by David Safier The Saturday Daily Star has it exactly right in its editorial, Legislature continues to shortchange kids. “Arizona’s record of supporting public education is abysmal,” it states. Arizona is the worst in the nation on per-student school spending, according to Quality Counts 2008, an annual education report by the non-profit organization Education Week. … Read more
The AZ GOP caucus has made a quarter-billion dollar property tax cut the
non-negotiable centerpiece of this years budget process as we face as much as a
$1 billion budget shortfall and even bigger budget deficits projected for 2009
and even 2010.
Why does the GOP want to cut taxes in the middle of a looming national
recession and huge (~10%) state budget deficit?
There are very good reasons, none of which has anything to do with fiscal
prudence, and everything to do with politics and ideological commitments:
First, and most obviously, they get to have their cake and eat it too by eliminating this property tax. The reinstatement of the state equalization property tax levy
will take effect next year, and
thus repealing it is budget neutral this year,
yet the GOP gets to claim a quarter-billion dollar tax cut going into a tough
campaign season in which the Democrats could quite conceivably take away their
majority. They get to lock in a tax cut, and transfer the cost of that $250
million dollar cut to the General Fund next year.
Learn the next two reasons after the click…
by David Safier
When Mike and I worked together blogging the election integrity trial last December, I asked if he would give me the opportunity to blog about education on this site once the trial was over. He grilled me during a lunch break to see if I had anything to say, and I guess he decided I did. So here I am.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I taught high school, mainly in Portland, Oregon, for over 30 years. My field was English — I taught all grade levels and ability groups –- then I took a break for awhile to teach photography and advise the yearbook. I ended where I began, teaching English. When I retired a few years ago, I moved to Tucson.
I taught at three public high schools. Most students at the first school were at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale. The teachers were mediocre, the administration was mediocre, and the school’s budget was in such bad shape, we had to cut back from a seven to a five period day. The school didn’t do a very good job educating its students, and, to be honest, neither did I.
Read more about David’s calling to the blog after the flip…
David Safier will begin blogging on the topic of education on February 1st. Dave is a retired educator with a background in urban studies and graduate studies in education. Dave is deeply concerned with the status of public education in Arizona and keenly interested in bringing greater awareness and understanding of those issues to the … Read more
Link: In New Orleans, Edwards calls it quits. In a surprise move following a sub-15% performance in Florida, a primary with no delegates, John Edwards called it quits before Tsunami Tuesday. I’m curious how people who were supporting Edwards, like myself, are now leaning. I voted early, so I’m kind of screwed; I don’t get … Read more