Legislative Newsletter April 18, 2010

Arizona Education Network Who Is to Blame and Your Chance to Act! Sunday, April 18, 2010

Who Is To Blame For Cuts At Your School? Many school districts released budget proposals last week that contained substantial cuts to programs and teaching positions. The tendency when parents are unhappy with the school budget is to blame their superintendents and school boards. These are not the people responsible for the cuts at your schools. The Arizona Legislature is responsible. On March 24, 2010, AEN released a report titled "2009 Legislative Sessions: Education Funding Voting Record by Legislator." Please check out your legislators' record on funding public education. In 2009, 40 of the state's 90 legislators voted against public education funding 100% of the time. Even if Proposition 100 passes, Arizona schools will experience funding cuts.  While it is important to pass the temporary sales tax to avoid devastating cuts until our state's economy stabilizes, remember that all our legislators will be up for election on November 2, 2010.  Even more important, primary elections - where many of the seats are decided - take place on August 24. Hold your elected officials accountable! Related Articles: What Happens In Your School If Prop. 100 Fails: Contingent Cuts to Arizona School Districts Prop. 100: Conditional Impact on Arizona Universities Passage of Proposition 100 Will Save 13,000 Jobs, UA Study Predicts

Tomorrow is Your LAST Chance to Register to Vote! In order to vote for Proposition 100, you must be registered to vote by midnight on Monday, April, 19, 2010.  If you have not yet registered or want to receive your ballot at home, click here. Have you moved recently? You MUST re-register every time you move. Please forward this e-mail to your friends to make sure they are registered to vote in this important election. Thank you!

AEN Proposition 100 - Vote Yes Tool Kit! The AEN Proposition 100 Tool Kit is full of ideas, suggestions, and resources for getting the word out in your community about Proposition 100.  There are a variety of ways you can effectively advocate for your schools, including making signs, holding window decorating rallies, and more.  These activities can be limited to your immediate family or you can recruit an entire neighborhood or school community. Get your AEN Proposition 100 - Vote Yes Tool Kit by clicking here. Parents across the state are coming together and organizing a number of "Yes on 100" events. To locate a group in your area, click here. Have a group and don't see it on the list?  Please send your group's contact information to melissa@arizonaeducationnetwork.com and we'll gladly add it.

Arizona Public Media Debate: "Arizona Sales Tax: Fix or Folly?" On Sunday, April 11, Ann-Eve Pedersen, president of the Arizona Education Network, and Farrell Quinlan of the National Federation of Independent Businesses squared off in a debate on Proposition 100 - the temporary 1% sales tax increase. To view the debate, click here.

Tell Congress We Need Help to Save Teacher Jobs In the wake of massive teacher lay-offs around the country, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa has proposed the Keep Our Educators Working Act - a $23 billion jobs fund to prevent teachers from being fired because of budget shortfalls.  Contact Arizona's Congressional delegation and urge them to support this proposal! To contact your U.S. Representative or Senator, click here. To read the text of the bill, click here.

Take Action NOW! If you want to change the status quo, you have to get involved!  Forward this email to ten  (10) family members and friends today and ask them to join the Arizona Education Network! Membership is free. Our strength is in our numbers and we need all hands on deck.

_________________________ Come to a Community-Wide Proposition 100 Forum Sponsored by The Arizona Education Network Thursday, April 22 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.Tucson Association of Realtors Conference Room 2445 N. Tucson Blvd (Just north of Grant) Get directions here. Panelists Include: Dr. Nic Clement, Head of the Tucson School Superintendents' Collaborative Rainer W.G. Gruessner, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Surgery, University of Arizona Chuck Huckelberry, Pima County Administrator Penelope Jacks, Children's Action Alliance, Southern Arizona Director Sue Krahe, Our Family Services Director Stephen MacCarthy, University of Arizona, Vice-President for External Relations Ron Shoopman, President of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council A One-Hour Audience Question and Answer Period Will Follow the Panelists' Presentation. _________________________

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 the equivalent of 1.5 to 2 out of every 10 teacher positions could 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 Arizona Education Network Voter Guide: Important Dates, Information, and Resources _________________________

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

__________________________ Will you help us reach our goal? Fundraising Ideas 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! ______________________

P.S. Check us out at:     www.arizonaeducationnetwork.com     Follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/AZEducationNet     Join us on Facebook! P.S.S. Interested in having the Arizona Education Network speak at your school or community group?  Email us at outreach@arizonaeducationnetwork.com for information and dates. The Arizona Education Network is a non-partisan, all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that provides factual information and advocates for public education.

Tucson Community-Wide Forum on Proposition 100 Thursday, April 22!

Come to a Community-Wide Forum

on Proposition 100

sponsored by

the Arizona Education Network

Thursday, April 22

6 to 8 p.m.

at the Tucson Association of Realtors Conference Room

2445 N. Tucson Blvd., Tucson 

(520) 327-4218

Panelists will include:

Nic Clement, Flowing Wells Superintendent and head of the local School Superintendents’ Collaborative

Chuck Huckelberry, Pima County Administrator

Rainer W.G. Gruessner, M.D., Chairman, UA Department of Surgery

Penelope Jacks, Children Action Alliance, Southern Arizona director

Sue Krahe, Our Family Services director

Stephen MacCarthy, University of Arizona Vice-President for External Relations

Ron Shoopman, President of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council

After the panelists give their presentations, they will answer questions from the audience.

The success or failure of Prop. 100 will have widespread consequences for the entire community, affecting not just your neighborhood school but also your property taxes, emergency room waits, job losses and the affordability of a university education.

Arizona Education Network Forums in the Amphitheater School District: Videos

Below is a series of videos filmed during the Arizona Education Network forums in the Amphitheater School District, April 5 - 7, 2010. For links to the budget presentations by Dr. Vicki Balentine and CFO, Scott Little, click here.

Please note: Due to processing errors out of our control, some of the videos begin with sound and no picture for the first few seconds of play.  The picture comes back in all cases near the one minute mark, with the rest of the video playing fine.  We apologize for the inconvenience.



Arizona Education Network Presentation by Melissa Megna, Co-Founder of AEN



Ironwood Ridge High School Senior Answers AEN's Question: "How has Your Experience at Your High School Benefited You and Prepared You for the Future?"



State of Public Education Funding Presentation by Scott Little, CFO Amphitheater School District


Part 1 of 3: Amphitheater School District 2010-2011 Budget Presentation by Dr. Vicki Balentine, Amphitheater Superintendent



Part 2 of 3: 2010-2011 Amphitheater Budget



Part 3 of 3: 2010-2011 Amphitheater Budget


Part 1 of 3: Q&A with Dr. Balentine & Mr. Little



Part 2 of 3: Q&A with Dr. Balentine & Mr. Little



Part 3 of 3: Q&A with Dr. Balentine & Mr. Little


Check out our YouTube Channel AZEducationNetwork!

Want to be a school board member?

AZ Public Media Debate: "Arizona Sales Tax: Fix or Folly?"

For information on Proposition 100, click here.

"Walk the Vote, Rock the Vote" for Prop 100 a Success for Vail Parents & Education Supporters

From Kristi H. of PAVE:

The PAVE group (Parent Advocates of Vail for Education) did their "Walk the Vote, Rock the Vote" event in Vail on Saturday, April 10 [a grassroots, door-to-door campaign to educate voters on the May 18 Special Election for Proposition 100, the temporary 1% sales tax]. KGUN 9 covered the event and aired it at 5pm. Although we only got a brief mention, it was good exposure for the cause.

We covered about half of the Vail School District area Saturday with a total of about 100 volunteers. Rock on, Vail!!! Most volunteers had great success spreading the word about Prop 100 to receptive homeowners. There were a few people who said they were planning to vote no, but most people were supportive.

We feel very good about Saturday's results, but the fight isn't over yet! Over the next weeks leading up to the election, we would like to have phone banks, another walk, and mailers, and continue to spread the word over email and social networking sites as well as by phone and face-to-face interactions.

Saturday's event proves that parents have a strong voice and we will continue to be heard!!! :)

If you are or know of a Vail parent/resident who is looking for more information on how to get involved in supporting Vail schools and/or Prop 100, visit: http://www.citizensofvaileducation.info/.

For more information on the May 18 Special Election for Proposition 100, visit: Proposition 100: The 1% Temporary Sales Tax -- Your Questions Answered!

Reminder: April 19th at midnight is your last chance to register to vote in the May 18 Special Election on Proposition 100!  To learn more about registering to vote, click here. 

Passage of Proposition 100 Will Save 13,000 Jobs, UA Study Predicts

On May 18, Arizonans will vote on whether to approve Proposition 100, a temporary one-cent increase to the state sales tax that will help address the state’s budget deficit.

A new study by researchers at the Economic and Business Research Center at the University of Arizona finds that a yes vote on Proposition 100 would save more than 13,000 jobs and preserve more than $442 million in federal matching funds for Arizona.

Proposition 100, sent to the ballot by the Arizona State Legislature, asks voters to raise the state sales tax by one penny to to 6.6 cents per dollar for a three-year period. The sales tax would revert to 5.6% on May 31, 2013. Estimates provided by Gov. Jan Brewer’s office indicate the sales tax would generate $918 million in revenue each year.

The researchers concluded the revenue would provide significant economic activity throughout the state.

“Those dollars don’t disappear,” said Alberta Charney, senior research economist at the UA. “The government spends the money, thereby pumping it right back into the economy.”

The Arizona State Legislature has already passed, and Gov. Brewer has signed, more than $867 million in cuts to education, public safety, health care and other state services if Proposition 100 does not pass. In this case, the Arizona university system would face a $107 million budget reduction, $42 million of which would go to the UA.

These cuts, the study found, also would trigger the loss of more than $442 million in federal matching funds, which are primarily allocated to the Department of Health and the Department of Economic Security. “The extent of the federal dollars being lost was a surprise,” Charney said.

Charney and her colleagues reviewed state agency budgets in detail to examine how funds are spent. They used a model that tracks the nature of spending by state agencies, projections of revenue generated by Proposition 100 and proposed budget cuts.

According to Charney, many of the jobs that would be saved are in the private sector, which would benefit from the increase in individual and agency expenditures made possible by the funds generated by the sales tax.

The researchers cite three primary reasons that a cut in the state government budget would generate a greater impact than an increase in the sales tax rate.

First, the government is a service provider and, generally, employs more people per $1 million in expenditures than do non-service providers. Consequently, a larger portion of government expenditures is paid as labor income than other sectors of the economy.

Second, more than 10 percent of the sales tax would be paid by out-of-state visitors.

Finally, the sales tax would be imposed primarily on the sale of tangible goods, few of which are actually produced in Arizona.

Even if Proposition 100 passes, the state faces a massive budget deficit that will require additional major cuts.

“You don’t grow your way out of this structural deficit as the economy recovers,” said Marshall Vest, director of the UA Economic and Business Research Center. “This is an important first step to addressing this structural deficit.”

The study does not account for additional impacts of dramatic cuts to K-12 and higher education, public safety and other state services–all of which are likely should Proposition 100 fail.

“We only looked at the flow of the money. We didn’t look at the long-term consequences of a drastically cut education system,” Charney said.

Vest believes voters will have an opportunity to communicate the value they place on services provided by the state: “I think we are the point where taxpayers are going to have the opportunity to connect the dots between the taxes they pay and the benefits they receive.”

CONTACT: Alberta Charney (520-621-2291; acharney@eller.arizona.edu)

LINKS:
What Will It Cost If Arizona Voters Reject the One-Cent Sales Tax Hike On May 18, 2010?

Sales Tax Increase vs. Expenditure Cuts: An Economic Impact Study

Comparison of UA, REMI, and STAMP Simulations of Tax/Spending Increases

Related Articles:
Proposition 100 — Your Questions Answered