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CAC Board of Governors Demonstrate Classic Hubris With a 35% Property Tax Increase

May 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The Central Arizona College (CAC) Board of Governors has approved a tentative budget that will require a 35% in crease in property taxes for Pinal County homeowners. This tax translates to approximately a $100 tax increased per $100,000 assessed valuation on a home. A lot of retirees live in $400,000 homes and a $400 increase in taxes will hit them very hard.

Currently, Pinal County has the second highest primary tax rate in the State at $3.7999.  Pinal County Board of Supervisors reduced the property tax rate by $.10 last year.  The Board of Governor’s property tax increase obliterates the County tax reduction.

What is going on in CAC? Since 2009, the CAC property tax rate has increased by over 72%, while Pinal County’s property tax rate has increased almost 13%.  The CAC property tax rate has grown over 5.5 times faster than the Pinal County tax rate.

The proposed CAC tax rate will make CAC the most expensive community college in Arizona yet CAC serves only 3% of Arizona’s full-time student equivalent (FTSE) in all Arizona community colleges. How can this be? Are salaries excessively high?

The President of CAC, Doris Hemlich, was invited to a meeting of concerned citizens on May 16th.  She was totally unprepared for the reaction of SaddleBrooke residents.  Resident after resident stood up to speak against the egregious tax increase. Dr. Helmich attempted to frame the tax increase issue as critical to building an educated workforce that will attract businesses.

Unfortunately, Dr. Hemlich had it backwards.  Currently, approximately 56% of Pinal County’s work force leave Pinal County daily to go to work. If you look at Maricopa  county , businesses are located along the Pinal County line but very few in Pinal County.  The reason:  Pinal County has the second highest primary property tax rate in the State at $3.7999.  Maricopa County, at $1.2407, ranks 11th.

The CAC proposed primary and secondary property tax rate is over twice that of Maricopa County’s primary rate alone. The CAC Board of Governors, through its egregious tax increase, is, in effect, telling businesses to stay away.

Let me quote a CAC student, who shall remain anonymous to protect the student from any CAC administration retaliation:

“CAC couldn’t fill their existent classrooms when they received money to buy the satellite campus at Trekell and Florence. Next they used our tax dollars to get hold of another satellite facility in the Palm Center mall just off I10 and Florence. I use these two facilities constantly and have observed they have a running ratio of administration to students at roughly 7:1. The classrooms are always empty. At the facility on Trekell, the guy running things has his computer screen facing the door. He spends much of his day of time poking around on the internet  . . .

The computer lab there was being monitored by a student employee. When she had to study for finals, tests, etc. she’d simply close the lab and leave… leaving students who paid money to use those computers nowhere to go other than out to the main campus . . . The computer labs rarely have more than three students (20 computers) at any given time . . .

This college is NOT about education: it is the new WPA and operates without ANY responsible supervision . . .”

The proposed CAC property tax represents 62% of Pinal County’s property tax rate.  The Board of Governors and its decision to increase the CAC property tax by 35% do not pass the proverbial sniff test.  The CAC “truth in taxes” meeting on May 21st should be very interesting, indeed.

 

 

Filed Under: Education, Taxation Tagged With:

Representative Warren Petersen Needs Your Help on Three Bills

February 14, 2013 by 1 Comment
I want to make you aware of 3 bills that I am concerned about.   Your involvement can make a big difference.  There is a great website called lifelibertyfreedom.com that will allow you to email all of the legislators of the House and let them know how you feel.
HB2060 – Censure Bill (link)
This bill will allow school board members to censure each other.  This could be a tool used to ruin the reputation of a conservative or a liberal school board member.  School board members should feel free to speak their mind and their concerns whether or not they are in the minority of the board.  Please email the legislature and tell them to vote NO on HB2060.  It will be voted on in the house tomorrow 2/14/13 at 1:30 pm.
HB2343 – Public Employees, compensation for union activity (link)
This bill prohibits taxpayer dollars to be used for union activity.  If you believe union dues and not taxpayer dollars should fund union activities then please email the legislature and tell them to vote YES on HB2343.  It will be heard in committee on 2/19/13.
HB2456 - Revenue allocation districts (link)
This bill passed out of committee and will soon go to the House floor for a vote.  This would allow town councils to draw boundaries around businesses and form a board that will tax the businesses.  The revenue from the businesses will be used by the board for “economic development”.  This bill is a dream come true for big business and the well connected to create taxing districts and then control the funds.  If you don’t believe in business taxing districts then please email the legislature and tell them to vote NO on HB2456.
Small businesses and individuals have little to no voice at the Capitol.  They can’t afford to hire a lobbyist to protect their interest.  We need your help.  Please pick the issues above that you feel are important and use lifelibertyfreedom.com to email every Republican legislator in the house to tell them how you feel.  It will be Republicans that decide if these bills pass or not.  Please do not attack any of the legislators sponsoring the bills but focus on the bill itself.
You can reach State Representative Warren Petersen online.
Filed Under: Education, Elected Officials, Government, Government Reform, Guest Opinion, Legislation, State Economy, State Government Tagged With: , ,

Call to support Obama objectives

January 30, 2013 by 11 Comments

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona
Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Call to support Obama objectives

All out plan to save lives!

 

Realizing Hussein Obama’s plan to control guns and reduce needless deaths in the United States will do little to curb violence; we developed a 23 point ban plan to end the major causes of mortality in the United States. In an effort to help make this a safer country for our children we offer the following ideas on things he can ban that are not constitutionally protected.

Proposed ban list:

1.       Fertilizer – this is one of the major components in homemade explosive devises most infamously used by Timothy McVeigh in Oklahoma City. We also hear Washington D.C. is full of it.

2.       Earthquakes – these killer events have plagued humanity for eons, and are the root cause of tsunamis

3.       Terrorism – frequently used in the Middle East, and now one of the region’s most well known exports, this phenomenon strikes down many in the prime of life. The proposal is that entire cities will be declared terrorism free zones, just as schools are identified as gun free zones. Signs will be posted in English, French and Arabic with graphic symbols to ensure maximum compliance.

4.       Old people – the Surgeon General reports that the elderly have the highest death rate. Eliminating old people will significantly reduce this problem.  Additionally, most of them have read the Constitution and are disrupting the President’s agenda.

5.       Armed police – A recent study conducted by the National Association of Bank Robbers, Muggers and Rapists uncovered an alarming reduction in membership in 2012 due to police shootings. Elimination of armed police would extend the productive years of these citizens. Most of the Association’s members gunned down by police were in their prime years.

6.       Automobiles – In 2010, more than 32,000 fatal car crashes were recorded. Shocking.

7.       Horses – when people rode horses, accident rates were even higher than auto accident rates.

8.       Gasoline – without cars, this explosive, highly flammable and dangerous fuel will no longer be needed.  It is used for Molotov cocktails and bombs – deadly stuff.

9.       Tablespoons – a leading cause of obesity, widely used to eat ice cream which is loaded with cholesterol, spoons are suspected of causing three out of every four heart attacks. Furthermore, when the handles are thrust into sensitive areas of the body, such as the neck, they can sever arteries and should be considered a deadly weapon.

10.    Volcanoes – they have spawned earthquakes, and when their eruptions are powerful enough, can cause wide-spread, crop destroying global cooling that could kill hundreds of millions.

11.    Ice ages – the most recent major ice age spread ice a mile deep over Connecticut and other areas of North America. All life on earth was sharply diminished. Congress should enact immediate legislation to prevent a repeat of the last ice age.

12.    Floods – When the ice melted suddenly and precipitously, there were massive global floods that sparked descriptions of Noah like rescues of human and animal species in societies around the planet.

13.    Gravity – The law of Gravity should be repealed. It causes falls, and is a major factor in airline crashes.

14.    Airplanes – and of course, airplanes ought to be outlawed. Without airplanes, there would be no more airplane accidents. One such accident killed over 500 people! They can kill hundreds with each event.

15.     Soft drinks in containers over 16 ounces or larger – they are an important causative factor in obesity which leads to diabetes and heart disease.  New York has already taken the lead on this one.

16.    Hospitals – the danger of these institutions should be self evident. People die every day in hospitals, and nobody has made any effort to close them.

17.    McDonalds’ Happy Meals – They may be on their way out, but we must make them illegal.  San Francisco has taken the lead here.

18.    Nancy Pelosi -Just looking at her makes some folks feel suicidal.

19.    Harry Reid – his visage has been known to make people beg for a quick end.

20.    Hurricanes – these dangerous storms must be stopped once and for all, especially those that are as large as the one George Bush caused to target New Orleans.

21.    Knives – Once all guns are banned, murderers will turn to the use of knives which are known to be very deadly. There is no reason that people cannot tear their food with their bare hands and butter their bread with fingers or thumbs.

22.    Rocks – This is a primitive weapon that would be used by killers once there are neither guns nor knives. They have proven to be quite deadly in the Middle East and could be widely used elsewhere. The recommended procedure to eliminate rocks is to pulverize them into sand.

23.    Birth – The GOP research staff has come up with a startling finding. Birth is the number one causative factor in deaths around the world. Birth is so deadly, 100% of its victims eventually die because of it. If we ban birth, we will have solved the problem of human mortality forever.

This list is as comprehensive as any committee might ever be expected to produce, but in the interest of inclusiveness, we welcome your comments.  And please my fellow Americans, NO MORE RUNNING WITH SCISSORS!
Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Conservatives, Constitutional Law, Economics, Education, Federal Government, Liberals, Political Correctness, Public Safety

Arizona AFP Panel Discussion: The Educational Future of American Children

January 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment

AZ_AFPF

Arizona parents, taxpayers and other concerned citizens are invited to an important event about the future of education policy in America. As part of National School Choice Week, the Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity Foundation is hosting an expert policy panel on Monday, January 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort, 7200 N. Scottsdale Road (just north of Indian Bend). (RSVP information below.)

We have some important ground to cover in this policy discussion, including these topics:

• Of the recent school choice programs that have passed—Education Savings Accounts in Arizona, vouchers in Indiana, parent triggers in California, etc., which are the most important for children?

• Can school choice programs take credit for recent successes in US education?

• What are the biggest challenges to school choice today?

• How can we ensure that school choice successes are not derailed by government intervention?

• How can we ensure that children in traditional district schools are not “left behind” by school choice reforms?

• What special efforts must be made to meetthe needs of students who live in poverty?

• What are the effects of high-stakes government tests on students and teachers?

Our expert panelists will answer these questions and identify the best paths forward to improve our children’s education:

Jason Bedrick, Visiting Scholar, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute

Jonathan Butcher, Education Director, Goldwater Institute

Anthony Cody, Education Blogger, Teachers Lead and Education Week

Matthew Ladner, Senior Advisor, Foundation for Excellence in Education

To attend this event, RSVP to Bill Fathauer at 480-332-0477 or bfathauer@afphq.org. Please tell Bill if you are bringing any guests, and please give him your name, email address and best phone contact. We look forward to seeing you on January 28!

For Liberty, Tom

Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity Foundation

Filed Under: Constitutional Law, Debates, Education, Government Reform, Legislation Tagged With: ,

Good news for schoolchildren from the 2012 election

November 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By Jonathan Butcher

Arizona voters were not the only ones that considered ballot measures last week that dealt with schools. Across the country, voters were faced with a variety of proposals, from tax increases to new charter school laws. In three states, children benefited from voter-approved initiatives.

Arizona Proposition 204: Failed

This attempt to raise the sales tax was filled with carve-outs for special interest groups and lacked any meaningful innovations or effective ideas for Arizona children. Now lawmakers can focus on real reform, like successful implementation of education savings accounts, updating the school finance formula so taxpayers stop paying for empty seats in classrooms, and expanding online learning that has been proven to boost student achievement.

Washington State’s Initiative 1240: Passed

The initiative creates the nation’s 43rd charter school law (42 states and the District of Columbia). The measure calls for the creation of a statewide charter school authorizer, much like Arizona’s state charter board. These offices independent of local school districts have been a boon to charter schools in states like Arizona (where the statewide office has authorized nearly 90 percent of Arizona’s charter schools), South Carolina, and Colorado.

Georgia’s Amendment 1: Passed

Georgia already had a charter school law, but parents’ and community leaders’ freedom to create these schools has been under attack by school district officials. This state constitutional amendment restores the statewide charter school authorizer the Georgia Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in 2011. The passage of this amendment will create more charter schools and give parents and children more choices among schools in their state.

Now that the votes are counted, let’s get to work making sure every child has the chance to go to a school that challenges them and prepares them for life.

Jonathan Butcher is Education Director for the Goldwater Institute.

Learn more:
Goldwater Institute: Ghost Busters: How to Save $125 Million a Year in Arizona’s Education Budget
Goldwater Institute: Education Savings Accounts: A Path to Give All Children an Effective Education and Prepare Them for Life
Goldwater Institute: A Custom Education for Every Child: The Promise of Online Learning and Education Savings Accounts

Filed Under: Ballot Measures, Education

New Report: Education Savings Accounts expand opportunities for families

October 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

A revolutionary school choice program in Arizona known as “education savings accounts” is expanding educational options in unprecedented ways for families whose children’s needs have not been met by traditional public schools. Meanwhile, legislators in Florida, Utah, and Iowa have considered enacting the program in their states.

In a new report released Tuesday, Goldwater Institute Education Director Jonathan Butcher charts the origin and successes of Arizona’s first-of-its-kind education savings account program, and outlines a roadmap for any state looking to create a program of its own.

Conceived of by the Goldwater Institute in 2005 and first approved by the Arizona Legislature in 2011 for special-needs children, education savings accounts allow families to receive 90 percent of the funds the state would have spent on a child in a public school. Those funds may be used for private school tuition, homeschooling, virtual schooling, school materials, or other educational expenses.

More than 150 Arizona families of special-needs children took advantage of the program in its first year. This school year, 400 children are using an education savings account. Beginning in 2013, the program will be expanded to children in failing schools, children of active-duty military families, and children adopted out of the foster system. This expansion will make over 200,000 Arizona children—or 1 in 5—eligible for the program.

Today’s report features stories of children whose lives have been positively changed by education savings accounts. Nathan has autism and was still unable to form sentences at six years old. He struggled in his large kindergarten class where his busy teacher could not meet his special needs. Nathan’s mother applied for an education savings account, and was able to enroll Nathan in a specialized school that serves autistic children. Thanks to his education savings account, Nathan has blossomed, learning to speak and ask questions, and his future looks bright.

“The program is a boon to families, because they’re able to meet their children’s specific educational needs, and it’s a boon to taxpayers, because the program is a net-savings for the state,” said Butcher. “Education savings accounts are by far the most innovative school choice program to date.”

Nearly 40 states contain a constitutional provision known as the Blaine Amendment, which prohibits the direct transfer of government funds to private schools and has made crafting school choice programs that enable children to attend private schools challenging. Education savings accounts do not pose these constitutional challenges because, when a family receives an account, the funds become privately held and administered. When the Arizona teachers’ union brought a legal challenge to education savings accounts earlier this year, the court found the accounts did not violate the state constitution.

For any state legislature considering education savings account programs, Butcher outlines how to determine eligibility, funding sources, allowable expenses, and fraud prevention. The Goldwater Institute will continue to work with policymakers throughout the country to encourage adoption of the program.

To read “Education Savings Accounts: A Path to Give All Children an Effective Education and Prepare Them for Life” please visit: http://goldwaterinstitute.org/article/education-savings-accounts-path-give-all-children-effective-education-and-prepare-them-life

The Goldwater Institute protects America’s greatest inheritance—the liberty and economic freedom of the individual—by holding government accountable and standing up for regular taxpayers just like you. Learn more about the Goldwater Institute at www.goldwaterinstitute.org.

Filed Under: Education, Press Release

ICYMI: Arizona Daily Wildcat throws support behind Paton for CD-1

October 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Jonathan Paton

Today, the Arizona Daily Wildcat student newspaper threw its support behind Jonathan Paton for Arizona’s First District, citing Paton’s work on CPS reform and efforts to increase government transparency. The editorial also noted Kirkpatrick’s ineffectiveness during her previous term in Congress despite Democrats controlling the House, Senate, and Presidency.

The Wildcat is the daily student newspaper of the University of Arizona, the alma mater of both Paton and Kirkpatrick. Paton was the only Republican that the paper endorsed.

Arizona Daily Wildcat: Paton for Congressional District 1

His opponent, Ann Kirkpatrick, has greater recognition and has already served a term from 2008 to 2010. But during that time, Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate, and still proved to be ineffective at offering long-term solutions to control spending.

In 2009, Paton helped push “Kaity’s Law,” an effort that increased protection for domestic violence victims in dating relationships. In 2010, he led a series of hearings into Arizona’s Child Protective Services after the deaths of three children from Tucson, whose parents had been investigated by CPS. Paton offered his voice to victims whose own voices are too often minimized, and he supports greater transparency in government.

The Arizona Newspapers Association has twice given a Freedom of Information Award to Paton, an advocate of open government records.

Though we don’t agree with all of Paton’s political positions, he has proven himself to be a staunch supporter of government transparency. The Daily Wildcat endorses Paton for Congressional District 1.

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Campaigns & Elections, Education, Endorsements, Media, Press Release Tagged With: , ,

Kyrsten Sinema Mocks Arizona State University

October 30, 2012 by 2 Comments

Vernon Parker

“It’s a Party School”

Phoenix, AZ – In the world of politics and campaigns, it’s not surprising that mud gets thrown around. Usually it’s between candidates. But now Democrat Kyrsten Sinema has a different target – students at the state’s largest university, ASU.

In a recent video, Sinema ridicules Arizona State University calling it, “a party school”. She goes on to say that because ASU students like to party, they rarely show up prepared to the classes she teaches. She concludes by suggesting that the students are so stupid they don’t realize Wikipedia is not an appropriate source of citation.

Don’t believe it? We didn’t at first – until we saw it with our own eyes. Check it out for yourself – click here to see how Kyrsten Sinema really feels about students at ASU.

The question now: If Ms. Sinema feels this way about one of her largest group of supporters, how does she feel about all voters in CD9?

Do you really want someone who mocks you to be your voice in Washington?

*Vernon Parker sent the following letter to Michael Crow.

October 30, 2012

Michael Crow
Office of the President
Arizona State University
PO Box 877705
Tempe, AZ 85287-7705

Attention: Michael Crow

Dear Michael Crow,

My campaign has discovered a recording you need to see. In this appalling video, my opponent Kyrsten Sinema, is on record mocking students at ASU. She refers to your university as “a party school” and suggests that your students are so stupid that they don’t realize “Wikipedia is not an appropriate citation source because they believe if they read it on the internet it must be true.”

You can find the video at this YouTube link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enDAugShSWg

YouTube Preview Image

If Ms. Sinema has the audacity to mock students at such a prestigious university as yours, what else is she capable of? If that’s how she feels about ASU students, what does she secretly think about voters? Should she really be the person to represent ASU’s interests in DC?

As you know, education is the reason I’m here today. I put myself through college and law school with the help of my family and student loans. I believe protecting and improving education is paramount and will be one of my top priorities in Washington.

Thank you for your time. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this further.

Sincerely,

Vernon Parker
Vernon Parker for Congress

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Campaigns & Elections, Education, Press Release Tagged With: , , ,

Martha McSally Discusses Education at Recent Debate

October 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
YouTube Preview Image
Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Campaigns & Elections, Education, Press Release

New Report: The Myth of Education Cuts and Why Money Can’t Buy an A+

October 11, 2012 by 1 Comment

A popular myth claims we severely underfund schools in Arizona. For years, teachers unions and other education interest groups have led a successful “crusade” in the media and the state capitol to spread this idea. “We have reduced education funding levels to the point where they’re really not sustainable for our students and our teachers,” says Ann-Eve Pedersen, who is leading a voter initiative to raise taxes to increase education funding.

Here are some key facts about education spending in Arizona:

1. When you add up all funding sources, Arizona now spends $9,233 per student, a 9 percent increase from 2000, after adjusting for inflation.

2. During the worst years of the recession, 2009-2011, operational per student spending only decreased 5 percent.

3. When you look back just a few years, from 2006 to 2011, per student spending increased by 10 percent, even accounting for the 5 percent dip during the recession. Federal data show that any cuts to operational dollars have been restored by funding increases.

4. This year alone, education spending in the state budget increased by $28 million dollars.

5. Between 2006 and 2011, 183 of 218 Arizona districts experienced an increase in total per student spending. Only 31 school districts saw a decline in total spending during that time period.

6. According to the state auditor general, these consistent funding increases have not led to more money being spent in the classroom. In 2011, Arizona districts only spent 54.7 percent of their funds on classroom expenses, “a record low since [the auditor’s office] began monitoring classroom dollars 11 years ago.”

Moreover, higher spending per student hasn’t bought students higher test scores. Arizona student achievement has been virtually unchanged for 20 years. Today, nearly 3 out of 4 fourth graders can’t read at grade level. And, although our scores still rank near the bottom on many indicators, Arizona students score as well as or better than students in some states where per student funding is double or almost triple what we spend. In short, there is not a direct relationship between money and achievement.

Voters should reject the latest attempt to raise the state sales tax to increase education funding, and Arizona lawmakers should commit the state to reforms that are proven to increase student achievement.

Click here to read The Myth of Education Cuts and Why Money Can’t Buy an A+

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Ballot Measures, Education, Taxation

The Misplaced Priorities of the Prop 204 Campaign

October 11, 2012 by 1 Comment

Byron Schlomach, Ph.D., Goldwater Institute

When the Prop 204 campaign criticizes Arizona legislators for reducing education funding during the recession, they never explain what else legislators were supposed to do.

At the height of the recession state revenues had fallen by a third. With the money that was left, simple math shows that the legislature could not have maintained spending on education and social programs, which together make up 70 percent of the state budget. If they’d tried, it would have meant zeroing out prisons, the state legal system, State Parks, and several departments that protect public health. Even the 1-cent sales tax increase would not have prevented the closure of fundamental state agencies if the legislature had not reduced education and social service funding to some degree.

Support the NO on 204 Campaign

Even still, during the darkest days of the recession, school funding was only reduced by 5 percent.

By criticizing these reductions, Prop 204 supporters are implying that the legislature should have closed prisons, letting pedophiles roam free, shut down the Attorney General, leaving child support cases unsettled, and hurt kids by compromising recreation and public safety. Looking to the future, the legislature has wisely saved some money to avoid more budget reductions when the federal health care law fully kicks in and state health care costs skyrocket, but the Prop 204 campaign criticizes that, too.

The solution offered by the Prop 204 campaign is to permanently funnel $1 billion annually to schools with no strings attached. Here’s the irony. As education funding was reduced to cope with the recession, schools chose to direct less money to the classroom than ever before. They preferred to fire teachers than reduce the ranks of non-teachers on school payrolls. In 2011, only 55 cents of every education dollar was dedicated to classrooms.

When it comes to questioning priorities, I have to question those of the people running the Prop 204 campaign. Criticizing the legislature because they avoided letting pedophiles out on the street while rewarding with a billion-dollar blank check the very schools that fired teachers rather than bureaucrats sure seems backwards to me.

Dr. Byron Schlomach is the director of the Goldwater Institute’s Center for Economic Prosperity.

Learn more:

Goldwater Institute: Proposition 204: Not As Advertised

Goldwater Institute: The Myth of Education Cuts

East Valley Tribune: Census Shows Arizona School Districts Cut 10,000 Jobs

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Ballot Measures, Education, Taxation Tagged With:

Vernon Parker Releases Plan to Improve & Protect Education

October 10, 2012 by 2 Comments

Phoenix, AZ – For Vernon Parker, improving and protecting education is not just an issue our country needs to tackle.  For Vernon Parker, education is personal.

Vernon grew up in a drug-infested violent neighborhood that few escape.  But despite the odds, Vernon did get out, thanks to education.  His grandmother instilled in him the importance of education, despite the fact that she could not read or write.  Vernon went from a rough upbringing, to become an attorney and now, a candidate for the US Congress.

He’s a success story.  The problem – those stories are few and far between.

Sinema, who has yet to release her education plan has a checkered past when it comes to education funding.  “In the legislature Sinema opposed SB 2782, which would have given $38 million for all day funding for kindergarten.  Instead she focused on passing “medically accurate” sex education, introducing this legislation nearly every year.  It’s just another example of Sinema focusing on her radical leftist agenda,” said Alyssa Pivirotto, Parker Communications Director. 

According to NAEP only 32% of Arizona 4th graders are proficient or advanced in reading skills, and only 35% are proficient or advanced in math skills.  That means our education system is failing nearly 70% of our kids. 

In Vernon’s education plan, he clearly outlines what needs to be done to make sure our students aren’t left behind.  Some of the highlights include:

*Giving parents more control to decide what’s best for their kids.

*Creating incentives for schools to generate more competition and increase the quality of education – things like open enrollments and teacher accountability.

*Reforming No Child Left Behind – making sure students are tested year-round and not just at the end of the year- allowing parents and teacher to track a child’s progress more accurately.

*Paying teachers based on merit.

*Higher Education Reforms:

- Education Savings Accounts

- Tax credits for families paying for higher education

- Government guaranteed student loans for graduate students

- Fully-funded Pell Grants

Those are just a few of the points outlined in Vernon’s education plan.  Click here to see it in detail.

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Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Campaigns & Elections, Conservatives, Education, Press Release Tagged With: , ,

Longtime Education Reformer Files Complaint Against Proposition 204 Committee

October 6, 2012 by 2 Comments

Bolick Asking Illegal Campaign Contributions To Be Returned

Phoenix, AZ – October 5, 2012 – Shawnna L.M. Bolick, a 16 year veteran in the education reform movement filed a complaint with the Arizona Secretary of State’s office against the Quality Education and Jobs (QEJ) political committee citing an illegal $120,000 contribution from Arizona Students Association (ASA). ASA is a non-profit 501(c) (4) organization.

ASA contributed $120,000 in cash to the QEJ political committee on May 22, 2012, and June 18, 2012, according to QEJ’s campaign finance reports.  It appears certain board members and executive officers of ASA may have violated the organization’s bylaws and/or breached their fiduciary duties when they approved funding for QEJ, according to Bolick’s complaint. The purpose of her letter is to seek an order pursuant to A.R.S. § 16-924(A) requiring QEJ to return the $120,000 to ASA.

Upon filing her complaint Bolick stated, “I am adamantly opposed to special interests illegally misappropriating student fees. When I was an undergraduate I chose to have my student fee reimbursed from a special interest group to whom I disagreed with their political speech. It was a cumbersome process and not well-advertised, but I felt compelled to make a statement.”

Duly noted in Bolick’s complaint, funding for ASA comes from a mandatory $2 fee assessed on all public university students’ tuition dues each semester. According to QEJ’s campaign finance reports they are in possession of misappropriated corporate funds. This money belongs to Arizona’s public university students and it may not be used for political purposes without their consent.

“The Yes on 204 campaign should not prey on unsuspecting college students.  Misappropriating their student fees is not only unconstitutional, but it clearly violates their freedom of speech. This is not a lesson that special interests should be involved on the college campus,” Bolick added.

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Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Ballot Measures, Campaign Finance, Campaigns & Elections, Conservatives, Constitutional Law, Education, Initiative(s), PAC's, Press Release, Taxation Tagged With: ,

Arizona Small Business Owners: No on 204

October 3, 2012 by 4 Comments

NFIB steadfast in opposition to new, permanent sales tax increase

PHOENIX, Ariz., Oct. 3, 2012—The National Federation of Independent Business today reaffirmed its long-held and principled opposition to raising Arizona’s sales tax rate to one of the highest in the nation by joining forces with the campaign to defeat Proposition 204.

“Arizona needs jobs and new investment, not higher taxes that rob taxpayers’ purchasing power and depress retail sales,” said Farrell Quinlan, Arizona state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. “Proposition 204 is a cynical money grab by government unions and special interests that seeks to exploit Arizonans’ sincere support for closing the achievement gap in our K-12 education system.”

Proposition 204 is an Arizona ballot measure that would increase Arizona’s state sales tax rate by 18 percent when the current temporary one-cent sales tax expires in June 2013. Its passage will cement Arizona’s sales tax rate as the second highest in the nation behind Tennessee—a state, unlike Arizona, with no income tax.

“Proposition 204 earmarks and diverts more than a billion dollars a year to a series of unaccountable and failed bureaucracies that for good measure includes a $100 million taste for a rabble of favored special interests. The children are the last thing Proposition 204 is for,” Quinlan said. “It provides no accountability or no real reform and little of the money will go to teachers and into the classroom where it is needed most.”

NFIB, the state’s leading small business association with 7,500 Arizona members, has consistently opposed efforts to raise Arizona’s transaction privilege (or sales) tax rate during these recessionary times with high unemployment. In 2010, the organization established its principled stance against raising taxes during this recession by opposing passage of Proposition 100, the temporary tax increase set to expire on May 31, 2013.

“One of the main reasons NFIB’s members opposed Proposition100 was their since-vindicated fear that the temporary tax would be converted into a permanent tax. Sadly, Proposition 204 proves their fears were justified.” Quinlan concluded. 

NFIB joins a growing list of business organizations supporting the Vote NO on 204 campaign. Visit www.VoteNOon204.com to learn more about Proposition 204.

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NFIB is the nation’s leading small-business advocacy association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small- and independent-business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists send their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. More information about NFIB is available online at www.NFIB.com/newsroom.

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Ballot Measures, Education, Initiative(s), Small Business, Special Interests, Taxation Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Arizona University Students Unknowingly Contributed $120,000 to Prop 204 Campaign

September 28, 2012 by 3 Comments

Arizona university students have contributed over $120,000 in cash and funded countless man hours to support the Yes on Proposition 204 campaign, which would permanently raise the state sales tax, yet most of them probably don’t even know they’ve made a contribution. In fact, many of them may not even agree with the initiative.

In a Special Investigation released Thursday, Goldwater Institute Investigative Reporter Christian Palmer explains how the Arizona Students Association broke its own rules earlier this year when the student-funded 501(c)(4) organization applied its money and manpower to aid the Quality Education and Jobs Committee, a political committee formed to launch the statewide ballot initiative now called Prop 204.

This week, four students who sit on the ASA board as Arizona State University representatives resigned their positions, citing their inability to speak out against ASA internal politics, including how the organization’s funds are spent. Another representative resigned his ASA board post earlier this month.

One former ASA board member told the Goldwater Institute that when he tried to speak out against the organization’s actions last year, professional staff threatened to sue him.

Founded in 1974, the ASA is a student group representing the 130,000 students who attend ASU, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona. According to the ASA’s mission statement, the organization works to “make sure that higher education in Arizona is affordable and accessible by advocating to elected officials and running issue campaigns to engage students.” The ASA reaped more than $585,000 from Arizona university students in 2012. Over the course of the past five years, the group has received $2.6 million in fees.

The Goldwater Institute found that the ASA doesn’t have to get approval from students before it determines how to spend funds, but it is required to get approval from its board of directors, which is comprised of elected representatives of the student body. However, those directors’ one-year terms make board turnover nearly constant, which means significant power resides with the ASA’s professional staff members. According to former ASA board members interviewed by the Goldwater Institute, members of the ASA’s professional staff knowingly ignored the organization’s bylaws in order to help Prop 204.

This controversy emerged last spring, when several board members refused to support Prop 204, and took steps to ensure the ASA did not endorse the initiative. Having repeatedly failed to secure that endorsement from a majority of the board, the ASA’s professional staff proceeded to earmark organizational resources for the initiative campaign, including cutting a $20,000 check to the campaign, despite the fact that ASA internal financial policies require the board to review and approve all expenditures of $300 or more.

In June, having been almost entirely repopulated by newly elected board members, the ASA board voted to contribute $100,000 to the Yes on Prop 204 campaign, making the ASA a larger contributor to the campaign than the teachers’ unions and school boards association and second only to a contractors’ group.

The ASA’s contributions to the Yes on Prop 204 campaign raise legal questions about whether their actions constituted unconstitutional “compelled speech” on behalf of its student funders. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in cases on similar issues that people cannot be forced to fund political speech with which they disagree. Because all students are required to pay the fee to the ASA and the process for obtaining a refund isn’t advertised and is cumbersome, the fee may violate the First Amendment rights of university students.

The Goldwater Institute is examining these recent events and is considering legal action on behalf of ASU students.

To read Welcome to the Real World, please visit: http://goldwaterinstitute.org/article/welcome-real-world

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Ballot Measures, Campaigns & Elections, Constitutional Law, Education Tagged With:

‘Won’t Back Down’—A Must-See Movie

September 27, 2012 by 55 Comments

By Jonathan Butcher, Goldwater Institute

Mark your calendar for Friday, September 28, when the feature film Won’t Back Down hits theaters. Based on real events in California, the movie depicts a group of parents’ efforts to reform a failing school.   Hollywood stars Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight, Away We Go) and Viola Davis (The Help) play two devoted mothers who gather signatures for a petition to take over their children’s school, one that has underserved students for years.

California is one of four states with a “parent trigger” or “parent empowerment” law that allows parents to petition to convert a traditional school into a charter school or replace school leadership. Under these laws, at least half of the parents in a failing school must support the transition. California, Texas, and Mississippi passed laws in 2010 and 2011, while Gov. Bobby Jindal signed Louisiana’s law earlier this year.

The Arizona State Senate passed a “parent empowerment” bill last March, though the measure eventually stalled in the House. Lawmakers in at least 20 other states are considering the reform idea.

Two weeks ago, Businessweek explained how the parent empowerment law has given parents in Adelanto, California new hope. Doreen Diaz joined with other Desert Trails Elementary parents in 2010 and petitioned to turn their school into a charter school. With the help of Parent Revolution, a non-profit based in Los Angeles, Doreen gathered signatures and began a grueling battle with school and district leaders.

While the fate of Desert Trails remains unresolved, Doreen insists drastic action is needed to help its students. “I hope that more people see [Won’t Back Down] and are inspired to stand up and fight,” Doreen says. She can point to McKinley Elementary, where parent engagement spurred the creation of a charter school nearby—a school that outperformed McKinley in the first year it was open—or the dozen states considering parent empowerment laws.

I hope Won’t Back Down inspires lawmakers to give parents the freedom to turn failing schools into success stories.

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Jonathan Butcher is the education director for the Goldwater Institute.

Learn more:

Goldwater Institute: Momentum Building for Parent Empowerment

Bloomberg Businessweek: In California, Public School Parents Stage a Coup

Parent Revolution: STAR Test Results Show Celerity Outperforming McKinley in All Subject Areas

IMDB: Won’t Back Down

Filed Under: Culture, Education

Prop 204 supporters see what they want to see

September 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By Jonathan Butcher

One of the perks of being a dad is that your children keep you current on popular culture. My son worked his way through the Harry Potter series this summer and informed me that “rememberalls” are small orbs to help you remember things and you can eat chocolate frogs, if they don’t hop away first.

He told me about the Mirror of Erised, which appears in the first of the seven-book series, and is a mirror that allows Harry to see exactly what he wants to. Everyone who looks into the mirror sees what they want to see.

Supporters of Prop 204 seem to be looking into the Mirror of Erised, and they want you to look, too. They hope you’ll see “guaranteed” funding for schools through a 1-cent sales tax increase.

What Prop 204 supporters hope you don’t see is the mishmash of special interest projects, like highway spending, that will also be funded and the fact that schools will have little accountability for what they do with the increased funding.

Simply spending more on schools doesn’t mean better results for children. Research from Harvard and Stanford Universities demonstrates there is no direct relationship between spending and achievement (otherwise the dots on this graph would all be assembled on the red line).

On the chart linked above, states that have increased school spending more in the past 20 years are on the right side, while higher-achieving states are near the top. Notice in states like Florida and Delaware, spending did not increase as much as in places like West Virginia and Maine, yet the achievement gains were greater.

Arizona has tried to improve test scores for 40 years by spending more on schools, but achievement scores haven’t budged. Arizonans should vote against Prop 204 and reject the vague promise that things will be better if only we raise taxes again.

Jonathan Butcher is Education Director for the Goldwater Institute.

Learn more:

Goldwater Institute: Proposition 204 Not as Advertised

Goldwater Institute: It’s the Same Old Song

Goldwater Institute: An Abbott and Costello Routine: Who’s on… 49th?

Education Next: Is the U.S. Catching Up?

Scholastic.com: The Harry Potter Collection

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Ballot Measures, Education, Taxation Tagged With:
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