Don’t get fooled again! Tea-Publican legislators voted against public education 100% of the time

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

This is an argument I have every two years with organizations that endorse candidates for the legislature on education issues, including the teachers'unions and the author of the study below, the Arizona Education Network. I always hear the same argument that "it's a safe Republican district and we have to work with them, so we will endorse the Republican incumbent." How's that working out for ya?

Every two years GOP candidates will send out glossy campaign fliers telling you how much they support education, and run television and radio ads telling you how much they support education. What they fail to disclose is that they are systematically gutting public education and trying to privatize education to benefit for-profit businesses, like the STO organizations that Sen. Yarbrough profits from.

The Arizona Education Network has its report card out today, and the Tea-Publicans in the Arizona legislature get a failing grade. Arizona Education Network Releases Legislative Voting Report | The Range:

From their press release today:

Of Arizona's 90 legislators, 59 voted against public education funding 100 percent of the time.

"We encourage Arizona voters to look closely at this list," said Jen Darland, an Arizona Education Network researcher who tracks education legislation. "These are the legislators who are voting to close our schools; cram children into super-sized classrooms; fire teachers, librarians and counselors; deny children access to all-day kindergarten; strip schools of basics like paper, books and pencils and make our universities unaffordable for middle-class students."

Legislators say they had no other option but to cut $454 million from our schools, community colleges and universities – bringing the three-year total in cuts to $1.3 billion. However they had other options, including following the Governor's original budget proposal, which had $116 million less in education cuts.

In addition, legislators could work to close the more than $10 billion in tax loopholes that prevent the state from raising more revenue. By just closing the luxury tax loopholes, which exempt users of luxury services, such as spa treatments, from paying taxes and equalizing the state liquor tax, the state could bring in $438 million more a year.

Adding insult to injury, legislators voted for TABOR (HB 2720), locking in the current recession-level cuts to education, preventing our schools, colleges and universities from rebounding as the economy improves. 

For more information on AEN and the Legislative report, visit their website here.

Go to the jump to read the list of state Legislators who voted against education funding 100 percent of the time in 2011.

District 1:
Sen. Steve Pierce
Rep. Karen Fann
Rep. Andy Tobin

District 3:
Sen. Ron Gould
Rep. Doris Goodale
Rep. Nancy McLain

District 4:
Sen. Steve Bundgaard
Rep. Judy Burns
Rep. Jack Harper

District 5:
Sen. Sylvia Allen
Rep. Brenda Barton
Rep. Chester Crandell

District 6:
Sen Lori Klein
Rep. Amanda Reeve
Rep. Carl Seel

District 7:
Sen. Nancy Barto
Rep. Heather Carter
Rep. David Burnell Smith

District 8:
Sen. Michele Reagan
Rep. John Kavanaugh
Rep. Michelle Ugenti

Disrtict 9:
Sen. Rick Murphy
Rep. Rich Gray
Rep. Debbie Lesko

District 10:
Sen. Linda Gray
Rep. Jim Weiers
REp. Kimberly Yee

District 11:
Sen. Adam Driggs
Rep. Kate Brophy McGee

District 12:
Sen. John Nelson
Rep. Steve Montenegro
Rep. Jerry Weiers

District 18:
Sen. Russell Pearce
Rep. Cecil Ash
Rep. Steve Court

District 19:
Sen. Rich Crandall
Rep. Kirk Adams
Rep. Justin Olson

District 20:
Sen. John McComish
Rep. Jeff Dial
Rep. Bob Robson

District 21:
Sen. Steve Yarbrough
Rep. Tom Forese
Rep. Javan Mesnard

District 22:
Sen. Andy Biggs
Rep. Eddie Farnsworth
Rep. Steve Urie

District 23:
Sen. Steve Smith
Rep. Frank Pratt

District 24:
Sen. Don Shooter

District 25:
Sen. Gail Griffin
Rep. Peggy Judd
Rep. David Stevens

District 26:
Sen. Al Melvin
Rep. Terri Proud
Rep. Vic Williams

District 30
Sen. Frank Antenori
Rep. David Gowan
Rep. Ted Vogt