Education group launches ballot initiative to tax wealthy

Levy could raise $690 million a year for school funding

PHOENIX — Ignored by the governor and GOP lawmakers, a coalition of teachers, parents and education advocates are taking their case for more state dollars for classrooms directly to voters even as Ducey and legislative leaders say they’ve reached a budget deal — one that ignores those demands.

An initiative filed Friday would put a surcharge on the earnings of individuals who earn more than $250,000 a year — $500,000 for couples. And the biggest increase would be for those in the $500,000-plus income range.

Under current law, someone with a taxable income of $600,000 pays about $26,000. That same individual would pay $14,200 more if the measure is adopted.

Backers have an uphill fight just to get the measure on the November ballot. They have to gather 150,642 valid signatures on petitions in just the next 68 days — or more than 2,200 signatures a day.

Organizers said the levy could raise about $690 million a year. But they would not answer questions about who is financing the effort, with Mesa high school teacher Joshua Buckley, chair of what’s being called the Invest in Education Committee, said all that will have to wait until Monday.

What is known is that 60 percent of whatever is raised would go to teacher salaries.

That could most immediately provide dollars for

the 19 percent teacher pay hike that Gov. Doug Ducey and Republican legislative leaders have agreed to provide by the 2020-2021 school year. But Ducey’s plan lacks an actual funding source, with the governor insisting that the $670 million price tag can be financed largely through an improving economy.

The balance of what the initiative would raise would be earmarked for general school operating budgets. That could help restore the $1 billion that has been cut from state aid to schools in the past decade.

It would permit schools to use some of those dollars for pay raises for support staff, people not included in the governor’s plan. But school boards would be required to seek input from teachers and staff on how to use those dollars.

The move comes after Ducey announced Friday there are enough Republicans who will vote for his teacher pay plan — and the entire $10.1 billion state budget — even though it does not include other priorities that educators want.

Meanwhile, the strike that has closed most schools entered its second day on Friday, with another rally on the Capitol lawn.

The Arizona Education Association pegged attendance at 30,000, compared with 50,000 the day before; the Department of Public Safety estimated the rally at only about 4,000.

AEA President Joe Thomas said what is disheartening is that most lawmakers were not even around to hear from educators, having adjourned Thursday until Monday.

Thomas said teachers will be meeting in local groups over the weekend to decide whether to remain out of work again Monday — and possibly beyond — in a last-ditch hope of pressuring lawmakers and the governor to modify the plan. He also said it may be premature to call off the walkout simply because of the initiative, noting backers have yet to get the signatures, much less get voters to approve it.

Ducey, meantime, remains adamant that teachers should return to their classrooms as his plan gives him the raise they want, even if it doesn’t include specific dollars for support staff and even if it does not spell out how the state intends to bring aid to schools back to where it was a decade earlier.

It is that gap the initiative is designed to address. So the actual aid per student

“It creates a secure funding has gone from $4,949 a source to keep great decade ago to $4,760 now. teachers in Arizona classrooms What really makes a difference, and give our students though, is those the one-on-one attention dollars have not kept pace they need to be success- with inflation. Once that is ful,’’ said David Lujan. A factored in, legislative budget former Democrat lawmaker, staffers say the money he now is the director per student is worth $1,000 of The Arizona Center for less than in 2008. Economic Progress and the Multiply that by 1.1 million treasurer of the initiative students and that’s campaign. the $1 billion educators

“It does so in a thoughtful say is has been taken from and responsible way by balancing schools. our revenue streams But gubernatorial press and asking those who can aide Daniel Scarpinato said afford it to pay their fair Ducey’s plan moves strongly share,’’ he said. in that direction. Aside

Buckley, who teaches at from the $670 million price Red Mountain High School tag of the teacher pay hikes in Mesa, said the additional when fully implemented, revenues will help address the governor has vowed to overcrowded classrooms, restore within five years teachers paying for supplies $371 million that schools are from their own and, in some not now getting for things cases, teachers leaving the like books, computers, buses profession or leave the state and minor repairs. “because they could not afford Reliability of state dollars, to support their own however, has sometimes family.’’ proven elusive.

But it is the unreliability Lawmakers agreed two of state funding that led to decades ago to assume responsibility the teacher strike and, now, for new school the initiative. construction and major repairs.

Current state aid to K-12 That program, known schools is $5.39 billion. That as Students FIRST — for compares with $5.15 billion Fair and Immediate Resources a decade ago. for Schools Today

But in that same time, — was designed to put the nearly 79,000 youngsters state into compliance with a have been added to the system, decision of the Arizona Supreme bringing enrollment Court which found up about 1.1 million. the state was not complying with its constitutional obligation to fund a “general and uniform’’ school system.

In the 1999, 2000 and 2001 budget years, the state set aside $200 million for construction; that went to $250 million in 2002.

But there were no dollars for the following three years before funding was restored — only to be effectively zeroed out again in 2009.

Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said his boss does not comment on pending ballot measures.

But it took the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry less than an hour to announce it would oppose the plan. Chamber President Glenn Hamer said his group supports Ducey’s proposal to fund teacher pay hikes through improved economic activity.

“It is never a good time to raise income taxes on small businesses and their employees,’’ Hamer said, noting that many businesses in Arizona are organized in a way so that the income is paid not by the corporation but by individual owners. “That would just create a drag on the state’s overall economy.’’

Anyway, Hamer argued, the income of the richest Arizonans is highly volatile, making it a bad idea to rely on that to fund education.