While the recently released bipartisan budget agreement between Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Legislative Democrats and Republicans has many sound provisions that will help Arizonans, major items like renewing the funding for K-12 Public Schools contained in Proposition 123, and reform for the Empowerment Scholarship Account Private School Voucher Program, despite an apparent road-to-Damascus public moment on the need for modifications by Senate Republican Leader John Kavanagh, were left unaddressed in the final budget agreement.
So, unless voters act in November to elect pro-public education legislators, Governor, Attorney General, and Superintendent of Public Instruction along with approving ballot initiatives designed to bolster public school funding and reform the welfare/scam for the rich/reactionary home and private school program, K-12 students and teachers will be strained for the financial resources needed to achieve a sound public school education, and receipents/criminals benefiting from the current voucher program will be free, as 12 News Craig Harris and others at this Blog have reported, to pay for condoms, trips to Disenyland, lingerie, college tuition, and phantom students if Attorney General Kris Mayes does not catch them first.
Even, honestly, a sensible request by current Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne to add more staff to the ESA division to better process and monitor two million annual expenditure requests went unanswered with Horne saying in a press release:
“Currently we have to process over two million orders annually with a staff of eight employees to review purchases. That is equivalent to 250,000 orders per year per staff member. That is physically impossible without risk-based auditing where all purchases over $2000 are reviewed before payment by ADE personnel. Purchases $2000 or below are subject to risk-based auditing and are the result of legislative action specifying risk-based auditing, a law that was signed by the governor. I am asking the governor and legislature to address the growth in the program and authorize more personnel to make sure we can serve the taxpayers who rely on ESA funds to provide the best education for their children.”
Looking to replace Horne as the next Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Teresa Leyba Ruiz commented to Blog for Arizona on the recent budget agreement and what remains to be done, stating:
“I’m grateful for the work of our dedicated state legislators, who fought to defend critical components of our K-12 Education budget and expand baseline funding for free and reduced school meals. However, there is still work to be done. While the budget avoids major cuts to our schools, there remain no meaningful attempts to place guardrails on the universal ESA program, protect taxpayer dollars from unacceptable purchases, or renew Proposition 123. I remain hopeful that Arizona voters will stand with our public schools this November and elect representatives who will prioritize public education over personal ideology.”
In November, voters will have a choice on who they want to lead them and what education system they want to pay for with their tax dollars.
It is all up to them now.
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One item that no one asks about is the nonsensical performance audit law. It was passed to find “efficiencies” in public school operations, but was really just another bludgeon the Repub majority wanted to use against public schools to justify full blown vouchers, which they now have anyway. But there still sits the performance audit law with no standards, no time lines, but thankfully no punitive damages other than, “we’ll tell you to the JLBC”. And of course the auditor has to come up with something to justify their existence, even if they know little about local school operations. Repeal the darn thing. Tons of district staff time spent answering nonsense.