Thanks to
years of Republican cuts to the state’s K-12 education budget, Arizona just won
the race to the bottom. We
are now officially last in nation for K-12 on per student instruction. We pay
our teachers the least and we spend the least per pupil on administration.
Every other state in the nation spends more on their students.
A recent article published in the Capitol Times shows that the dramatic downward trend in state spending on education gets passed on to taxpayers in bonds and budget overrides.
The governor recently announced that he will ask the Legislature to put a measure on the ballot to direct money from the state land trust to classrooms in 2017. Arizona schools need money for classrooms, students and teachers now. This could be one part of a comprehensive plan to increase education funding, but it is not a solution in and of itself. The issues our schools, children and teachers are facing will require a long-term plan to increase investment in our classrooms.
What does
that say about the priorities of the Republican leaders in this state? And what
can Arizonans expect to see as a result of years of
cuts?
Lower
test scores – “The more money invested, the higher the test scores,” said
ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy Senior Policy Analyst Dan Huntington.
Changes
in classroom sizes and effects on teachers - a former Phoenix Elementary
School District governing board member said in a recent interview that the state
budget cuts did mean schools had to increase their classroom sizes and freeze
teacher compensation.
Student
safety impacted – some schools will have to scale back facilities
maintenance, security guards and shared nurses.
This news
was released around the same time that the Arizona Board of Regents announced
that tuition could increase as much as 4
percent for some new college students, after the Republicans passed a budget
that cut $99 million from university funding. A news
article quoted Board President Eileen Klein as saying the state budget cuts
equaled almost $1,000 per student.
All of
this will affect the future of our state, which continues to trudge
behind the country in economic recovery. Any real plan for lasting economic
stability must include a substantial investment in education. Instead,
Republicans are protecting and expanding special interest tax cuts and
attempting to balance the budget on the backs of Arizona’s kids.
It’s time
to demand accountability. It’s time to #AskDuceyWhy he hasn’t given us a
long-term solution for the education funding crisis. Arizona House Democrats
