Horizon Discusses the "Orphan" Budget

Horizon recently hosted a discussion with Chad Campbell and Bill Konopnicki regarding an "orphan" budget. It looks to be the best budget proposed thus far, but is it too politically toxic for either Democrats or Republicans to claim?

Sixth Time the Charm?

The Governor called the Sixth Special Session of the AZ Legislature Monday at 1:45 pm. They are going to discuss closing the budget gap by sending a 1 cent sales tax proposal to voters for a May election. They are also going to "roll over" more education funding into the next budget year, rework some tax loopholes for out-of-state tax filers, and borrow more money against the lottery.

You know, what the Republicans used to call "accounting tricks" when Napolitano was at the helm.

Here are some other bills being heard this year at the legislature that impact education. I copied this from an Arizona Guardian article. You should really consider getting a subscription for yourself. There is a special rate for being a teacher. Call and tell them Joe Thomas sent you.

On Monday, Jonathan Paton’s (R-Tucson) Judiciary Committee will take up two bills that would further expand gun rights in Arizona, both sponsored by Sen. Russell Pearce (R-Mesa) and both held over from last week‘s hearing.

SB 1098 would allow guns and ammunition manufactured in Arizona to be exempt from federal regulations, mirroring laws in Tennessee and Montana.

SB 1102 would make concealed weapons permits and background checks optional, and do away with the requirement for a firearms safety class. Concealed weapons would be legal at any public event or in any public building. An identical bill, HB 2347, will be heard Wednesday morning in the House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee.

Imagine how fun working security at the next game between your school and your biggest rival with half of the crowd armed. magine "wanding" every parent who comes onto campus. That will sure build a positive relationship. Fun.

The House Education Committee will consider a bill Monday to make it easier to become certified to teach in the classroom. Most teachers are certified through universities and community colleges, but HB 2298 would allow new, private companies to offer preparation programs and certify teachers.

Brewer and Republicans say it’s important to ease requirements, particularly for college-educated, second-career professionals who don’t have the time or money to get another degree. But the teachers union [that's me!] is concerned that the standards will be lowered and a glut of teachers will crowd an already crowded market.

I truly believe Governor Brewer is trying to make education part of her "jobs program" by making it so that recently laid off people can apply to teach at schools. This would only work once you decoupled RIF procedures from tenure so you could create job openings by letting go of all of your "expensive", veteran teachers. Oh yeah, the legislature did that already.

On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to hear Pearce’s bill to put repeal of the Voter Protection Act on the ballot. SCR 1033, held from last week’s agenda, would be a straight repeal of the measure passed by voters in 1998, which prevents lawmakers from tinkering with voter-approved programs.

Brewer has proposed a temporary repeal of the act so that funds for education, health care and early childhood development, among others, could be used to help balance the budget. Under that plan, lawmakers would only be able to tap the funds in fiscal emergencies.

Either one of these proposals would allow the state to "sweep" revenue from the Classroom Site Fund (aka Prop 301), which would result in teachers losing money from their base salary AND those summer performance-pay checks. Classified staff would likely lose money as districts would move funds from the classified to certified to offset a bit of the salary cuts.

The idea of tapping funds only in "fiscal emergencies" is silly. The legislature could slice away vital revenue (like they are proposing now) and artificially create such emergencies every year.

Disconnect

Proposed cuts will end many popular school programs. Are education leaders and legislative leaders even communicating with each other?

"We cannot predict what the Legislature will do" -- Yuma Union High School Superintendent


"Clearly, we're conducting ourselves with education as a priority." -- Senator John Huppenthal, R-Chandler.

Lawmakers Stealing from Kids

Teachers sue state lawmakers for sweeping funds earmarked for education.

The Governor Hates Kindergartners

OK... a little over the top. My apologies.

The Governor released a budget proposal Friday which would effectively end Arizona's very popular all-day Kindergarten program established less than a decade ago. That may not be "hating" kids, but it certainly makes it harder for them to learn. You can find a budget summary here from the Arizona Education Association.

They recently sent out an alert about the budget.

The governor's budget proposes permanently eliminating several non-formula education programs as well as funding for full-day kindergarten. The proposal also targets health care for Arizona's children and families by cutting funding for several health and human service programs such as KidsCare, which provides health insurance for nearly 47,000 children, and AHCCCS, which provides health care coverage to over 300,000 Arizonans. In addition, the budget eliminates behavioral health services for people who aren't eligible for Medicaid, impacting over 17,000 seriously mentally-ill adults.

KJZZ's Legislative Preview

Here and Now looked at the challenges ahead for state lawmakers as the legislature begins a new session.

KJZZ capitol reporter Mark Brodie and reporter Dennis Welch of ArizonaGuardian.com discussed Governor Jan Brewer's State of the State, address, legislative reaction, and what issues other than budget lawmakers make deal with.

Rep. Chad Campbell talked about Democrats' hope for the session. Senator Jim Waring talked about Republicans hope to achieve. And the Arizona Republic's Bob Robb discussed the difficulties that lie ahead for lawmakers.

13 State Parks Slated for Closure

Most state parks actually INCREASE state revenue through the tourism and taxes they generate, but they do require a base level of funding to remain open. That funding is no longer there. Many business leaders in towns close to the parks will feel the pinch of lost revenue.

This is a good example to show there is no overall plan for economic recovery in the state.

Kleenex, Ken Bennett, and the AZ Budget

Secretary of State Ken Bennett uses Kleenex boxes to explain how the Arizona budget works. It's somewhat free of bias and fairly rhetoric free.

via Tucson Weekly:

Expert Says Increased Revenue A Must

From AllVoices:

Arizona’s most prominent economist has announced that by his tally, it’s impossible to balance the $10.1 billion budget without new revenue – read: taxes – which the Republican-dominated legislature has fought for months.

Lawmakers refused even the Republican governor’s proposal to let voters approve or reject a temporary one-cent sales tax increase. Gov. Jan Brewer had to sue legislators to get them to send her budget bills last year. And under the state’s super-majority rule, it takes only 11 legislators to kill a tax bill.

Even so, a tax increase is possible because Arizona’s situation is so desperate, second only to California’s in severity, said Marshall Vest, an economist at the University of Arizona with 30 years experience observing the state legislature.

“I’ve learned that you just cannot predict what is going to happen,” he said. “Just about everything on the table is a kind of last resort.”

The Arizona constitution requires a balanced budget, but the funding from which legislators can cut is limited by federal and voter-approved mandates.

“The bottom line is, you could lay off every state employee and not begin to balance the budget,” Vest wrote in a December report. “You could entirely eliminate higher education and not come close. Ditto for welfare programs . . . and programs for children . . .”

Newspapers Call for Budget Fix

The Republic says learn to play together.

The Daily Star says no more accounting tricks.

Both newspapers take the governor and legislature to task for failing to produce a better budget.

WW2GD?

What would a 2nd-grader do?

Flowing Wells superintendent Nicholas Clement took the time to ask a few.

Finding the right symbolism

He's not sure if it's like a car wreck or more like a patient on life support, but senate president Bob Burns is pretty sure the budget is in bad shape.

Channel 15 finds a fear angle...

What if...

What if Arizona runs out of money?

Or goes bankrupt?

The Republic tries their hand at answering five what if's.

Destroy the State to Save the State

Today starts the first day of the 2nd session of the 49th Arizona Legislature. Ninety elected representatives from around our state will meet in Phoenix and take up the hard task of balancing the budget.

Again.

Arizona faces one of the worst budget deficits in the nation. Our elected officials have grappled with what to do for well over a year now. They speak in simple and vague phrases (e.g. we need to cut spending and lower taxes) but rarely offer real solutions.

Arizona Speaker of the House Kirk Adams unveiled his plan recently. He believes our path should include [surprise!] reduced spending, lower taxes for businesses and individuals, and debt financing. He calls his legislative plan the Arizona Economic and Job Recovery bill.

Pretty words.

What he is really saying, though, is we need to destroy the state in order to save the state. His “reduced spending” means that teachers, firefighters, policemen and all manner of other people who provide basic, necessary services to the citizens of Arizona will lose their jobs. The money we "save" will then go toward tax reductions for businesses to (maybe) create new jobs.

Destroy jobs to create jobs.

Fewer teachers, more fast food.

Is that the Arizona we want?