Legislative Newsletter April 6, 2010

Arizona Education Network Find Out What Happens in Your School District if Prop. 100 Fails Tuesday, April 6, 2010

What Happens In Your School District If Prop 100 Fails: Contingent Cuts to Arizona School Districts Do you know how your school district will be affected if Prop. 100 - the temporary one percent sales tax - passes or fails? Now you can find out. In order to show the direct impact of potential cuts to school districts if Prop. 100 fails, Governor Brewer's Office recently released a report that provides a district-by-district estimate of the impact of legislative budget cuts on Arizona school districts for the 2010-11 school year. The report shows both the cuts that will occur if Prop. 100 passes and the estimates of additional cuts for each school district if Prop. 100 fails on May 18. If Prop. 100 fails, traditional public schools can expect a total funding cut of $748,775,148. Public charter schools can expect a $63,663,047 total funding cut. To find out how your school district or public charter may be impacted, click here. Related articles: Proposition 100: The TEMPORARY 1% Sales Tax Increase - Your Questions Answered!

_________________________ May 18, 2010 Special Election for Proposition 100 - Temporary 1% Sales Tax Proposition 100 Facts Without the temporary sales tax, as much as one-quarter of all public education funding could be cut. This could mean 1.5 to 2 out of every 10 teacher positions may be eliminated. Proposition 100 will devote two-thirds of revenues generated to education funding and one-third to health and human services and public safety. The tax will automatically 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. For more information see Proposition 100: The 1% Temporary Sales Tax Increase-Your Questions Answered Last Day to Register to Vote April 19, 2010 Arizona Education Network Voter Guide: Important Dates, Information, and Resources _________________________

Learn More -- Find a Budget and/or Prop. 100 Forum near YOU! The Arizona Education Network and other parent organizations are sponsoring or speaking at several upcoming public forums about the state of education funding and the local impact of Prop. 100. Please take a moment to find a forum near you! If you do not see a forum in your community and would like our help to organize one, please send us an email at outreach@arizonaeducationnetwork.com. If you would like AEN to list your school and/or organization's budget and/or Prop. 100 forum on our next newsletter and our website, please email the information to jen@arizonaeducationnetwork.com. Arizona Education Network Forums in the Amphitheater School District Tuesday, April 6, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Ironwood Ridge High School 2475 West Naranja Drive Oro Valley, AZ Map available here. Wednesday April 7, 6 - 7:30 p.m. Amphitheater High School, Auditorium 125 West Yavapai Tucson, AZ Map Available here. Higley Community Event for Prop. 100 Tuesday, April 6, 7 p.m. Higley Center for the Performing Arts 4132 East Pecos Road Gilbert, AZ 85295 Map available here. KUAT-TV Televised Forum on Prop. 100 Sunday, April 11, 6:30 p.m. Stevie Eller Dance Theatre University of Arizona campus (on the UA Mall, just west of Campbell) The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson & the Catalina Methodist Church Committee on Church, Society and Mission Prop. 100 Forum Tuesday, April 13, 7 p.m. Catalina Methodist Church, in the Fellowship Hall 2700 East Speedway Boulevard Tucson, AZ 85716 Map available here. Arizona Education Network Forum in the Flowing Wells Unified School District Thursday, April 15, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Flowing Wells High School, Auditorium 3725 North Flowing Wells Road Tucson, AZ 85705 Map available here. Impact of the Arizona Budget on Public Education: Kyrene Elementary, Tempe Elementary & Tempe Union High School Districts, sponsored by the Parent Network Tuesday, April 20, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Compadre High School 500 West Guadalupe Road Tempe, AZ 85283 Map available here. Arizona Education Network Community Forum to discuss the impact of Prop. 100 on public education, universities, police, fire and public health Thursday, April 22, details TBA

_________________________ Are you interested in becoming a member of your school board? The Arizona School Board Association is sponsoring two informational webinars, covering what it takes to run for and serve on an Arizona school board. Saturday, April 17, 10 - 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 12, 6 - 7 p.m. To reserve your virtual seat for this informative event, visit www.azsba.org and click the "Running for School Board Webinar" link. Serving on a school board is one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs you'll ever undertake. If you're considering a run for your school board, you want to take advantage of this opportunity! _________________________

The Arizona Education Network Needs YOUR Help! Last week, we sent out a fundraising appeal to help us pay for upcoming outreach events and operating expenses. Since then, we've received over $1,500. Thank you to all who contributed to this generous start! We still have a way to go to reach our goal of $25,000. If you haven't already, please consider making a donation online by clicking here, or you can make a check payable to The Arizona Education Network and mail it to: The Arizona Education Network 4729 East Sunrise Drive, #210 Tucson, AZ 85718 All contributions are greatly appreciated. If you have already contributed, thank you! Because we are a 501 (c)(4) non-profit organization, contributions are not tax-deductible.

Will you help us reach our goal? Contribute online today via PayPal Or mail your check to: The Arizona Education Network 4728 East Sunrise Drive, #210 Tucson, AZ 85718 Thank you for your support! ______________________

_________________________ Interested in having the Arizona Education Network speak at your school or community group? Email us at outreach@arizonaeducationnetwork.com for information and dates. _________________________

Three steps you can take to support public education in Arizona: Vote,Vote,Vote Vote YES on Prop. 100, the sales tax referendum, Tuesday, May 18th. Vote for pro-education candidates in the primary election, Tuesday, August 24th. Vote for pro-education candidates in the general election, Tuesday, November 2nd. Helpful Links: Arizona Education Network Voter Guide; Find your Legislator

Top Ten Reasons to Vote for Prop 100

by Francesca Thomas, Scottsdale Parent & Public Education Supporter

1) IF WE BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

As we seek to attract new, high tech. businesses to our State, research shows that we must have the infrastructure, including a vibrant, competitive school system, to lure them.

Passage of Prop. 100 will infuse our public schools with some much needed funding so we can continue to support the kind of schools that corporations look for when choosing new sites for their business.


2) POLICE ARE A PRIORITY

Part of the funding from Prop. 100 will go to support public safety. Especially in difficult economic times, we cannot afford to forego a strong police presence in our neighborhoods and State. There is simply too much at stake.


3) HEALTH IS WEALTH

The current State budget removes access to healthcare from thousands of children and families in need. Prop. 100 mandates that 1/3 of the collected revenues be spent on health care. Early intervention will allow those people to get better and help our economy recover, instead of being a drain on economic recovery as their acute illnesses only get attention in our emergency rooms.


4) IT’S THE LAW OF THE LAND

The Arizona Constitution states, “ [T]he legislature shall make such appropriations, to be met by taxation, as shall insure the proper maintenance of all state educational institutions…”

In the past 2 years, public education has endured $900 million in cuts. To properly maintain our schools, we need to get some more money. The Legislature is relying on us to uphold this Constitutional mandate and pass Prop. 100.


5) SOMETIMES BIGGER ISN’T BETTER

Arizona already has the highest student teacher ratio in the nation. Without funding from Prop. 100, our classroom sizes will grow to averages not seen anywhere else in our country; surely our children deserve better.


6) SMARTS COME FROM MORE THAN THE 3 Rs

Research has proven that the very skills our children need to be successful in this 21st century economy are fostered by fine arts education. But the cuts to public education- already nearly a 25% total cut over the last 2 years- will preclude many districts from offering their students these essential classes. Prop. 100 gives us a chance to tell our children that we understand and support a well rounded, high caliber education for every Arizona child.


7) CUT… CUT… LOSE

We have closed our parks and rest areas; we have slashed our university and public school budgets; we have diminished government personnel and budgets; and we have sold our State buildings. The long-term economic impact of all these cuts –in terms of the job losses and reduced revenue- is predicted to be significant if not devastating. Relying on cuts alone will throw our State back in time, and we will lose our competitive edge. Our recovery from this recession requires a small, temporary influx of cash; Prop. 100 can deliver.


8) IT’S A SCREAMIN’ DEAL

For an extra penny on your dollar, you can buy almost $1 billion worth of services for our children, our communities and our neediest citizens.


9) HERE TODAY- GONE TOMORROW

It clearly states in the law that this tax will be eliminated on May 31, 2013. It really is a temporary stopgap that will help us maintain essential State functions while we continue to recover from our recession.


10) ARIZONA’S KIDS ARE WORTH IT

90% of Arizona children are educated in public schools; two-thirds of Prop. 100 money must be spent on our public schools. A YES vote on Prop. 100 sends a message to our children that they are our greatest State treasure, even when times are tough.

_________________________________________________________________________
"Top Ten Reasons to Vote for Prop 100" originally ran in the print edition of the Scottsdale Republic as a "My Turn" column on April 1, 2010.  We obtained permission from Francesca Thomas to post it here.  Thomas is a mother of three boys in the Scottsdale Unified School District and is president-elect for the Scottsdale Parent Council. 

Extra! Extra! Arizona Education Network – Covert Front Operation...Really?

Some interesting things have happened since we released our legislative voting tally last week. Most of it has been very positive – we’ve received lots of great feedback and everyone who has contacted us directly has been interested in helping us to distribute more information to their local community groups.

It hasn’t been all sunshine and roses, however. As someone who is relatively new to the ‘process’ of politics, I think the quick misinformation campaign that was launched against our group is interesting and worth sharing. It is worth talking about publically not just because we feel it is important to put the facts on record, but also because the ‘spin’ we’re seeing in this small example brings us right back to the very reason that AEN was formed in the first place.

Spin zinger one: Arizona Education Network members are “union shills”.

Fact: Well, for starters, none of our AEN board members, writers, researchers or speakers are (or have ever been) union members. We are not speaking for or representing any group other than our own…and we sure the heck aren’t getting paid or compensated in any way.

So why is this label being flung around? We think it is probably because nothing politicizes education in people’s mind like the word ‘union’, and that name-calling is sometimes an effective tool to detract from the real issues. And, yes, it could also have something to do with our rather uncreative choice for a group name (AEN is close to AEA, the teacher’s professional union in Arizona).

Spin Shot Number Two: AEN has ‘close ties’ to other education groups.

Fact: We are a relatively new group and are definitely working to form ‘close ties’ between parents, students and any of the existing groups that impact our schools. We have spoken to school superintendents, elected officials, teachers (union and non-union), private school leaders, business officials, faith-based organizations, and a number of individuals who are concerned about education but are not otherwise affiliated with an organized group.

Education reform and improvement will not occur in a vacuum. Our public schools are intrinsically linked with our individual communities, and it will truly take a collective effort to initiate state-wide improvements. We certainly do not believe that we have the answers to all of the issues facing our schools, and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn and collaborate with others.

Spin zinger three: We are a ‘front’ for a political party.

Fact: No, we aren’t. Our AEN members come from a wide variety of political backgrounds and our core team consists of several Republicans, a couple of Independents and a few Democrats. One of our co-founders worked for a Republican Governor, another was not even paying much attention to politics at all until just last year. We run the political gamut and probably could never come to a consensus about some of the singular ‘hot button’ issues….but we all are 100% unified in the belief that we need fact-based solutions to improve our public schools.

So why the accusation about the political party connections?

On the very same afternoon that we printed our voting record tally, a few politicians went into deflect mode and insinuated that our spokeswoman, Ann-Eve Pedersen, was some sort of party operative working on a partisan attack.

Their ‘evidence’? Ann-Eve’s deceased father was active with his local Democratic party 20 years ago. Her brother-in-law is also an active party member. Though she herself is not active in party politics, she has donated to Democratic candidates in the past.

What they left out – Her father’s widow is a lifelong Republican and a number of her other relatives are active in conservative causes, including a cousin who worked for James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. That’s just a start. We haven’t finished dissecting her family tree just yet in an attempt to discredit her own personal actions and beliefs , but I’m sure there is more ‘dirt’ here…rumors abound that her dog might have Marxist leanings.

What was also missed? Ann-Eve has been a dedicated, unpaid parent volunteer in our local schools for years. She is also just one member of our group, albeit the one brave enough to stick her neck out as a public speaker and to endure prodding into her family’s personal life. Our group is not defined by any one person’s political views, and we certainly do not represent, advocate for or wave the flag for any political party.

Which leads me back to the reason we formed AEN in the first place…

Ideology, spin and inflammatory rhetoric are no substitute for factual information.

The majority of Republican, Democrat and Independent-leaning families in our state send their children to public schools – support for education is not a partisan issue. As a group, we will continue to insist that our elected officials use factual information and adhere to their constitutional duties to our children, communities and our schools.

Arizona Education Network Holds Press Conference for the Release of Legislators' Voting Records ~ March 25, 2010

Video via the Arizona Guardian Ustream.

*Below you will find text from the press conference held at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 for the release of the 2009 Legislative Session Education Funding Voting Record, compiled by the Arizona Education Network.

Thank you for joining us today!

We are all parents with the ARIZONA EDUCATION NETWORK -- we are a group founded a year ago by parents from various school districts who were concerned about what was happening to Arizona school funding.

We are a non-partisan, independent, non-profit organization with no ties to any outside groups. We have a website where we regularly post analyses of education issues, as well as breaking news.

Recently, we decided to take a closer look at the voting records of our legislators on education funding issues during the 2009 legislative session. As you know, because of decisions made during that session, our schools experienced DEEP, DEEP CUTS.

And we weren't starting from a very healthy place to begin with -- considering we consistently rank at the bottom nationwide in per-student spending.

Our children this school year have experienced the effects of those cuts in the way of much larger class sizes, the loss of teachers at their schools, the elimination of librarians, counselors, art and music teachers, the lack of funding for basics such as books, computers, paper and even toilet paper.

What's on the horizon is even more bleak: All of those cuts will be continued, plus the loss of all-day kindergarten and funding for gifted programs are guaranteed. If PROP. 100 doesn't pass on May 18, our schools won't just be on a starvation diet, they will start losing limbs.

Many legislators, when they return home to their districts tout themselves as education supporters. No one likes to be seen as being against education. However, clearly these voting records prove that some legislators were willing to stick up for schoolchildren and others were not.

We think it's important for voters to see who supports education funding and who voted against public education funding 100 percent of the time in the last legislative session.

Forty of our ninety legislators -- almost half -- voted against public education funding 100 percent of the time.

When parents start to get mad at their principals, or their superintendents, or their school board members because of what's happening at their children's schools -- we want them to remember who really is to blame for the predicament we face.

And we want them to remember that when they go to vote in the August primaries and the November general elections.

We also want to remind Arizonans that it's not just our state's schoolchildren who are affected by these votes. These aren't just votes against children -- THEY ARE VOTES AGAINST EVERY SINGLE ARIZONAN.

Why?

A vote against education funding is a vote against businesses.

A vote against education funding is a vote against our military bases.

A vote against education funding is a vote against higher property values.

A vote against education funding is a vote in favor of more and more incarceration. (As we can see here today, that's a booming business in Arizona. [A private prison event was happening at the same time at the Capitol.])

Everyone knows that businesses are attracted and remain in states with strong education systems because they are guaranteed an educated workforce and good schools for their employees' children.

Everyone knows that our military bases have told the legislature that they will be at risk of closure during the next round of base closures if Arizona's education rankings don't rise.

Everyone knows that areas with strong schools have higher property values.

And everyone knows that if you don't educate, you incarcerate instead.

This particular legislature has been a disaster for our schoolchildren. It's pretty clear that the wheels are coming off the bus. What we want everyone to know is who unscrewed the lug nuts.

Tell Sen. Melvin: Felons & Lawbreakers have NO PLACE near our schools!

Stranger Danger: Felons & Convicts Coming to a School Near YOU! ~ Tim Derrig, Parent Advocate for Public Education

This week, we learned of the ultimate insult and attack on public education in Arizona. Senator Melvin from LD26 recently announced his intent to supplement everyday labor on school campuses and facilities with prison labor.

Yes, the Senator seems to think that this ‘proposed’ cost saving measure is an act that will be appreciated by his constituents as he attempts, yet again, to deny public schools of ANY expense that is borne by the state of Arizona.

The bottom line here is simple. Felons, convicts and individuals stripped of their rights as a result of their court ordered period of incarceration have NO PLACE mingling with (for any reason) our most precious resource, the children of Arizona.

We must all speak out loud on this one. Please consider contacting Senator Melvin directly and expressing your outrage. Tell him in no uncertain terms that felons and lawbreakers have NO PLACE near our schools.

• Legislative Office Phone: (602) 926-4326
• Email: amelvin@azleg.gov
• Legislative Office Fax: (602) 417-3259
• Letters/postcards can be mailed to Senator Melvin at:
  Arizona Senate Senate
  1700 W. Washington
  Room 303
  Phoenix, AZ 85007

The Arizona Education Network's Recent Legislative Update ~ March 15, 2010

Special Seventh Session Budget Surprises

The Legislature's Seventh Special Session is a lesson in semantics for Arizona families. It seems that lawmakers are trumpeting the restoration of half-day Kindergarten. While some argued that a cut is a cut - not a restoration, there were not enough votes to save the $218 million appropriation to the full-day kinder program.

Lawmakers in both the House and the Senate spent more than nine hours in committee on Tuesday, March 9, engaged in heated debate in between hearing public testimony. The elimination of state programs such as KidsCare, a healthcare program for children whose families are well-below poverty level, and the near elimination of the Department of Juvenile Corrections, are but two examples of the impact of this bill to programs vital for children and public safety.

Adding insult to injury was the surprise addition of a $98 million appropriation from the state's general fund to the Department of Corrections for an additional 6,000 "beds". That's 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.

According the Arizona Republic, the Senate is expected to finish voting on two remaining bills, bringing the Seventh Special Session to a close. After which, the entire package of $1.1 billion in state program cuts will be transmitted to Governor Brewer for her signature


To read more go to House & Senate Appropriations Committees Begin Work on Seventh Special Session Bills **UPDATED**


So let's look at the budget options:

Behind Door #1: Cuts IF Proposition 100 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.
• Basic funding level for education cut back to the 2005-06 funding levels

Behind Door #2: Cuts to expect IN ADDITION to those listed above IF Proposition 100 DOES NOT PASS:

If the Prop. 100 does not pass, additional state budget cuts starting in July could total $900 million. These include:

• An additional $400 million in cuts coming from K-12 schools.
• $100 million from universities and community colleges.
• Funding levels of K-12 could be cut to 2000-2001 funding levels. This will push our state back a full decade in funding.

For more information, see Prop. 100 - Your Questions Answered.


The Arizona Education Network Enjoyed Meeting Education Supporters at the Tucson Festival of Books

Arizona Education Network at the Tucson Festival of Books

Arizona Education Network handed out thousands of Prop 100 flyers, bookmarks and postcards at the Tucson Festival of Books. We were able to register new voters and sign many up for early voting from home. For those who signed up for our newsletter - welcome!

News Under the Radar


New National Curriculum Standards May Be Heading To Arizona

The new Common Core Standards, created by a panel of members of the National Governor's Association and the state Superintendents of Education, was released this week for public comment. The standards were crafted to provide rigorous, uniform education benchmarks among the states, replacing individual state standards of varying levels. The Common Core Standards project is a state-led initiative; not a federal initiative. Arizona was an early supporter of the development of these new Common Core Standards and touted its commitment to adopt the standards in their application for the Race to the Top grant. Click here for the full article.

Overrides Win in Majority of State

Fifteen district overrides passed while nine failed in the March 9th elections. The number of override campaigns, in addition to the victories for many districts where overrides had previously failed, shows communities are mobilizing to protect their public school programs, teachers, and class sizes. Click here for details.

AEN is a non-partisan, all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that exists to provide factual information and advocacy for public education.

Mike Reagan: "[T]he greatest security risks facing our nation -- our failing education system."

A commentary written by Mike Reagan, elder son of the late President Reagan, was published March 12, 2010 by the East Valley Tribune.  Titled, "U.S. security in peril by failing schools", Reagan discusses the risk of a failing education system and our country's security. 

"Across the board, the benefits from a well-educated population are tangible and undeniable, and yet nearly three out of 10 American students now fail to graduate from high school.

Looking at the results coming out of our current education system, I cannot help but be deeply alarmed."

Reagan references in his comments testimony given by Andreas Schleicher, Directorate for Education for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to Congress last week.

Quoting Schleicher, Reagan writes:

"'Among OECD countries, only New Zealand, Spain, Turkey and Mexico now have lower high school completion rates than the U.S.'" 

"He went on to say that, 'If the U.S. would raise the performance of schools by a similar amount, that could translate into a long-term economic value of over $40 trillion.'

The personal and economic benefits from a strong education system are clear. Moreover, in a global market, American students must compete in an increasingly educated, productive world. The moment we can no longer keep up, we will have surrendered our national prosperity and security."

[snip]

Reagan concludes with the following call:

"Our children's future, our country's future, must never be a political pawn in the government's all-too-familiar gambit for more control. We must equip our schools, our teachers and our children with all the resources they need to lead academically the way we know we can, the way we have done in the past. We must equip local school districts not only with financial resources but with an investment of trust and authority, so that our schools can focus on the business of education, not bureaucracy."

Emphasis added.

Read Mike Reagan's commentary as published by the East Valley Tribune by clicking here.


To read a related post on the testimony as given by Andreas Schleicher, the new Common Core Standards, as well as related news articles, visit the Arizona Education Network's article The National Governors Association Releases Common Core Standards; Arizona Early Supporter.