It appears the teacher walkout will continue into tomorrow (maybe Friday as well) as the Legislature was unable to pass a budget as originally planned. State Representative Townsend, a foe for increasing Education Funding, indicated that the budget may not pass until Saturday. Educators and their supporters will be back at the capital and other locations tomorrow and remain there until the legislature completes its responsibilities.
While the budget process lingers, please take time to review the amendments Democrats are offering to the budget that affect education. These include measures to “cap” class sizes, give raises to support staff, and reducing the counselor to student ratio.
Finally, also review the other budget provisions in education that are being debated such as a “repeal and replace” of the voucher measure or giving twenty percent of the University increased budget to two Koch Brothers-sponsored centers (one at Arizona State University and the other at the University of Arizona).
Please contact your legislators and let them know your views on these budget priorities for our K-12 schools and state universities.
Please remain patient. This is the first step in ensuring that all so children in the state get a first-rate quality education. This is just a short delay that will hopefully be over in 48 hours. Afterward, the educators will be back at school and the movement to increase education funding will take the shape of electing candidates in November that want to properly fund schools and working to pass measures like the Invest in Education Ballot Initiative.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2018/05/02/arizona-teacher-redfored-walkout-really-end-thursday-legislature-budget/574251002/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2018/05/02/arizona-house-take-up-back-door-voucher-expansion-bill-today/573499002/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2018/05/01/asu-ua-koch-brothers-economic-freedom-schools-arizona-budget/570667002/
Looking deeper. What’s wrong with this picture?
https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/governor-doug-ducey-says-he-will-sign-budget-plan-approved-by-senate-house
Besides providing more than $4.5 billion for K-12 education, the budget envisions spending about $1.8 billion for the state’s Medicaid program, $1.1 billion for prisons, $725 million for public universities, about $630 million on social services and $388 million for the child safety department.
Spending more on prisons than colleges/universities should raise a red flag. It’s backward. Arizona, get a clue.
Just got official email from Governor Doug Ducey on this budgt: “Hello —
On April 12, we announced a plan to increase teacher pay by 20 percent — and I’m proud to report, we’ve delivered. Raises are on the way to Arizona teachers.
The #20×2020 plan has been passed by the legislature and I was proud to sign it into law, providing a 20 percent boost in teacher pay over the next three years and a significant increase in flexible dollars to Arizona schools for new textbooks, technology, infrastructure, and support staff.
Once fully implemented in school year 2020, the plan will constitute an increase of more than $1 billion in education spending.
And this is important: The budget does not compromise essential state services to accommodate our teacher pay package. It maintains the state’s commitment to fund developmental disabilities, skilled nurses, Medicaid, critical access hospitals, the arts, food banks, Alzheimer’s research and higher education. It accomplishes all of this, without raising taxes on hardworking Arizonans.
Over these last several weeks, in particular, I’ve had the honor of hearing directly from our teachers and school leaders. Their input has shaped and improved this plan. I’ve been incredibly impressed by our teachers, and I am grateful for their dedication to providing every child a quality educational experience.
We will never check the box on public education, and it remains one of the state’s most important responsibilities. With our economy growing, there is no better place to invest our dollars.
Our teachers do amazing work inside the classroom, and they have earned this raise.”
Thank you,
Doug