1 / 16

The State of Education in Arizona

The State of Education in Arizona. Who is the Arizona Education Network? We are parents, businessmen & women, and community members who value public education. We are registered Republicans, Democrats and Independents

patch
Download Presentation

The State of Education in Arizona

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The State of Education in Arizona

  2. Who is the Arizona Education Network? • We are parents, businessmen & women, and community members who value public education. • We are registered Republicans, Democrats and Independents • We have no tolerance for misinformation, invented statistics or anything short of the facts • We aren’t terribly patient • We put the ‘non’ in non-profit • We aren’t going away

  3. How we got started – and why we are here today! • “Arizona K-12 Rankings” and “Arizona Education Points” papers issued by the Senate Majority Staff • We researched the information and found the papers loaded with misinformation & spin. We are alarmed that members of our legislative leadership are producing fabricated 'statistics' in an attempt to bolster their ideology and sway public opinion.

  4. Lincoln: “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis” • Article 11, Section 10 of our Arizona State Constitution reads in part: “…the legislature shall make such appropriations, to be met by taxation, as shall insure the proper maintenance of all state educational institutions, and shall make such special appropriations as shall provide for their development and improvement.” • As citizens, we are all stakeholders in our public education system. Our economy depends on its success, and we must demand better from our government.

  5. The current education debate: • How much is Arizona spending per pupil? • Where does Arizona rank nationally? • Has Arizona increased spending on education? • What does funding per classroom mean? • What does our lack of educational investment mean to Arizona? • What can you do?

  6. How Much is Arizona spending per pupil? The basic formula: • Teacher Salaries • M&O (Maintenance & Operations) • Soft Capital (items that are used directly by students in the classroom) • Other capital expenses: building repair, etc.

  7. How Much is Arizona spending per pupil? • Special interest groups are claiming that we spend anywhere from $9,500 to “over $10,000” per student. • National surveys report that we spend anywhere between $5,255 - $7,537 per student. • ATRA, the Arizona Tax Research Association, agrees that Arizona per pupil spending is $6,200* • Our question: Why are special interest groups and certain legislators promoting inflated numbers? * ATRA Special Report, April 2009 “K-12 Education Funding – How Do We Compare”

  8. The numbers game • One Special interest group claims “Arizona spends $9,707 per pupil” • How they calculated the number: Took total revenue (incoming money) and divided it by number of students. • Why this simple math doesn’t work – much of the money that flows through school districts has nothing to do with educating children in the classroom. Example: School lunches After school classes $346 millionDay care Adult education $1.4 billion in “other”

  9. Where does Arizona rank nationally? • Arizona spends less per pupil than almost any other state in the nation • National Education Association: 51st • U.S. Census Bureau: 49th • National Center for Education Statistics: 48th • Education Week: 50th • American Legislative exchange Council: 50th • Average reported difference between what Arizona spends per pupil and what the average US state invests = $3,068 per student For a full report on the above statistics, see Arizona K-12 Education: An examination of the Facts found on www.arizonaeducationnetwork.com

  10. Has Arizona increased spending on education? • Arizona has increased overall spending on education because of increased population • Arizona has experienced a 39% growth in population (from 1996-2006) • In 1986-1987 Arizona spent $6,309 per pupil ranking 31st • In 2006-2007 Arizona spent $6,248 per pupil ranking 50th • Arizona spends $61 less per pupil than 20 years ago

  11. What does “49th out of 50th” look like in our schools? • Other states have far fewer children in classrooms • Arizona has the 2nd highest student to teacher ratio in the country 24.2 students to 1 teacher (ALEC 2007) • U.S. Average total student/teacher ratio is 15.3 (ALEC 2007) • Resources (technology, libraries, etc.) are declining and are ultimately effecting our students’ ability to compete.

  12. What does our lack of educational investment mean to Arizona? "The fact that the Legislature chose to balance the budget by killing the funding for Science Foundation Arizona was absolutely a move in the wrong direction, and also I think the burden they're putting on the universities in terms of support of the universities is in the wrong direction . . .” “Arizona sometimes (thinks) what we need to be competitive is 'We have to be better than New Mexico or California.' An international company cares less about whether you're competitive with the neighboring state. We care about whether you're competitive with Bangalore or Shanghai or a place that really is concerned about the 21st century. I think Arizona's still kind of caught between the 19th and 21st centuries.” Former Intel President Craig Barrett (Arizona Republic, May 2009)

  13. SPECIAL REPORT Public universities left reeling by recession Anti-education stance “Arizona’s problem is particularly challenging because it faces not only the recession pressures but also a state legislature stocked with Republican ideologues who talk of eliminating the nearly $1 billion provided annually to the University of Arizona, ASU and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. “It is a militia legislature,” says Meredith Hay, provost at the University of Arizona. “They are playing politics with the university budgets.”” Nature, Vol 458|5 March 2009

  14. Huachuca 50 & DM 50 • “Education funding is flawed across the state.” Retired Colonel Larry Portouw. • Fort Huachuca Base currently cannot fill over 200 skilled positions from local labor pool • "Education is…a major factor in attracting the talent needed by the many high-tech contracting firms that support Arizona's military installations. Rest assured that education will be one of the key factors in determining the continued viability of Arizona's military installations." Glen Kerslake, DM-50 • BRAC considers how well a state’s education system can support military families and the workforce necessary to the base.

  15. What Can You Do? • Be informed • Follow the debate • Contact the Governor & the Legislature • Hold your elected officials responsible for the future of public education in Arizona

  16. What you will find on the Arizona Education Network website: • Recent news about education in Arizona • Recent Legislative action & upcoming legislation • Voting records of your elected representatives • Education facts and statistics, papers on education topics & possible solutions • Information on school districts, charter schools & universities • Links to parent, student & community groups focused on education • Actions you can take to become an advocate for excellent public education in Arizona Visit us at: www.arizonaeducationnetwork.com

More Related