The Coming Week in the AZLeg, March 21-28

In this last week of committee hearings, the AZGOP is in a scramble to keep their worst bill targeting our public educational system alive by getting them passed through their assigned committees.

Save Our Schools summarizes some of the key fights of the coming week very well:

As if celebrating the death of Prop 208 didn’t make their disdain for Arizona voters and public schools immediately apparent, the Legislature’s attacks on public education are heating up. Long-stalled bills are gaining steam, and many — including the school takeover bill and two ESA voucher expansions — will be heard this coming week. We need you to show up and speak up!

Voucher Expansions: Massive, long-stalled ESA voucher expansion bill SB1657 (Boyer, R-20) will be heard in House Ways & Means Committee this Wednesday at 10 AM. This would be the largest voucher expansion in Arizona history. ESA voucher expansion SB1707 (Boyer, R-20) is also moving in House Appropriations, another stacked committee. This bill would permanently put Ducey’s federal voucher grant program into state law.

School takeover bills: Punitive school takeover bill HB2808 (amended onto HB2284) would harm students by forcing third-party takeovers of schools in low-income communities, with no accountability. To learn about the many ways in which similar models have failed students across the US, read our blog post.

Anti-“CRT” & Bans on “Controversial” Subjects: Constitutional amendment HCR2001 would ban the teaching of “controversial subjects” and prevent schools from creating a workforce that is diverse and reflective of student populations. This flies in the face of conservative ideals, which say that speech should not be curtailed just because it makes some people feel threatened.

We repeat our call for lawmakers to abandon these attacks on the public schools that Arizona families choose and depend on, and for them to prioritize funding and supporting our public schools. And until they do… they’ll have to face us!

CEBV identifies some key actions you can take to help contain the damage to our public schools by defeating these monstrous bills:

“Any one of these bills would be disastrous for the public schools Arizona communities depend on. Together, they’d be a death blow. Here’s how you can help stop them. 

For HB2284 and HCR2001:

• Attend Senate Education Committee, Tues 2-7 PM
• Call and email the following senators to ask them to vote NO on both bills, or use this easy email tool
  • Boyer ( 602-926-4173 / pboyer@azleg.gov )
  • Pace ( 602-926-5760 / tpace@azleg.gov )
  • Shope ( 602-926-3012 / tshope@azleg.gov )
  • Gray ( 602-926-5413 / rgray@azleg.gov )
  • Barto ( 602-926-5766 / nbarto@azleg.gov )

For SB1657:

• • Attend House Ways & Means Committee, Weds 9 AM – noon
  • Call and email the following representatives to ask them to vote NO, or use this easy email tool 
    • Bolick ( 602-926-3244 / sbolick@azleg.gov )
    • Cobb ( 602-926-3126 / rcobb@azleg.gov )
    • Dunn ( 602-926-4139 / tdunn@azleg.gov )
    • Diaz ( 602-926-4852 / ldiaz@azleg.gov )
    • Barton ( 602-926-3421 / bbarton@azleg.gov )
    • Grantham ( 602-926-4868 / tgrantham@azleg.gov ) 

This will be a cantankerous and consequential week. Strap in.