Thanks to Governor Doug Ducey who has cut education to the bone while renovating capital offices,funding private prisons, putting taxpayers on the hook for charter school financing,kept in the budget $112 million in corporate tax cuts.All on the back of EDUCATION. be
Arizona has the dubious distinction of being first in the
nation for college budget cuts and tuition hikes. So once again, the state is garnering
national attention for the wrong reasons. The headlines could have been
different. For years, Republican leaders chose to cut education – showing that
they have no real plan to invest in the future of our children or our state.
A new
report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that when
states divest from universities they make college less accessible for students
and jeopardize economic stability. The report identifies Arizona as the worst
offender.
From the report:
“These (budget) cuts led to steep tuition increases that
threaten to put college out of reach for more students. They also raise concerns
about diminishing the quality of education at a time when a highly educated
workforce is more crucial than ever to the nation’s economic future.”
According the study, Arizona’s in-state per student
spending dropped 47 percent, the most in the nation, between 2008 and 2015. And
this finding does not include the $99
million cut to Arizona universities or the more than $100 million cut to
community colleges that Republicans served up in the budget they passed this
year.
This news comes shortly after an announcement that Arizona
dropped to 41st in the nation for per capita personal income – with no
indication that will change soon. There is so much researchpointing
to a relationship between education and economic opportunities. Clearly, any
real economic recovery plan must include a substantial investment in
education.
Instead of slashing education funding in an attempt to
balance the budget, Republicans could have stopped special interest tax credits
and closed tax loopholes that cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars. Most
Arizonans disapprove of the governor’s decision to gut education
funding.Maybe that’s why a recent poll shows that his approval ratings are
not good…
We must hold the Republican leadership accountable for
their choices. To learn how to get involved to make education a priority at the
Legislature, click here. Related Ducey Budget
