to be counted when reporting enrollment growth.
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Passed House Appropriations: 8 – 4, 1 “Absent”
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 6 – 3
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HB 2010 / SB 1010: Health; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
Eliminates KidsCare; shifts 100% of the cost of monitoring sexual predators to counties.

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Passes House Appropriations: 8 – 5
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 6 – 3
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HB 2011 / SB 1011: Welfare; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
Includes provisions related to welfare; Department of Economic Security agency.

Passes House Appropriations: 8 – 5
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 6 – 3
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HB 2012 / SB 1012: Revenues; Budget Reconciliation; 2010-2011
State lottery fund, Department of Tourism, and county fund transfers to the state General Fund.
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Passes House Appropriations: 8 – 5
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 6 – 3
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HB 2013 / SB 1013: Accounting Expenses Tax Credit; Repeal
Repeals the transaction privilege tax (TPT) credit for TPT accounting and reporting expenses.
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Passes House Appropriations: 11 – 1
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passed Senate Appropriations: 5 – 3, 1 “Not Voting”
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HCR 2001 /SCR 1001: Early Childhood Development; Health; Repeal
Refers to the voters the REPEAL of Voter Protected funds for “First Things First”, an early childhood development program. Redirects the deposit of Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Initiative (AECDHI) authorized tobacco tax revenues to the state General Fund. Reverts any remaining balance of unexpended and unencumbered monies in the Early Childhood Development and Health Fund to the state General Fund.
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Passes House Appropriations: 7 – 5, 1 “Present”
House Appropriations vote detail, here.
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Passes Senate Appropriations: 6 – 3
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.
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HCR 2002 / SCR 1002: Land Conservation Fund; Reversion
Upon voter approval, transfers the balance of the Land Conservation Fund (Fund) to the General Fund. Currently, the Fund has a balance of approximately $123,538,600.
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Passes House Appropriations: 8 – 5
House Appropriation vote detail, here.
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Passes Senate Appropriations: 6 – 3
Senate Appropriations vote detail, here.

“What we’re doing is just simply a bailout for rich families so that they can get tax money to pay for a school they were going to pay for anyway because they have the means,” [Rep. Steve Farley, Tucson]. “That way, there is no money saved for the state because that kid wasn’t going to go to a public school in the first place.”  He supported a proposal by Rep. Anna Tovar, Tolleson, to limit eligibility to those families whose income is no more than 185 percent of the level the federal government uses to determine if students get reduced-price lunches. (Arizona Daily Sun).((

The House failed to pass an amendment that would allow for the income limits. Votes detail below:
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House Vote Detail:

 AYES: 22   NAYS: 33   NOT VOTING: 4   EXCUSED: 0   VACANT: 1 

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Sponsor of HB 2664, Rep. Rick Murphy, agreed to pull back his recommendation to increase the private tax-credit contribution rates to school tuition organizations (STOs) from $500 for individuals to $750, and $1,000 for families to $1,500 after legislators from both sides of the aisle questioned the fiscal impact at a time when the state is facing a significant financial crisis.
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Read AEN’s Private Tax-Credit Articles:
Arizona’s Private Tax-Credit Program: How We Got Here and Where are We Going?
Legislators Propose Private Tax-Credit Increases While Governor Proposes Funding Cuts to GED Funding
There They Go Again: House Ways and Means Committee Triples Private Tax-Credits

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Related News Articles:
House rejects income-limit changes to taxpayer-funded scholarships ~ AZ Daily Sun, Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services, 3/5/2010

Identification of successful teachers is one of the key components of many new federal and state programs to improve education.  The Obama administration’s Race for the Top standards require outcome-based assessments that measure the abililty of teachers to move students successfully through a year or more of benchmarks.  While merit pay for teachers that meet high accountability standards is proposed–financial incentives may not be able to create the success needed on a large scale.  While assessing the ability of teachers to meet high achievement goals is quantitatively possible, discerning the qualities these successful teachers possess is far more difficult–and may make replication of outstanding teaching difficult to achieve.

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The New York Times has published a fascinating in-depth article that looks at efforts to identify the qualities that make successful teachers. The article points out that in a study in Tennessee, “[t]eachers working in the same building, teaching the same grade, produced very different outcomes. And the gaps were huge.  Eric Hanushek, a Stanford economist, found that while the top 5 percent of teachers were able to impart a year and a half’s worth of learning to students in one school year, as judged by standardized tests, the weakest 5 percent advanced their students only half a year of material each year.”

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The article features two education researchers, Doug Lemov and Deborah Loewenberg Ball.  Lemov has conducted a study of teachers working in high poverty areas with high student performance.  He has identified forty-nine teaching techniques that contribute to excellent student outcomes.

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Ball has focused specifically on math creating a set of standards codified as Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (M.K.T.) representing, “[t]he idea that just knowing math was not enough to teach it….”  Ball and Heather Hill tested the theory by creating , “a multiple-choice test for teachers. The test included questions about common math, like whether zero is odd or even (it’s even), as well as questions evaluating the part of M.K.T. that is special to teachers.  Hill then cross-referenced teachers’ results with their students’ test scores. The results were impressive: students whose teacher got an above-average M.K.T. score learned about three more weeks of material over the course of a year than those whose teacher had an average score, a boost equivalent to that of coming from a middle-class family rather than a working-class one.”

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The story concludes that, “[b]y figuring out what makes the great teachers great, and passing that on to the mass of teachers in the middle…’we could ensure that the average classroom tomorrow was seeing the types of gains that the top quarter of our classrooms see today.’”

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To read the full article go to:

Building a Better Teacher, New York Times, March 2, 2010

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In January 2010, AEN reported on the widely debated topic of what makes a better teacher by featuring an article from Atlantic monthly on Teach for America.  The article, What makes a better teacher?: Teach for America may have the answer, discussed efforts by the Teach for America organization to identify characteristics using data compiled by the organization.

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The Department of Education will release the feedback and scores for all applicants on their website in April after the awarding of the phase one grants.  Arizona can apply for the second round of grants in June, 2010.

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For more information on Arizona’s application for the Race for the Top grant.  See the AEN article,  What to Expect: Arizona’s Race to the Top Application

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Statement of Arne Duncan on Race to the Top Rollout, Department of Education Press Release, March 4, 2010

16 Finalists Announced in Phase 1 of Race to the Top Competition Finalists to Present in Mid-March; Winners Announced in Early April,
Department of Education Press Release, March 4, 2010

Arizona not a finalist for piece of $4 billion education grant, Arizona Republic, March, 4, 2010.

D.C. and 15 states make first cut in Race to the Top school reform contest, Washington Post, March 4, 2009

15 states, DC named ‘Race to the Top’ finalists, Washington Post, March 4, 2009

• Classroom personnel – Teachers, teachers’ aides, substitute teachers, graders, and guest lecturers
• General instructional supplies – Paper, pencils, crayons, etc
• Instructional aides – Textbooks, workbooks, software, films, etc.
• Activities – Field trips, athletics, and co-curricular activities such as choir and band
• Tuition – Paid to out-of-state and private institutions. (We wondered about this category, but it seems to be for specific student situations and is not a major item)
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Haven’t some of these classroom spending areas been cut by the Legislature?

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Yes. The 2009 cuts to funding for K-12 education in the state have led to teacher layoffs and larger class sizes.  In addition, cuts to soft capital (textbooks and instructional software) and instructional aides (workbooks, etc) were also cut by the Legislature.
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The report does not mention any of these cuts to explain the .4% dip in classroom spending.
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What is considered non-classroom spending?
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Again, quoting from Appendix C, non-classroom spending includes:

• Administration- Superintendents, principals, business managers, clerical and other staff
• Plant operation and maintenance – heating, cooling, equipment repair, grounds keeping and security
• Food service – Cost of preparing and serving meals and snacks
• Instructional staff support – Librarians, teacher training, and curriculum development
• Student support services – Counselors, audiologists, speech pathologists, and nurses

Many of the items considered non-classroom spending are closely linked to student education.  Students must have a safe school that is appropriately heated and cooled.  They must also have the student support and instructional services needed to excel in school.
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If the national average for classroom spending is 61%, why is Arizona’s average rate 56.9%?
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The Auditor General’s Report used to show the breakouts for non-classroom spending compared to the national average to try to explain why Arizona’s classroom spending is below the national average (see 2007 report).  We went into the expanded report with district pages and pulled out the national comparison numbers.  Here they are:

* According to the US Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics 2007- most recent year available

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Several things jump out:

• Arizona has a much higher plant operating cost due to our extreme weather conditions. Keep in mind that building and maintenance funding by the state was also cut in 2009, as was utility payment support.  M&O money that could have gone into classroom spending may have been shifted to this area–roofs must be fixed and utility bills must be paid.
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• Administration is lower than the national average. Administration takes a lot of knocks in the media, but Arizona is more efficient than the nation as a whole.
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• Student support and instructional support are higher in Arizona. Contributing factors include higher child poverty rates–the 2008 US child poverty rate was 17.8% while Arizona’s child poverty rate was 20.4% (US Census Bureau).   In addition, there are higher rates of English Language Learners (ELL) in Arizona.  ELL is an underfunded mandate in Arizona.
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• Higher food service expenditures may have a correlation to federal revenues received from the federal school lunch program. Higher poverty rates in Arizona may lead to additional meals (such as breakfast) being served incurring higher costs to serve food.

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Why doesn’t the Auditor General’s Report include charter schools?
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Since charter schools are such an integral part of the Arizona public education system, we were surprised they were not included in the Auditor General’s Report.  We did find information on classroom spending for charter schools in the Annual Report of the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, Fiscal Year 2008-2009, vol. 1.
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Based on total expenditures taken from the 2009 Annual Financial Report of school districts and charter school, we calculated  the following information:  

…………………………………………………………………..Classroom Spending/%.. ..***Non-Classroom Spending/%…..****Administration Spending/%
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Current Expenditures for Districts, p. I-2……………………$4,490/57.5%…………………$2,590/33.2%………………………….$720/9.2%
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(based on ADM* of 952,072; TCE** of $7,801)
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Current Expenditures for Charters, p. II-33……………$3,233/49.8%……………….. $1,896/29.2%…………………… $1,365/21%
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(based on ADM* of 99,017; TCE** of $6,494)
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According to the Annual Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, charter schools are spending even less than traditional public schools on classroom spending and far more on administrative costs.

* ADM= Average Daily Membership

** TCE = Total Current Expenditures

*** Non-Classroom Spending Category here only includes Student Support Services and other Support Services and does not include administration, food service or plant operation

**** Administration is not combined with any other category.

Note: The above numbers are unaudited, which would explain slight differences between these numbers and the Auditor General’s figures.

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What is Proposition 301 money?
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Proposition 301 is a voter approved initiative that passed a 0.6% sales tax earmarked for the Classroom Site Fund (CSF)  for education.  Revenue collected from this tax has declined during the recession.   The CSF money is required to be apportioned 20% for teacher base pay increases,  40% for teacher performance pay and 40% for options such as AIMS intervention, class size reduction, drop-out prevention and other teacher compensation and development.
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Why does the report claim this money is being misspent and what is supplanting?
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The report claims that districts are not using this money to increase teacher salaries.  Instead, it states that districts are supplanting CSF money.  The report claims “[s]upplanting means that districts have used CSF monies to replace, rather than add to, monies being spent in the classroom” (i.e. teacher salaries).  What the report doesn’t explain is that the Legislature has cut funds that would be going to the classroom–where the major expense is teacher salaries.
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Let’s look at a hypothetical example:  If a teacher is paid $28,000 in base pay; another $2,000 from the money that comes from CSF teacher base pay allowance; and a $2,000 performance bonus from CSF money, they are making $32,000 per year.  When the Legislature cut funding to education last year, the district had less to pay their teacher’s salary. Now, the base salary is $26,000+ the $4,000 in CSF money for a total of $30,000.
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The report claims districts are supplanting money because it assumes that anytime a cut is made to the overall salary, the district is not fulfilling its obligation for CSF dollars to increase teacher salaries.
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This leads us to question how can districts use CSF dollars to increase teacher salaries when the legislative cuts have resulted in a cut to base pay?  It doesn’t make sense.  It simply doesn’t add up.

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Is the decrease in Prop 301 sales tax revenue going to impact the money available for CSF and teacher salaries?
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Yes. The report doesn’t mention this issue.  Over the past three years, revenues derived from the 0.6% sales tax for the Classroom Site Fund have decreased.

FY2008 $502.1 million received *

FY 2009 $360.6 million received **

FY2010 $263.8 million estimated **

*  K-12 Funding (M&O, Capital and All Other)FY 2000 through FY 2009 JLBC Staff, 1/27/2009

** FY 2011 Base Line Summary. JLBC, page 24 (pdf page 29)

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Where can I get more information?
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You can read more about the issues and implication of classroom spending in a special report  by Standard & Poors, The Issues and Implications of the “65 Percent Solution” funded by The Broad Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2005.
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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.

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In districts where bonds or overrides were not passed by voters in their local areas, some superintendents and governing boards are considering closing schools within their boundaries.  Some of the results of these closures could mean even higher class sizes, which would have an impact in preparing the next generation for the ever-more competitive work force.

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A special election is being held on May 18, 2010 for Proposition 100. If passed, Proposition 100 will allow a temporary 1% increase to the state sales tax in order to help fund education.  For more on the importance of the sales tax to education, please visit our post here.

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School’s Closure gets Board Approval, The Sierra Vista Herald, by Adam Curtis, February 24, 2010

“This is a very reluctant vote we have to make tonight,” board member Hal Thomas said. “It’s a self-imposed predicament we’re in, not because we imposed it but because since 1979, the state Legislature has done nothing but throw up road blocks in the face of trying to educate our people in this state.
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“Finally, they’ve dropped a ton of bricks on us. It’s a classic case where the people being dumped on have to solve the problem and have to solve it in a way we don’t like,” he said. “So I’m going to vote ‘yes’ on closing Apache Middle School and cross my fingers in hope that we don’t have to close any more schools in the future.

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Apache Junction District Board Votes to Close Two Schools, East Valley Tribune, by Michelle Reese, February 24, 2010

The governing board for the Apache Junction Unified School District voted unanimously Tuesday to close Thunder Mountain Middle School and Gold Canyon Elementary School after this school year.

The board also voted to reconfigure the grades at its remaining schools. The four remaining elementary schools will go from kindergarten through fifth grade to kindergarten through sixth grade. The remaining middle school will convert to a junior high school for seventh- and eighth-graders.
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Board Axes Daytona, by Jackie Leatherman, News-Herald, February 16, 2010

The Lake Havasu Unified School District governing board unanimously voted Tuesday night to close one of its two middle schools for next fall in order to meet a tightening budget.

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Proposition 100: The 1% Temporary Sales Tax Increase-Your Questions Answered

The Arizona Legislature is asking voters to temporarily raise the sales tax by 1%, until May 31, 2013. To see the transmitted bill, click here. The election will take place on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. The following is information that will explain the proposition’s potential impact.

What are the specifics of Proposition 100?

Proposition 100 proposes a 1% increase in the Arizona state sales tax. Two-thirds of the revenues generated would fund education and the other one-third would fund health and human services and public safety. The sales tax would automatically repeal on May 31, 2013.

Will it really repeal automatically?

Yes, it will repeal on May 31, 2013. It would take a two-thirds vote of the legislature or another voter proposition to keep the tax increase in place.

What happens to education funding if Proposition 100 does not pass?

If the temporary 1% sales tax does not pass, as much as one-quarter of all public education funding could be cut! This could mean 1.5 to 2 of out of every 10 teacher positions may be eliminated.

Will there be additional cuts to public schools even if Prop 100 passes?

YES. Even if Proposition 100 passes the revenue raised is not enough to close the budget gap. Additional cuts to education proposed includes:

• Reduction of state funding per-student from current levels to FY2005-06 funding levels.
• Elimination of state funding for Gifted Programs, Teacher Training, Adult Education and GED, and the Early Education Block Grant.
• The elimination of the Full-Day Kindergarten funding rate ($218 million)
• Reduced funding for Charter Schools ($10 million)
• No funding for regular School Building and Maintenance. Only $5 million for emergency maintenance state-wide.
• Reduction of support for Community Colleges and Universities to FY 2005-06 levels. Per-pupil support would drop for universities from $9,480 to $7,100 per student.

What can you do?

• Register to VOTE and apply to receive a permanent early ballot. Click here for links to your county board of elections.
• The last day to register to vote is April 19, 2010. Early voting begins on April 22, 2010; the last day to request an early ballot is May 7, 2010.
• Talk to your family, friends and neighbors about Proposition 100 and its importance to the economic future of Arizona.
• Print out this one page handout : What You Need to Know About Proposition 100-The Temporary 1% Sales Tax, pdf.
• Stay informed: Sign up for our newsletter

To read the entire article click:

Proposition 100: The 1% Temporary Sales Tax Increase-Your Questions Answered

Arizona Education Network Pro Argument for Proposition 100

AEN submitted a pro statement in support of the passage of Proposition 100 – The temporary sales tax. To read the statement, click here.

Tell Us Your Stories: How are education cuts affecting you?

The Legislature has already cut Arizona public education funding with more cuts expected. We want to know how these cuts are affecting your student, their classroom and your school. Send us your stories, your videos, your view and we will post it on a new section of our web site. We will also be featuring individual stories in our newsletter. We want to hear your voice! Click here to send us your story.

To read stories submitted to AEN, click here.

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Cuts to public education are placing Arizona’s economic future in jeopardy.  In order for Arizona to compete in a global economy, attract new companies to the state and keep our military facilities, we need to have a strong public education system.  If Arizona fails to fund quality public education our professionals may leave for states that provide better educational opportunities for their families, property values may decrease, and crime rates may increase.  Therefore, we urge you to vote yes for Proposition 100 to position our state for a brighter economic future.

Ann-Eve Pedersen                                                   MaryLee Moulton

President                                                                     Vice President

The Arizona Education Network

www.arizonaeducationnetwork.com

A non-partisan group of parents, business owners and community members.

These cuts are real and they are impacting classrooms around our state–in K-12 public schools and our community colleges and universities. Now is the time to have an open and frank conversation about the consequences of being at the bottom for public education spending.

Your voice matters. We encourage you to share your experiences. Send your story, photos, or videos to info@arizonaeducationnetwork.com.

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Cuts to Education Leave School Computers Vulnerable, Students without Support during Loss of Teacher

School cuts have hurt our elementary school.

First, we lost our computer tech person. Recently, the computers were infected by a virus. Over a dozen computers cannot be used due the virus, and our computer lab has been shut down while we wait for help to be sent out to our school.

Second, a former teacher recently passed away. We don’t have a school counselor any more. A counselor from another school came to our school for one day. Many of the children are still upset, but we don’t have a counselor on-site; so if the kids want to talk to a counselor about their grief/feelings, there is no counselor on-site.

Terry, Tucson Unified School District

Fourth Grade Classrooms at 35 in Paradise Valley

Thank you for the opportunity to describe how the Arizona education cuts are affecting our children.

My son is in 4th grade in the Paradise Valley School District. At the end of the 2008-2009 school year, there were three 4th grade classes for the 2009-2010 school year, but one week before school started, it was decided that there were not enough children to warrant three classes. There are now two classes with thirty-five students each. This has been a huge concern for many of the parents, but no real solutions have been provided by the school’s administration. The teachers are doing the best that they can, but it is difficult to spend quality time with any of the students. I attended the latest PTSO meeting at our school and at this point, the same situation will be occurring in the 2010-2011 school year.

Why is this acceptable? Why does the State of Arizona think so poorly of our children that we are number forty-nine in student spending? These children are the doctors, police officers and teachers of the future. When is someone going to get that? Thank you for thinking of our kids. They deserve better.

Kelly M., Paradise Valley Parent

Flowing Wells Teacher: Sixty-three Percent Jump in Students and Work; $2000 Drop in Pay

I am a third grade teacher in the Flowing Wells School District. Although the district as a whole does its best to maintain reasonable class sizes, the tax cuts of last year hit us hard. At our school we lost 4 certified positions this year, which resulted in higher class sizes. Last year, my third grade class had 19 students. This year, my class has 31 STUDENTS. That’s a 63% increase. My classroom is packed with desks–it’s hard to find a way to seat the students effectively and comfortably. If I get even one more student this year, I will have no textbooks for him/her. Supplies are–well, in short supply. If it were not for the generosity of parents and other donors like the Tucson Jewish Federation, I would have run out of paper and other necessary supplies long ago.

And, although I did not get into teaching for the money, it is worth mentioning that I am making $2000 less this year than last because of the decrease in 301 monies. I am also working much more. 63% more students means 63% more papers to grade, and more time spent inputting grades into the computer, conferencing with parents, and planning and preparing for lessons. I am working 10 hour days and then going home and grading papers. I am exhausted and frustrated, and worried about the kids. I know it is going to get worse, and our kids deserve better.