My Life right now:
See HERE!
With Arizona officially funding education the lowest of all 50 states, and the Senate passed a budget to cut an additional $250,000,000 to K-12 budget and $250,000,000 to Higher Ed, I think we will now rate along with 3rd world countires. This is the first time in history where our children will have less academic opportunities than their parents. (generation regression)
Some Arizonan's feel education is not a "right," well, according to Arizona's constitution, it is!
My time is consumed with answering emails from parents and citizens from all differing levels of understanding, those who are desperate to help improve education in Arizona to those who just want our State to be like those they came from, to those who want to dismantle the public education system because it is "government."
I am knee deep in my 3rd year of budget cuts in my home district. I am taking away programs and opportunities from my own children that I had available to me in the Gilbert District 3 miles away 20 yrs ago. Wow, how time changes everything.
We have cut $10 million dollars from a $50 million dollar budget and we have another $3-5 Million to go. We have become more efficient than ever, people say we need to cut more because we are still building new buildings, that's becasue our Kidergarten class is double the size our Senior. We are still growing and the State does not pay for new school buildings anymore. So we hold an election for BONDS (only to be used for new constrction) which was passed in 2006. Now, we can't use all of the Bond money because the home values plummeted, yet our voters still approved those funds. Some people complain that we can spend money to build new schools when they approved it 5 yrs ago and the State mandates that the money can ONLY be used for new construction. We built new solar towers for decreased energy costs and cell towers to bring in revenue. Our business partners have brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars. They provided new athletic supplies (because we cut the athletic budget by $150,000) bought a new score board and pay for camps and programs. Our teachers do not have preps everyday; our children and kindergartner no longer have music, art, computers avialble to them as often as I did 20 yrs ago. The lights are off in the cafeterias and hallways. Our schools have 1000 kids in them, because it is cheaper to "pak em in" (per state funding) These are just to name a few, including every department that was cut %10.
While all this is going on, we have now been mandated (by our legislators) to spend more dollars in the classroom (eventhough fixed overhead does not change, (with a draining budget) pay 50% of their salary based on tests scores, insure every child by 3rd grade is reading, or will be held back (with less money than ever to intervene) "Move on when Reading" Yes, it is our job to insure children are reading, but those who fall far behind need intervention srategies. (with a draining budget) And those ditricts that have Literacy coaches, who work those children, are not considered "classroom dollars" so we are also penealized for helping to implement a mandate that subtracts from the intitial spending manadate. Gifted teachers, librarians, counselors and psycologists do not count as classroom dollars either, neither do those who implement and provide technology. So, because the Legislature chooses where to "put it in THEIR pie" it appears some schools are not doing their jobs, eventhought they are going above and beyond! We are also mandated to teach every child who comes in the door, regardless of their prior knowledge, skill set or homelife. We are required to "Move on When Ready" allow high school kids to move on past their diploma and provide for them a college education on thier HOME high school campus (with a draining budget) we are required to report, maintain budgets on online, which is absolute accountability, fine with me, but Charter schools are not required to and they dont even have to report to the Auditor General. Charter school cuts are half of district cuts (it should be the same across the board) and as if its not enough, the State of Arizona has INCREASED the amount you can claim a tax credit and use towards private schools ($1500 which they can use however they want) but districts and Charters can only use $400 and only for extra curricular activities and field trips. WHY are we using tax credit dollars for field trips in a time of a (draining budget)? Because MOST of us do not know, and it makes us "feel good" that our legislators give us a few hundred dollars to "diret" to OUR children on the things we "feel" they need. Parents, if you only knew we have to cut out music, art and teachers, increase class sizes, pay for sports because we want to direct our dollars to field trips ($400,000 in my district) than your legislators "gotcha again." They are having another laugh at us.
This is such a complex issue. I write some of these things to help inform other and so I can refer them to areas where they can seek differing perspectives. If you have some comments, concerns or ideas, email them to me and/or if you woul slike, I can post them. I keep telling myself I need to have an AZ Education Blog, maybe this is the START. Enough is Enough!!!
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