Ducey: Education is an investment ‘that matters’
A closer look at some of the governor’s budget proposals
According to the Associated Press, funding for education has been “under the microscope” since Arizona teachers walked out of the classroom in 2018 in protest of their “low pay, deteriorating buildings and years of stagnant education funding despite an improving economy.”
On Jan. 17, Gov. Doug Ducey presented his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year – which runs from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, – and among the “targeted, sustainable investments in the things that matter” lies education.
EARLY CHILDHOOD
While the budget provides no state funding to early childhood education, it does authorize a draw down of $23 million in federal Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) dollars, which would assist low-income working families and foster parents in affording childcare as well as provide “tiered reimbursement” and technical assistance to
expand quality child care centers.
K-12 EDUCATION
The plan proposes a significant boost to K-12 funding, allotting $608 million in new spending while adding $175 million to increase teacher pay by 5%, fulfilling the “20x2020 plan” to raise teachers’ salaries 20% by the 2020-21 academic year.
In other areas, the budget includes a $5 million boost for Career and Technical Education (CTE), giving a $1,000 incentive payment to high schools for every student who graduates with an approved industry certification.
The budget also looks at extending incentive bonuses to teachers, districts and charter schools whose students achieve a passing score on an Advanced Placement (AP) test or another college-qualifying exam, as well as adding funds to waive qualifying test fees for low-income students.
And with a new formula for results-based funding, $34.7 million would shift the award distribution from a fixed number of schools to a system that benefits all high-performing schools in high poverty areas while helping expand their successful programs to more students. Broken down into specifics, the program would apply $400 per student for ‘A’ schools with a 60% or higher participation in free and reduced-price lunch; $225 per student for ‘B’ schools with the same ratio; and $225 per student for ‘A’ schools with less than 60 percent participation.
The plan also includes a permanent $1 million for gifted and advanced learners and a restoration of district and charter additional assistance promised by Ducey in his 2018 budget plan. Though the restoration funds are not new, they do “free up” schools’ financial resources to focus on other priorities.
“The nice thing about this is that it’s accelerated the plan to pay schools back for a full restoration of the $371 million they’ve spent to fund their own education and programs,” said Liz Salazar, Expect More Arizona’s
community engagement manager for Central Arizona.
The Building Renewal Program – which affords financial assistance to schools for building repairs and replacements – would gain $90.8 million more than typically appropriate by the state should the recommendation be approved, bringing the total funding to $107.5 million.
“Our schools are really hurting when it comes to keeping them up and running,” Salazar said. “We don’t think of schools and their operational costs, but it’s actually really expensive to run a school.”
Also included in the governor’s proposal is $64.5 million for new school construction. The funding covers the second installment for the seven schools that received funding last year and sets aside funding for two schools projected to reach capacity by Fiscal Year 2022. The proposal also recommends increasing the cost per square footage for new school construction.
HIGHER EDUCATION
The state’s rural community college districts are budgeted to received $6.5 million to fund general operating expenses and CTE programs. An additional $4.1 million, appropriated to the Arizona Commerce Authority, would expand the Arizona Advanced Technological Corridor to ensure community college graduates head into the workforce with skills that match industry needs.
For teacher recruitment – a prevalent issue that’s been plaguing districts across the state – the governor appropriates $15 million to further expand access to the Arizona Teacher’s Academy, through which college students majoring in education or any area of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) are eligible for tuition assistance as well as an annual $1,000 stipend in exchange for agreeing to teach in one of these “critical need” areas. This year, the program is expanding to non-resident students and community college students pursuing an advanced degree.
OTHER INITIATIVES
A new program called “Project Rocket” is targeted to receive recurring onetime funding of $44 million. This three-year pilot program is designed to close achievement gaps in education statewide by providing financial support to schools that are underperforming and/or failing. ‘C’ schools with 60% or higher participation in free and reducedprice lunch as well as any ‘D’- or ‘F’-rated school may opt into the program. The funding would be appropriated on the basis of $150 per student to “implement proven turnaround strategies.”
In rural broadband development, $10 million is budgeted to “bolster” the Rural Broadband Grant Program in expanding high-speed internet access to rural communities.
OUTLOOK
Overall, the plan allots a total of $11.2 billion to fund education.
According to Expect More Arizona’s Chief Executive Officer Christine Thompson, while these funds address several important funding needs, additional funding is needed to strengthen and sustain education for the long haul.
“We’re pleased to see investments in student safety, career and technical education, community colleges and universities and rural broadband,” Thompson said in a news release. “These are impactful investments given the revenue the state has today. Yet, it is important to be clear that these investments are not enough to close the achievement gaps in Arizona and support the success of all students. A strong education sector is the foundation of the state’s infrastructure and we’re not where we need to be.”
With “overwhelming support” for education on both sides of the political spectrum, the organization has high hopes that voters will be instrumental in the state coming to a bipartisan solution that guarantees funding to the entire education continuum, from early learning to college and career.
“I have to be hopeful that one day our state leaders and legislators will fully fund education in Arizona,” Salazar said. “But it starts with Arizonans engaging with legislators and understanding how these decisions affect them every day. We have a moral, community and economic imperative to make sure Arizona is a great place to live, learn and thrive.”