We just put up a count-down clock on our front page that counts down the deadline for the AZLeg to pass a resolution lifting the Aggregate Expenditure Limit for this year. The time is getting short, and if you count only the legislative working days, how little time is left is even more alarming.
What is the Aggregate Expenditure Limit (AEL)?
It’s an outdated holdover from the anti-tax fever of the late 1970 and 80s: voters approved the AEL initiative by 54-46% in 1986 as Prop 101, when education was much different than today in terms of curriculum and technology (a very good argument for sunsetting or reauthorizing with a vote such constitutional initiative every 10-20 years). The AEL constrains total expenditures by the State on education to an inflation-adjusted 1980s baseline – which is bad enough – but it gets worse.
In 2000 parents and voters were fed up with being among the lowest states for per-pupil education spending and passed Prop 301 imposing a new sales tax dedicated to education. At that time, those funds were NOT calculated as part of the AEL, but when the AZLeg renewed a sales tax for education in 2018, they made sure those funds WERE included.
To add insult to injury, charter schools – also funded by the state – do not face these draconian cuts, because they didn’t exist when the AEL was passed, and thus are not subject to the limit.
In previous years the lifting of the AEL has most often been routine – often even unanimous. So what has changed? The composition of the AZGOP caucus has radicalized and many have turned actively hostile to public education – which they denigrate as “government schools” – and ceaselessly work to undermine public education, teachers, and local school boards in every possible way, and to promote private and sectarian religious schools, homeschooling, and vouchers and private ‘scholarships’ at the expense of funding for our public schools.
As a result of all this, our schools are likely to be plagued by the AEL frequently from here on, creating a perennial tool – that I call the #FiscalCliffAZ – for the AZGOP to continually extort concessions to their privatization agenda in order to agree to lift the limit and allow schools to spend the money they themselves have already voted to spend. The analogy to the shenanigans the GOP has been pulling with the U.S. Debt Limit #FiscalCliff should be obvious.
What will happen if the deadline passes without a resolution to lift the spending limit?
The Arizona Legislature needs to override the constitutional aggregate expenditure limit by March 1, 2022, or school districts across Arizona will need to cut a total of nearly $1.2 billion (16%) from their budgets this year. See the table below to see an estimate of how much your school district stands to lose.
So what should Democrats in the AZLeg do about this problem?
Absolutely nothing.
Of course, we must all must keep pushing and advocating, sounding the alarm, and rallying the troops. But if the #AZGOP wants to sit down and negotiate for their support, we must flatly, loudly, and publicly refuse. We will not negotiate with our children held hostage to spend money the AZGOP already voted to spend.
I know… it sounds kinda crazy. But we have to stand pat. Don’t budge. Don’t give a fucking inch. We have to demand a #CleanAEL and not negotiate ANY concessions for the AZGOP votes needed to pass it.
Why? Because if they get a single concession, they’ll be back EVERY year demanding more. We cannot allow them to play this game with our kids’ education. If they don’t want to lift the cap, then the cuts are wholly on them and we make sure the voters know who is 100% responsible.
Democrats have already put forth a clean and simple resolution to lift the limit in each chamber. Every Democrat has co-sponsored them, and will absolutely vote for them. The money is already there, the Democratic votes are there, the GOP just has to vote to let school districts spend it. And they have to do so without ANY conditions. If they won’t – that’s on them – not on us.
I understand the thinking that could lead to such negotiations and concessions: better to swallow a few bitter pills than to allow public schools to be harmed in this way. What’s wrong with that thinking is that those bitter pills will almost certainly relate to further undermining our public school system and bolstering privatization. And it won’t end with one swallow. If we swallow the pills this time, they will demand we do so EVERY time the AEL comes calling. If we make concessions there will be more hostage-taking and more ransoms to pay.
We have to make it clear that not a single Democrat will allow our children to be used as hostages. Not. One.
What you can do about it?
AEA members and educators – Senator Christine Marsh and Representative Jennifer Pawlik – have introduced legislation to authorize a #CleanAEL to override for this year (SCR1022 / HCR2012) and to repeal the limit (SCR1023). Ask your legislators to hear and pass these bills so schools can avoid clawing back money already budgeted for our public schools.
Our public schools’ funding should not be limited by a decades-old funding formula that does not meet the needs of our students today. Urge legislators to take action by overriding the spending cap for this school year and find a permanent solution by referring it to the ballot to repeal or increase the spending cap.
More resources to join the fight:
The AZ Education Association AEL site
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