An absolutely transformational moment for Arizona’s teachers

Glenn Hamer — Thu, 03 May 2018 15:53:40 +0000

The Legislature Thursday morning adopted a $10.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2019. The cornerstone of the package is a three-year, $700 million infusion of funds to raise average statewide teacher salaries 20 percent by 2020. This plan was backed strongly by the Arizona �� of Commerce and Industry and the broader business community.

The 20×2020 plan was devised by Gov. Doug Ducey in response to an incredible moment in Arizona: firm public consensus that more resources need to be directed to teachers now. The governor exercised leadership in designing a bold yet responsible plan, rallying support, and getting it passed in a short period of time.

The budget sends a clear message that Arizona has emerged from the Great Recession stronger than ever, and its leaders value teachers.

AN UPWARD TRAJECTORY

The spending package builds on the momentum established earlier this legislative session, when lawmakers passed and Gov. Doug Ducey signed a 20-year extension of Proposition 301, the .6 percent sales tax devoted to education. The extension of 301 eliminated a major source of uncertainty facing school districts and charter operators, ensuring a stable education funding source until 2041. That uncertainty resulted in some districts setting aside dollars in reserve — rather than in the classroom — over concerns that the law would soon expire. The extension of Proposition 301 also benefits our universities and community colleges, which were included in the original proposition.

This activity is all part of a larger trend, as we’ve seen an upward trajectory in education funding for the past few budget cycles.

The fiscal year 2018 budget adopted last year included $163 million in K-12 funding above inflation. It also included a $1 billion university bonding package for research infrastructure.

In spring 2016, lawmakers and the governor agreed to a fiscal year 2017 budget that contained over $180 million in new K-12 funding, $53.6 million for public school capital improvements, and a $29 million restoration of Career and Technical Education funding.

In May 2016, Arizona voters passed Proposition 123, which will result in a $3.5 billion investment in K-12 over a 10-year period. Beginning in July 2016, the first payments were made to schools. Without Proposition 123, the campaign for which was led by Gov. Ducey, schools would have received only about $47 million in both FY 2016 and FY 2017 from the state land trust. Instead, passage of Proposition 123 funding resulted in a 4 percent average statewide raise in the first year.

SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE

This is a responsible budget that reflects the strength of Arizona’s recovering economy without cutting dollars for vulnerable populations.

The teacher pay will be reflected in the base, which means it’s permanent, it’s ongoing, and will account for inflation going forward. These aren’t one-time bonuses.

And it’s not just teachers who are beneficiaries under this budget. The budget directs $371 million over five years for the restoration of Additional Assistance, with $100 million coming this year. This frees up more dollars at the local level for other priorities including raises for support staff and classroom supplies. Additionally, all schools are provided an annual inflationary increase to support cost of living increases and other expenses.

What’s more, the budget continues efforts to expand excellence, by directing a nearly $2 million supplemental appropriation in fiscal year 2018 to the previous budget’s nearly $38 million in results-based funding for sustaining, expanding and replicating highly performing schools, with the highest per-student awards going to high poverty schools closing the achievement gap. The budget also expands the number of subject areas that are available to schools and teachers helping students pass coursework that results in college credit.

The revenue projections are realistic and align with historical norms. Economists concur.

Moody’s Analytics estimates personal-income growth in Arizona to average 6 percent this calendar year, which covers half the state’s fiscal 2018 and the first half of fiscal 2019. As ��The Arizona Republic, economist Jesse Rogers from Moody’s said, “The state government forecast is reasonable.”

The Legislature’s Finance Advisory Committee agrees, and it updated its to indicate as much.

STRONG ECONOMY, STRONG SCHOOLS

A 20 percent pay increase by the start of the 2020-21 school year is possible because of a strong, healthy economy, which is the result of state leaders pursuing public policy that has enhanced Arizona’s economic competitiveness and led to increased, sustained job growth.

The state has , and we’re projected to add another 150,000 jobs over a two-year period. When our economy grows, teachers win.

Arizona has a brighter future because of this budget. With its unprecedented investment, we can say with confidence that Arizona, which has been a leader in academic progress over the past 10 years, will do even better. Gov. Ducey, the Legislature, and especially our teachers, deserve our thanks.

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The Arizona �� of Commerce and Industry on Monday welcomed Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner as our keynote speaker at our annual Update from Capitol Hill Luncheon. We were also fortunate to be joined by Minnesota Rep. Erik Paulsen and Arizona’s own Rep. David Schweikert, both of whom are members of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee for a conversation on their portfolio of issues.

What do they all have in common? All three bring an optimistic outlook and sunny disposition to some of America’s toughest challenges. Think of them as principled, happy warriors on behalf of Americna job creators. They’re future-focused. When they say that they believe America’s best days are ahead, you believe them.

Senator Cory Gardner

Representative Erik Paulsen

Sen. Gardner spoke of the desperate need for the U.S. to take a leadership role in the world. On military affairs, diplomacy, and trade, the U.S. is the indispensable country.

Rep. Paulsen and Rep. Schweikert touched on the need to ensure our regulatory climate encourages the growth of new technologies to improve Americans’ quality of life in areas ranging from health care to financial services.

And all three are firm in their belief that we must modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Whether you hail from Colorado, Minnesota, or Arizona, NAFTA has lowered barriers to market entry in Mexico and Canada, it’s enhanced your manufacturers’ supply chains, bent the cost curve, and increased variety and quality for your consumers.

The three NAFTA nations are in the midst of negotiations to bring the nearly 25-year-old agreement into the 21st century. As Sen. Gardner pointed out, NAFTA was negotiated pre-iPhone, when few could have guessed the impact e-commerce would have on global logistics and commerce, so agreement needs an update.

What we can’t let happen, however, is for the agreement to collapse under the weight of anti-trade rhetoric or petty disagreements between negotiators. Our three-nation supply chains are incredibly interconnected, with component parts zipping back and forth across international borders before they become finished products in industries ranging from consumer electronics, to aerospace, medical devices, automobiles, and more. Unwinding that interconnectivity would cause prices to soar and jobs to be lost.

Arizona’s leaders get it. Gov. Doug Ducey has the model binational relationship with his Sonoran counterpart, Gov. Claudia Pavlovich. Both are united in their pursuit of increased cross-border cooperation, and few their respective states’ geographic locations as tremendous assets.

The chair and co-chair of the state House Local and International Affairs Committee, Rep. Tony Rivero and Rep. Rosanna Gabaldon, led a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers to Mexico City and Guanajuato last year to get an up-close look at how Arizona and Mexico’s economic success is intertwined.

And the state House and Senate are speaking with one voice on NAFTA’s importance. Sen. Bob Worsley introduced SCM 1016, a memorial from the state Legislature to Congress that makes clear that Arizona’s lawmakers believe a modernized NAFTA is essential. Following its unanimous

adoption in the Senate, Rep. Todd Clodfelter on Tuesday read the memorial on the House floor, where it was also unanimously supported before being transmitted to the secretary of state in order for it to be sent to Congress.

The memorial language gives members of Congress and quick look at why NAFTA is so critical for Arizona, such as our state’s $15.7 billion combined trade with Mexico in 2016, or our $3.5 billion in combined trade with Canada for that same year; or the $5 billion in annual economic activity in Arizona derived from Canadian and Mexican visitors.

The current tax and regulatory environment has done tremendous good for America’s job creators. A new NAFTA will be like a shot of economic espresso. From Arizona, to Colorado, to Minnesota, from state capitols to Capitol Hill, leaders of both parties recognize that without a modernized NAFTA, our economy will suffer. We won’t let that happen.

Hamer Times Archives - ��

An absolutely transformational moment for Arizona’s teachers

From state capitols to Capitol Hill, we’re making the case for a new NAFTA

Hamer Times Archives - ��������

An absolutely transformational moment for Arizona’s teachers

From state capitols to Capitol Hill, we’re making the case for a new NAFTA

Hamer Times Archives - ��