Talk of raising taxes in the air
by David Safier (TASL) Advertisement Has the time come when Arizonans are willing to consider increasing taxes rather than gutting education? Apparently, recent polling indicates that, when people are asked if they would pay more taxes to improve education, a majority says Yes. (No, I don't have the data or a link. So accept or … Read more
Suspend education tax credits
by David Safier You want to add revenue to the state coffers to be used to lessen education cuts? Get rid of the public and private school tax credits, education groups say. It makes sense. The total tax credits last year added up to $95 million. I don't have the figures handy, but I think … Read more
Fool’s Gold: Cut teachers, improve schools
by David Safier Great idea from the Goldwater Institute: cut teachers — only the bad ones — and add their students to the good teachers' classes. No, I'm not kidding. From Fool's Gold's Matthew Ladner: Research shows, however, that students would be much better off if schools did let their most ineffective teachers go, and redistributed the … Read more
Dems to announce budget options
by David Safier From an AZ Dem Caucus Media Advisory this morning: House Democrats will announce their own budget options to address the state’s budget shortfall today at 10:30 a.m. during their weekly media briefing in House Conference Room 340. I haven't used it yet, but there's an internet video feed of the state legislature … Read more
1,500 protest cuts on Capitol Mall
by David Safier It's going to be interesting — far too weak a word, but the only one that comes to mind — to see how the reaction to the proposed budget cuts build over the next few days (From what I hear, the Republicans plan to have their budget finalized by the end of … Read more
Great Schools or Great Teachers?
by David Safier Interesting conversation with Bill Gates from NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. Most of the column deals with Gates' commitment to fighting third world poverty and disease — good, hopeful stuff — but toward the end, Gates talks about his continuing efforts to improve education in this country. What I like about Gates … Read more
“Things people neither want nor really need”
by David Safier From Jan Brewer's address to Republicans Saturday, according to Daniel Scarpinato: Brewer said the role of government is to provide public safety and "keep the people of Arizona as unburdened as possible." "Especially," she said, "from the heavy-handed Democrat-led government, whose spending priorities seemed to focus on things people neither want nor … Read more
