Arizona Legislature retaliates against educators: Because 50th isn't low enough

[Catshrink]

This is a cross-post from the Arizona forum:

K-12 Funding Cuts

No 2% inflation funding ($102 million cut)
The Republican Leadership wants to repeal the 2% inflation factor for the base funding level for this school year (the 2009-10 school year). This is the money the legislature gave to school districts on a bi-partisan vote during the special session on July 6. This is a loss of $102 million statewide, which is approximately $102 per student.

In addition, the legislature wants to refer to the voters the ability to reduce voter-approved expenditures for the next three fiscal years. This means that if approved, the 2% inflation factor will not be funded for the near future.

Soft capital reduction ($175 million cut)
The Republican Leadership wants to reduce $175 million in soft capital funding. Soft capital is the money districts receive to provide classroom support - things like textbooks, technology, library resources, instructional aids, etc. The soft capital dollar amount per student has not increased since 1998, and this budget proposal intends to sweep nearly all the remaining funds for soft capital expenditures. This will leave teachers paying nearly all classroom expenditures out of their own pockets.

No funding for actual utility costs ($80 million cut)
There will be no funding provided to pay for the new utility formula that was passed in the 2008 legislative session for "excess utilities" (this is an $80 million cut to school districts that previously levied for "excess utilities").

Reduced funds for Career Ladder
Districts with the Career Ladder program will have their overall budget reduced (from 5.5% to 5%), with the potential that no new teachers could be allowed to join this school year.

Policy Changes Targeted Against Teachers & Association Members

Release time and association time
The Republican Leadership wants to prohibit a school district employment contract from including compensated days for professional association activities. This means all release time and professional association time will no longer be able to be compensated in any way by the district. All bargaining and association time will need to occur outside of the normal school day.

No contract dates
A school district will no longer have to issue contracts by May 15 to teachers with continuing status.

Salary reductions
The May 15 statutory deadline for notice of salary reduction will be removed and school districts will now set their own salary reduction deadline.

Teachers with continuing status
A school district will be prohibited from adopting policies that provide employment retention priority for teachers based on "tenure" or seniority.

A school district will be able to reduce the salary of a teacher with continuing status in any manner. The statutory protection currently says a salary reduction of a teacher with continuing status can only occur under a general salary reduction.

Provisional teachers
Provisional teachers will no longer have to be notified of nonrenewal by April 15.
A school district will no longer have to give a preferred right of reappointment to a job for a teacher who has lost his/her job through the reduction-in-force (RIF) process.

http://www.arizonaea.org/politics.php?page=470

[Sebass1271]

1. Wow! i am really speechless. Arizonans don't retaliate against

these lawmakers?

[Catshrink]

3. We've been collecting some of their statements and will use them against them

in the next election cycle. Some gems:

• class size has no effect on the quality of education
  
  
• we've been overfunding education the past 6 years
  
  
• Legislative leaders refused to have open hearings on the education budget cuts for '09 because "We already had our hearings on 09 last year.”
  
  
• I would like to see us eliminate property taxes. I would like to see us eliminate the need for these taxes. We have a lot of bonds out there that are on property tax. This is the tax I would most like to see eliminated. I would also like to see us get rid of income taxes – both personal and corporate. When we have these taxes we are penalizing success and that hurts our productivity.
  
  

There were many more but I can't find what I did with my list. The "Leadership" also refused to meet with a group of school superintendents.

[LWolf]

5. I hope your efforts are fruitful.

This kind of "change" is nothing but a disaster for all.

[southerncrone]

2. And this will set a precedent for all other states that choose to do the same

to their education systems.

Much of this is already being pushed here in TN. Our new Repuke legislature will use the excuse that "the bad economy" will not support all of these "luxuries" in education.

Welcome to the dismantling of public education. Hello, serfdom for our kids.

[Catshrink]

4. Yep, that's Arizona. Leading the way to the bottom.

[PVnRT]

6. I wonder if Arne Duncan is taking notes (n/t)

[YvonneCa]

7. He's cheering...

...JMHO.