This is another recent
headline this month reaffirming the crisis in our classrooms. Apparently, the
governor is refusing to fund the Arizona Department of Education's IT
department, which, according to an ADE employee, is the "hub of the entire
education system." It handles a host of vital projects, including keeping
student attendance and issuing teachers' paychecks. Some teachers and ADE
employees are bracing for the fallout, according to Arizona Superintendent Diane
Douglas, who criticized the state for failing to fund public education.
"What has happened is that this state has defunded
public education in Arizona and that is not acceptable to me.”- Superintendent Diane
Douglas, Tucson News Now
Funding the IT
department is a real problem that needs a real solution – one that costs an
estimated $17 million. This issue only exacerbates the fact that Arizona
nationally is dead last in teacher pay.
The governor and his
friends are patting themselves on the back for offering teachers an insulting
raise that amounts to about $2
a paycheck. Instead of finding substantive ways to correct this,
Republicans have spent years pushing to expand controversial voucher programs
that pull money away from public schools and are being recognized nationally as
a shell
game. This is a crisis that the Republicans have created. House Democrats
are focused on creating solutions for Arizona, while Republicans are focused on
advancing their political agenda.
House Democrats are
committed to finding ways to pay our teachers a wage that reflects their
contributions to our state and our kids. Finding the money to do so is a matter
of priorities. House Democrats have offered a package
of bills that will get teachers the 4 percent raise they are asking for
while prioritize solutions for other problems facing our kids'
schools.
These solutions come
from the community, and we need the community to continue to fight for our kids'
classrooms. Call your legislators and tell them you want the budget to reflect
your values. We know what the right priorities are for Arizonians and we can do
much better for our hardworking teachers and students. Let us stop being the country's
model for shell games that hurt our kids and our future.
