• $40 million for K-3 reading intervention programs (Move on When Reading).  [See below for details on how this funding will be allocated to school districts and charter schools.]
• $50 million increase above the current year’s budget to CORL funding (capital outlay revenue limit)–$35 million of this is the backfill of CORL dollars that were swept from districts last year. CORL dollars can be used at the district’s discretion for capital or operational needs.  This budget allocation totals $80.9 million less than the established funding formula would prescribe for our schools.
• No restoration of prior year soft capital cuts. (Governor’s budget originally included $200 million for soft capital.)
• $12 million for Building Renewal to be awarded through a statewide grant process.
• No money for new school construction or local bond expansion capacity.
• $6.2 million to Department of Education for upgrade of statewide “education learning and accountability” (data) system. $5 million of this is from the state’s general fund and $1.2 million is collected from a $6 dollar assessment per full-time student from the state’s public community college and university students.
• 2% inflation increase for transportation formula.  No inflationary increase to the base support funding level.
• 2% increase of charter school additional assistance.
• $3 million to the Innovative Education Programs Grant fund. (See below for details on how this funding will be awarded.)
• $1 million to the State Board of Education for its investigative unit.
• Amendment allowing  JTEDS to fund 8^th grade JTED programs with a local property tax assessment.
• Includes policy language to help the ADE access federal funding for adult education programs.

A big-ticket budget item

• $450 million to state’s rainy day fund (budget stabilization fund).

K-3 Reading Program

§  Adds a K-3 reading support level weight to the per-pupil funding formula.  Appropriates $40 million statewide, and permits the State Board of Education (SBE) to use up to $1.5 million of the amount on technical assistance and state level administration of the K-3 reading program (including two full-time positions).

§  Requires the SBE, in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), to establish a K-3 reading program to improve the reading proficiency of K-3 students.

§  By October 1, 2012, each school district and charter school must submit to the SBE a plan for improving the reading proficiency of its K-3 students. The plan must include baseline data on the K-3 student’s reading proficiency and a budget for spending monies from both the K-3 support level weight and this new K-3 reading support level weight. This reading plan must be resubmitted each year by October 1, and it shall include data on program expenditures and results.

§  These monies from the K-3 reading support level weight must only be used on reading programs in grades K-3 with particular emphasis on students in grades kindergarten, first and second.

§  Each school district and charter school assigned a grade of C, D or F or that has more than 10% of its third grade students reading far below grade level (per the AIMS test) shall receive monies only after their reading program has been approved by the SBE.

§  Requires the ADE to solicit gifts, grants, and donations from any lawful public or private source in order to provide additional funding for the K-3 reading program.

§  Repeals the reading program weight on July 1, 2022.

Innovative Education Programs Grant

§  Establishes a $3 million “Innovative Education Programs Grant” program.

§  Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to use this one-time amount to fund innovative educational programs in public schools. The SBE shall award program funding on a competitive grant basis. Grants shall be awarded only for use in school district and charter schools for innovative education programs that have a proven track record of success in improving student achievement and on related technology, instructional delivery and materials.

§  Each grantee shall be required to match its state grant with an equal or greater match of private sector funding.

§  Grantees must submit a report on program results to the SBE by October 1, 2013.

The budget bill numbers are:

SB1523/HB2852 general appropriations

SB1529/HB2858 k-12 budget reconciliation bill

By way of comparison, below are Governor Brewer’s budget recommendations:.

• No increase in base funding per student for public schools.
• $50 million in funds designated to help young, at-risk readers who are facing the Move on When Ready 3rd grade litmus test for reading.
• $200 million allocated for soft capital expenses: books, computers and other in-classroom supplies.
• New approach to funding the construction of new schools and building renewal.(NOTE: The current system for school construction and building renewal–the School Facilities Board (SFB)–was established in response to Roosevelt v. Bishop which dealt with inequities of school facilities between districts.  It is unclear at this point whether Governor Brewer’s recommendations would be in compliance with this court-mandated system.)
• A one-time allocation of $100 million for building renewal. (NOTE:  The building renewal formula mandated by the SFB has not been fully funded since FY2008.)
• $4.6 million in GED funding.
• $10 million for SMART scholarships.

Calvin Baker, superintendent of the Vail School District: to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award

Debbie Young, on faculty at Richardson Elementary School: to receive the Teacher Award

Barbara Mathers, counselor at Chaparral Middle School in the Sunnyside School District: to receive the Counselor Award

Emily Watson, a senior at Sunnyside High School: to receive the Youth Award

Also to be honored Friday afternoon with the Corporate Award, IBM of Tucson will be thanked for its legacy of supporting K-12 education, and specifically its science, technology, engineering and math endeavors.

Leadership Council Supports 1-Cent Tax, Arizona Public Media, April 23, 2012

Into the mind of . . . Ann-Eve Pedersen, Arizona Republic, April 23, 2012

Campaign seeks to retain 1-cent tax hike, Arizona Daily Star, March 10, 2012

A voice for the people by Linda Valdez, azcentral.com, March 18, 2012

The Quality Education & Jobs Act is here!  Arizona Students Association, March 22, 2012

A new sales tax for schools? by Ann-Eve Pedersen, March 24, 2012

Help get the Quality Education and Jobs Act on the ballot by David Safier on March 24, 2012

Education tax would help with past cuts, E.J. Montini, azcentral.com March 24, 2012

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2012/03/23/20120323new-sales-tax-schools-pedersen-0324.html

Friday, March 9, 2012

Dear Friends:

We want to share some very exciting news!  Today at 10 a.m., we launched the Quality Education and Jobs Campaign to strengthen our children’s education and our state’s economy.

    We filed paperwork with the Secretary of State’s Office that allows us to begin collecting signatures to place a once-in-a-generation measure on the ballot this November.  (We’ll have a table at the Festival of Books in Tucson – Booth # 218 – if you want to stop by this weekend to sign the petition.)

    The Quality Education and Jobs Initiative will ask voters to renew the one-cent sales tax to achieve the following:

• Protect K-12 education funding from further legislative cuts and create a dedicated source of revenue for education across the spectrum – benefiting students of all ages.

• Help educators implement new, more rigorous Common Core standards for K-12, which come online in 2015-2016, as well as other reforms.

• Create university and community college scholarship programs, and provide funding for university operations.

• Reinvest in career and technical education at the high school and community college levels, as well as GED programs.

• Create a poverty index that directs resources to school districts and charters schools to help children living in poverty succeed and to fund voluntary preschool programs.

• Provide funding for KidsCare, a healthcare program for children living in poverty, and create a Family Stability fund for state agencies and non-profits that help address hunger, homelessness, family violence and child care.

• Create new jobs and protect public safety by protecting state funds that are directed toward DPS officers and transportation projects, and by creating a new fund to build roads, rail and transit.

     Our all-volunteer team has spent the past 10 months working to make this a reality.  We appreciate all of your support along the way, and look forward to working with you so we can win in November!

    First, we have to collect 172,809 signatures by July 5 to get on the ballot.  We have hired professional petition circulators who will begin collecting signatures this weekend, but the more we can collect through volunteers, the more funds we’ll have to spend connecting with voters through mail and advertising.

    Can you help?

    We will be having training sessions for volunteers who want to circulate petitions and join our speaker’s bureau.  If you are interested and haven’t signed up already, do so here:  Campaign for Quality Education and Jobs.

    This is a true grassroots effort, so we also will need your donations to run the campaign.  You can donate online at www.qualityeducationandjobs.com or by check.  You can send donations to:

Quality Education and Jobs

 530 McDowell Road, #107-290

 Phoenix, AZ  85004

     Be sure and note your occupation and employer on the check.  There are no limits to the amount that individuals can give to an initiative effort.  Corporations are also allowed to donate.

    To read the ballot language and the press release, please go to the campaign website, www.qualityeducationandjobs.com.

   Thank you!

Your AEN team,

Ann-Eve Pedersen

Eileen Jackson

Jen Darland

Lisa Ferko

MaryLee Moulton

• Increases transportation support per route mile formula by 1.7% for fiscal year 2013.
• Directs Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to reduce the amount of basic state aid that would be allotted for Capital Outlay Revenue Limit (CORL) by $93,864,800. For districts that are not eligible for basic state aid, ADE shall reduce their district’s CORL appropriation by the amount they would be reduced if they were eligible for basic state aid.
• Funds Joint Technical Education Districts (JTED) for fiscal year 2013 at 91% of amount provided by law.
• Suspends Building Renewal Formula for 2013. (NOTE:  this formula has not been funded since FY 2008).

Rep. Vic Williams introduced an amendment to equalize JTED funding so as to not negatively impact So. Arizona JTED. Amendment was withdrawn but Rep. Williams stated intent to see issue addressed later in the budget process.  

HB2859/SB1530: Higher Education; Budget Reconciliation; 2012-2013
**Passed Senate Appropriations: 9-3, 1 Not Voting: Passed House Appropriations: 9-4.**

Community Colleges:

• Continues to suspend capital outlay for fiscal year 2012.
• Allows each community college to use any of its capital outlay funding for operating aid expenses in fiscal year 2013.
• No funding for adult education.

Universities:

• Continues to allow the legislature to appropriate state matching funds on a less than 2:1 ratio for surcharges on student registration fees deposited into the Arizona Financial Aid Trust for fiscal year 2013.
• No funding for growth.

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By way of comparison, below are Governor Brewer’s budget recommendations:.

• No increase in funding per student for public schools.
• $50 million in funds designated to help young, at-risk readers who are facing the Move on When Ready 3rd grade litmus test for reading.
• $200 million allocated for soft capital expenses: books, computers and other in-classroom supplies.
• New approach to funding the construction of new schools and building renewal.(NOTE: The current system for school construction and building renewal–the School Facilities Board (SFB)–was established in response to Roosevelt v. Bishop which dealt with inequities of school facilities between districts.  It is unclear at this point whether Governor Brewer’s recommendations would be in compliance with this court-mandated system.)
• A one-time allocation of $100 million for building renewal. (NOTE:  The building renewal formula mandated by the SFB has not been fully funded since FY2008.)
• $4.6 million in GED funding.
• $10 million for SMART scholarships.

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Related Articles:
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Arizona legislature releases budget ~ Arizona Republic, Alia Beard/Mary Jo Pitzl, 2/20/12

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In less than two weeks, Arizona will be celebrating 100 years of statehood. Public officials across the state will gather to pay tribute to our progress since those early days as a territory, the challenges to secure statehood, and how the vision of our forefathers has been realized by the generations who have succeeded them.
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The state’s centennial celebration is the perfect time to reflect upon our state’s constitution. Considered the most progressive document of its kind, ours set forth a vision for our state across all areas and placed notable emphasis on the provision for public education.
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The Arizona Constitution requires that the legislature commit to not only the proper maintenance of education in our state, but its development and improvement. Since 2008, the Arizona legislature has cut over $1 billion in public K-12, university and community college funding.  This lack of support for education funding not only undermines the constitutional provision for the  maintenance, development, and improvement of our schools, it also threatens our state’s economic security.  Arizonans should hold their representatives to the requirements of our constitution every day, but most notably on its 100th anniversary.
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Public education has long been recognized as the crucial component for ensuring our economic and civic structure in the state of Arizona.  John Goodwin, the first governor of the Arizona Territory, stated definitively that “self-government and universal education are inseparable.  The one can be exercised only as the other is enjoyed.”  As early as 1864 he called on the territory legislature to establish free public K-12 and university education, noting that “The first duty of the legislators of a free state is to make, as far as lies within their power, education as free to all its citizens as the air they breathe.”
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Thus public schools were already well established in our state by December of 1910, when 52 delegates from across the Arizona territory came together to draft a state constitution.
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The Arizona Constitution was not a haphazardly formatted document; nor was it a rigid, federally mandated decree by a group of men in powdered wigs and leggings.  The delegates, or constitutional framers, were miners, ranchers and small business owners–the hardworking, enterprising men who defined the “American pioneer” as we think of it today.  Their efforts, combined with several reviews by the voters of Arizona, shaped the enduring and progressive document that has ensured prosperity for our state and its citizens for generations.
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In addition to the territorial legal precedent, the Arizona delegates also had the basic tenets of the Northwest Ordinance as a guideline for their new constitution.  The three-paged Ordinance outlined pre-statehood rule of law to the territories and underscored the four basic cornerstones of democracy and preeminent American values:
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1.    Freedom of religion.
2.    Trial by jury.
3.    Public education.
4.    Prohibition of slavery.
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Article 3 of the Northwest Ordinance speaks to education in the following passage:  “…. knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”
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While the Northwest Ordinance and territorial laws provided the basic scaffolding, the elected delegates were allowed great liberty in how they arrived at the final destination of statehood. Their constitutional course was expected to be one that would be most “comfortably” maintained for the citizens; based largely, if not wholly, on the values and consent of the citizens they were representing in the process.  Addressing the manner of providing public education required the framers to consider the existing and future resources and potential of the territories, and their shared expectations for the growth of a great state.
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Article XI of the Arizona constitution defines the basic parameters for a ‘general and uniform’ public school system from Kindergarten to the University level, outlines the administration of the schools and guarantees an education free from religious or political discrimination. The constitutional authors of 1910-1911 also had the foresight to avoid the unfunded government mandates that we often see today.  They made sure that the funding for Arizona’s public education system was well defined and enduring: Article 11, Section 10 reads:
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Our Arizona forefathers wisely set the bar at a level that would rise alongside the population; allowing for funding increases as needed and with a explicit directive to future legislators to ensure consistent, reliable support for the enhancement and prosperity of our public schools.  The Constitution does not read “We should provide for education” or “We should maintain our state educational institutions when we can afford it” – it states explicitly that public education funding must rise beyond the adequate and to the level of providing for the “development and improvement” of our state schools.
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And yet, almost 100 years later, here we are. Per-pupil funding for our Arizona public schools has been on the decline for over a decade and our current legislative leadership is working diligently to unravel existing revenue for our public schools.  The constitutional law which requires our elected representatives to “make such appropriations” is being studiously ignored despite a rising outcry from parents, teachers, our military personnel and the Arizona business community.  To suggest that any article or section of our state constitution is simply irrelevant or inconsequential undermines the significance of our forefather’s vision and foresight. To ignore and/or undermine the constitution is, without a doubt, unconstitutional.
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Our constitution matters.   It is, as Toni McClory states in Understanding the Arizona Constitution, “the most authoritative guide available” and a “continuing limitation on powers of government.”
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In fact, our constitution matters enough that we require our elected representatives to swear an oath prior to taking office:
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____________________________________________________________________________________
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State of Arizona, County of ______________ I, _____________________(type or print name)

do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the

Constitution and laws of the State of Arizona, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same

and defend them against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that I will faithfully and impartially

discharge the duties of the office of ___________________ (name of office) _____________________

according to the best of my ability, so help me God (or so I do affirm).
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______________________________________
(signature of officer or employee)
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Our current course is unacceptable.  It would be unacceptable to our forefathers, and it’s unacceptable to most Arizonans.  Arizona’s race to the bottom in the US education rankings is hurting the students in our schools today as well as the future of our economy.  It is time for every Arizonan to stand strong and give voice that it is time to reclaim the vision of our founding fathers and re-prioritize the values of our government.  Our children–our collective future–should come first.
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To learn more about the history of Arizona and its constitution, we recommend the following sources:.

Smith, Zachary (2002) Politics and Public Policy in Arizona.  Can be viewed on-line via Google books at this address.

History of TUSD:  The First Hundred Years (2003) The Organizers 1867-1870 can be viewed here.
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The Northwest Ordinance available online at Our Documents and at Early America.
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Understanding the Arizona Constitution McClory, Toni; The University of Arizona Press, 2001. This informative book is available for check-out at your public library or for purchase at Amazon.com.
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Arizona State Constitution can be found at the website for the Arizona State Legislature, Article XI, Section X can be found here.
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Arizona historical information can be found at the Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records.

The TABOR rule would require backing from the majority of the 60-person House and would preclude it from even considering a budgetary bill that would exceed the rule’s limit, namely any increase in spending above the past year’s level OR the past year’s level of revenue, whichever is less.

This binds the Legislature to spending levels at or below current level, locking in cuts made necessary by a flagging economy for good.  It was bad law last session when it was vetoed by the Governor’s office, and it’s bad rule-making now.

Click here to find and contact your state representatives.  Ask them NOT to support this rule.  Tell them that:

• TABOR is too restrictive and it exempts elective officials from seriously considering any budgetary legislation on its own merits. Our representatives are elected to make well-informed and measured decisions about matters affecting the state.  With this cookie-cutter approach, who needs legislators?
• TABOR locks in the effects of a bad economy for years to come.
• Legislative rules are meant to be procedural in nature and should NOT impose policy strictures on members.
• The only state to ever enact TABOR legislation was Colorado and voters later junked the TABOR law in the wake of its disastrous results.

For more information on TABOR, check out these links:

Legislature Passes Bill Locking in Cuts for Years to Come, Arizona Education Network, April 20, 2011

Don’t force Arizona into fiscal shackles, The Arizona Republic, January 30, 2012

House GOP looks to rule change for spending limit, AzCapitolTimes.com, January 26, 2012 (Note: this article requires log in to access)

ESAs were established by legislation passed in a prior session allowing parents of special needs students to “cash out” of the public school system.  Ninety percent of the dollars that would have been allocated to public schools on behalf of that student would be transfered from the Arizona Department of Education back to the Treasury to be deposited in an ESA on behalf of the student.  The parents of the special needs child can then access those funds to pay for an array of educational purposes including private school tuition, tutoring, distance learning, community college classes and educational software.  The parents of the child need only agree not to enroll the student in the state’s public school system (either traditional or charter).  Parents would also agree to document the monies taken from the ESA were spent on educational purposes.

ASBA and AEA challenged the measure, stating it funneled public monies into private school coffers.  The court disagreed based on the fact that parents could spend the money in a variety of different ways that did not benefit private schools exclusively.  Consequently, the prohibition of using public funds to benefit private or religious schools is not breached.

It is unclear at this time whether ASBA and/or AEA will continue the challenge to ESAs via the appellate process.  However, what is clear is that state lawmakers see this program as the vanguard to the expansion of ESAs to students attending underperforming public schools, bringing Arizona that much closer to a full-fledged school voucher system.

For more information on the ESAs, see AEN’s earlier post: Sen. Rick Murphy: If Empowerment Accounts for Special Needs Students Ruled Legal, Will Be Template for All AZ Students

Seven out of 10 Arizona voters support the continuation of the existing one-cent sales tax to fund public education.

That was among the findings of a poll commissioned by a number of educational and business organizations released today.

“Support for continuation of the tax is broad-based, with Independents, Republicans, and Democrats all in favor,” said Dr. Bruce Merrill of Merrill Research, who conducted the poll.

“Voters seem to understand that the key to a solid education system is stable funding, school performance, and accountability,” said Ann-Eve Pedersen, President of the Arizona Education Parent Network. “With stable funding, educational institutions will be able to plan and implement strategies to improve student achievement and outcomes.”

This past summer, a number of groups representing various business, parent, and education community perspectives came together with the goal to improve Arizona’s educational outcomes. Organizations providing input included Education Breakthrough Network, Arizona Business and Education Coalition, Arizona Education Parent Network, Arizona School Boards Association, Arizona Education Association, Teach for America, and Stand for Children, among others.

In addition to meeting Arizona’s future public education needs, education groups are concerned by the pending expiration of Prop. 100 and the education funding gap it will create.

In May of 2010, Arizona voters enacted Prop. 100, a one-cent sales tax that has generated approximately $900 million annually. The expiration of the existing tax will result in a loss of hundreds of millions in education funding in FY 2014. Studies show Arizona continually lags among the bottom of all states in terms of public education funding and academic performance. Overall, the expiration of the tax will result in $1 billion less revenue to the state’s general fund, adversely impacting public education, public safety, health and human services, and university programs.

A group is in the final planning stages for a November 2012 ballot initiative, the details of which will be released in mid-to-late January.

The poll, conducted last month, surveyed 800 likely voters in Arizona, and revealed the electorate’s desire to strengthen the state’s education system across-the-board. Some key findings were:

• When asked about spending priorities, eight in 10 respondents ranked public education as very high or high. Cutting state taxes or replenishing the state’s “rainy day” fund ranked considerably lower, with only 40 and 43 percent ranking such efforts very high or high priority respectively.

• Voters support the notion of Performance Plans created by each school district and charter school to demonstrate how funding will be used to increase student performance. “We simply cannot issue a blank-check to Arizona school districts,” said Pedersen. “While Arizonans want more investment in K-12 education, these dollars must be tied to student performance if we want to meaningfully improve education in our state.”

• If the proposal includes scholarships for universities and community college students, 71 percent of voters are more likely to support the continuation of the one-cent sales tax. There was also substantial support for using increased university funding for both scholarships and operations.

• The poll revealed broad-based support across all political affiliations: Democrats (85 percent), independents (72 percent), and Republicans (63 percent). Self-identified members of the Tea Party would also support the initiative (60 percent).

• Three out of four likely voters believe that losing the Prop. 100 funds will be a very serious issue for education in Arizona. In addition, 75 percent respondents expressed little to no confidence that the Legislature would increase education funding even if state tax revenues were to rise.

• By a wide margin, voters support establishing a base level of funding for K-12 education, which would bar the legislature from cutting education funding below 2011 levels.

Dr. Bruce Merrill is one of Arizona’s most recognized and acknowledged pollsters. He is a Professor Emeritus of Mass Communication at ASU. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics, an M.S. in Political Science, an M.S. in Counseling Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Political Behavior from the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan where he trained at the Michigan Survey Research Center. Dr. Merrill was the founding director of the ASU Survey Research Center, founding Director of the Public Opinion Research Center at ASU, and founding director of the Walter Cronkite Media Research Center at ASU. He has conducted hundreds of surveys for private, public, and educational organizations throughout Arizona, the United States and several foreign countries.

Contact: Ann-Eve Pedersen
January 5, 2012 anneve@arizonaeducationnetwork.com
520-390-5693

• The state budget is about to go over a one billion dollar cliff as the one-cent sales tax expires in 2013.*
• Just 25% of Arizona fourth-graders were Proficient in a recent national reading test.  NOTE from AEN:  The report seems to cite 2009 NAEP reading scores for this age group performing at or above Proficient. The 2011 numbers recently released cite a rate of 26% of 4th graders at or above Proficient.
• The state is on the downside of a boom-and-bust economy.
• Just one in four Phoenix residents age 24 or older has a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• The state Legislature is more and more divorced from the views of the average Arizonan with just 27% of Arizonans satisfied with state government.
• Arizona per capita income in 2008 was $33,768, well below the U.S. average of $40,208.

• The number of students demonstrating financial need for higher education has increased by 88% in the last five years.
• Less than 1% of the roughly one billion in financial aid is provided for by the state general fund with the lion’s share coming directly from the universities in the form of tuition waivers, employment, scholarships and other funds.
• Arizona ranks 49th in the country when measuring the amount of state-funded financial aid provided to students.
• The average debt of a student receiving  a bachelor’s degree from an Arizona university has risen to  nearly $22,000.
• Total wages earned by college graduates in Arizona over the last 20 years was $11.1 billion dollars which translated into $778 million in taxes paid to the state general fund.

Several observations can be made:

• A higher percentage of bond projects was approved than of budget override measures.  (Ten of fifteen bond issues approved at 67%; fifteen of thirty-seven overrides approved at 41%).
• Maricopa county passed 100% of its seven bond measures and only seven of the sixteen (44%) overrides.
• Pima county passed 100% of its bond measure–though only one bond measure was on the ballot–and four of six (67%) override measures;
• Pinal county passed only one of its four bond measures (25%) and passed none of the five override measures on the ballot.
• Of the remaining outlying counties one of three bond measures (33%) was approved while four of ten override requests passed (40%).

Click here to read about one school district’s reaction to its defeated bond and override measures.

Click here to read about Flagstaff Unified School District’s use of current bond/override funds and their plans for future requests to voters.

Introducing the 2011 Arizona News Service
Capitol Roadshow

Join Arizona News Service, parent company of Arizona Capitol Times, as we go on the road across our state to help educate Arizonans about the legislative process. Our mission, as a non-partisan newspaper and media company, is to share information with our clients, subscribers and readers, to help them make decisions on what unfolds at the Capitol. Our team of experts, staff and lawmakers will visit Flagstaff, Tucson, Prescott and Maricopa County.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
December 8
8:30 registration
9 a.m. – 12 p.m. discussions

High Country Conference Center
Northern Arizona University
201 West Butler Avenue – Flagstaff, AZ 86001
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Why Capitol Roadshow?
The Arizona News Service Capitol Roadshow is the only non-partisan glance at Arizona politics. With its mission to engage more citizens in the political process, the Capitol Roadshow will tour the state and educate citizens on vital issues impacting Arizonans.

How a bill becomes a law
Understanding the process of how a bill becomes law is important to being engaged in the political process. Each step in the process is crucial to a bill surviving the legislative process and ultimately becoming a law.

Getting engaged and implementing a grassroots strategy at the Capitol (panel discussion)
Becoming engaged in what happens at the Capitol is an important first step to implementing a grassroots strategy. This panel discussion will help understand the tactics and strategies behind running a successful grassroots campaign.

Social Media – how it’s changing the face of politics (panel discussion)
With the emergence of new technologies, social media has become a power player in politics. With almost 1 billion users on Facebook and Twitter, social media has changed the way people communicate, the way information is dispersed and the way people engage in the political system. It’s also expected it will change the landscape of next year’s state and local elections. Our panel will explore social media and give you strategies for staying current on what’s transpiring and what some of the hottest trends will be in 2012.

Media Panel – What’s happening at the Capitol, what to expect, redistricting and much more
With an upcoming Legislative Session and Arizona in the midst of redistricting and 2012 elections, this will be a very important time for Arizona’s political climate. This media panel will discuss what to expect and how these changes will impact Arizonans.

Q&A with Local Politicians

Free to attend!
Plus all attendees receive a complimentary
Citizen Government Guide, a $19.95 value.

To register visit http://capitolroadshow.eventbrite.com
For more information call 602-889-7129 or email events@azcapitoltimes.com

Sponsored by:
Northern Arizona University

Follow us on Facebook – Capitol Roadshow
or Twitter – @CapitolRoadshow

What will happen to public education funding when $538 million in corporate tax breaks go into effect in 2014.

With no legislative attention being paid to these massive losses to the general fund–or to the $500 million structural deficit our state faces each year–education advocates are worried. But they’re not sitting idle.

Groups dedicated to a strong public education system for Arizona have been meeting for the last several months, strategizing toward a stable source of funding for public education in the state.  After absorbing $1.3 billion in cuts during fiscal years 2008 to present, schools simply cannot take any more hits.  Recognizing this, these groups have been working hard on drafting a November 2012 ballot initiative to establish this stable funding source.

Groups involved in the talks include:

• Arizona Education Network
• Arizona Business Education Coalition
• Arizona Education Association
• Arizona School Boards Association

Check out these links for more information about these group meetings:

Education advocates worry about budget hole after tax ends, Cronkite News, Wednesday November 2, 2011

Education network urges united effort for ballot initiative, The Glendale Star, Thursday November 3, 2011

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