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Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
There's 'mismanagement' in Arizona, all right. But not from us Democrats
Matt Gress has mastered the art of failing upward. But he's doing so at the expense of Arizona taxpayers, teachers, students and the developmentally disabled. Gress previously served as Gov. Doug Ducey's budget director. Now, he represents Scottsdale and Paradise Valley in the state House of Representatives. Ducey wasn't the biggest supporter of public education, but in 2020, there was a glimmer of hope for students — the passage of 'Invest in Ed,' which imposed a 3.5% surcharge on households making more than $500,000 per year. This initiative would have put an estimated $1 billion into public education, but upon passage, Gress and Ducey began working to allow Arizona's wealthiest residents to avoid the surcharge and shift wealth further toward the well-off. Once Republicans dismantled Invest in Ed, Gress' flat tax was free to sweep Arizona's progressive tax rate structure into a regressive flat rate of 2.5%, setting the stage to undercut public education, health care, and our vulnerable and elderly populations. Gress ushered this huge tax cut through the Legislature knowing full well that it would benefit the richest Arizonans. In fact, that was the inspiration. Rather than provide meaningful tax relief, households making $64,000 per year received nothing more than a single tank of gas — an annual savings that averaged just $47. Meanwhile, state revenues were cut by an estimated $2 billion a year, so that the top 1% could keep an extra $30,000 in their pockets while teachers, who were making a little more than minimum wage, were forced to buy crayons and pencils for their students. Not to mention that in 2018, when teachers, tired of being grossly underpaid, launched 'Red for Ed,' striking for higher teacher pay, competitive pay for support staff and a return to 2008 education funding levels, Gress and Ducey promised a win — a 20% raise over three years. Yet, while most districts increased pay, only 43% of districts statewide were actually able to meet the 20% goal. Most tried to smear out limited dollars like peanut butter, to raise the salaries for all dedicated employees working in our public schools. Despite these failures, Gress still plays a huge role in the future of K-12 education funding, and as the House Education Committee chairman, he's attempting to address the expiring Proposition 123, which temporarily increased funding for education from the state land trust. Once again, he's promising raises to all 'eligible teachers,' leaving out support staff entirely. He's even unwilling to consider sensible reforms for the costly school voucher expansion that he and Ducey helped usher in, which would supplement what we lost because of their decisions. Opinion: It's now even easier to rip off school voucher cash And instead of investing in education, Gress has voted for even more tax cuts, which would inevitably bleed into additional cuts for children with disabilities and group homes for foster care kids, when the agency programs are already in a shortfall. Matt Gress' DOGE mentality has left Arizona's children without what they need to succeed. While he and Republicans blame Gov. Katie Hobbs for Arizona's growing population and for rate increases to keep up with inflation, we all know who is responsible for the flat tax that artificially limits the state's ability to meet Arizona's needs. And now, to make it worse, with the proposed Trump administration cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and the Department of Education, Arizona stands to lose hundreds of millions of tax dollars that pay for school lunches, disability programming for kids, urban and rural hospitals and health care, and university research. Gress and Republicans have pushed their heads in the sand, saying they would not pass standalone legislation to cover the funding shortfall for our developmentally disabled kids. They also continue to ignore the rising $1 billion price tag for school vouchers and unmet needs in our public schools. They disregard support staff in public schools, refusing to acknowledge that the people who feed and transport our children to their public school also deserve a living wage. Then they blame 'mismanagement' for our budget hole, not our increasing population or inflation. On that, we agree. Mismanagement of our state dollars has led to our current budget predicament. We just choose to hold responsible those who created this mess. Sen. Lela Alston is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Democratic Caucus chair. Reach her at lalston@ This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republicans keep blaming us for their messes in Arizona | Opinion
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands of Colorado educators and students rally to demand full public school funding
Attendees at a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools chant "fund our schools" at Colorado legislators watching the rally from the Colorado Capitol balcony on March 20, 2025, at the Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Thousands of teachers, school employees, parents and students filled the west steps of the Colorado Capitol Thursday urging Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and state lawmakers to preserve funding for public schools. The Colorado Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, organized a day of action that brought educators from around the state to Denver. Many public schools, including some in Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Adams 12, and Summit County, closed Thursday because so many staff members called out to attend the rally. Attendees dressed in red as part of the 'Red for Ed' pro-teacher pay movement, holding signs that read 'no more cuts,' 'Our kids deserve more,' and 'WTF: Where's the funding?' Chants at the rally included 'Whose Schools? Our Schools!' and 'Schools need funding, schools need books, schools need money that TABOR took!' TABOR, or the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, is a state constitutional amendment that limits how much money the state can collect and spend. Democratic legislators, who control a majority in both chambers of the Legislature, walked onto the Capitol's balcony to wave at protesters and support the rally. Attendees turned to chant 'fund our schools' at the lawmakers. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX CEA had 2,000 people register to attend the rally, though spokesperson Bethany Morris estimated closer to 3,000 people showed up. Isabel Rodriguez, a high school teacher in Summit County who has run her own nonprofit and served on the local school board, said she became a teacher because she grew up in Denver being taught by teachers who didn't look or sound like her. She said she works to 'break the cycle of poverty' and build wealth to set her kids up for success, but 'the state of Colorado makes one thing clear: education is not going to be the path there.' 'What I hear is that my career is not as valuable, not as worthy of the respect and support that it needs,' Rodriguez said at the rally. 'As a first-generation Latina with a higher education, I know that I will continue to be an outlier. Because what your decisions communicate is that if you have the opportunity to get a higher education, your best bet is to not go into education.' The demonstration comes as lawmakers try to plug a $1.2 billion hole in the state's budget, which is set for introduction and debate in the coming weeks. There are several reasons for that budget gap, including a state revenue cap set by TABOR, ballooning Medicaid costs and slowing economic growth. Longtime education financial woes seemed to be on their way out last year, when the Legislature approved a new school funding formula that could allocate $500 million more over six years and passed a budget that fully funded public education according to constitutional requirements for the first time in over a decade. Colorado House Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat, left, and state Rep. Katie Stewart, a Durango Democrat, cheer on a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) A band played and led cheers a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Thousands attended a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Colorado legislators cheer on a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Attendees at a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools chant "fund our schools" at Colorado legislators watching the rally from the Colorado Capitol balcony on March 20, 2025, at the Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Thousands attended a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Colorado Education Association Vice President Liz Waddick speaks at a rally the CEA organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Thousands attended a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Thousands attended a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Thousands attended a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Thousands attended a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Delaney Jarmon, an Aurora Public Schools special education teacher, holds a "budget cuts never heal" sign while chanting at a rally the Colorado Education Association organized in support of fully funding public schools on March 20, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) But now districts could get less money than promised — though still an increase over last year — in order to balance the budget. Polis, a Democrat, has floated a cost-saving measure that would change how the state calculates enrollment for per-pupil funding. Instead of using a four-year average, his plan would rely on a single year's enrollment numbers, meaning that districts with declining enrollment would get less money. His office says the plan would support students where they actually are, and that four-year averaging only delays eventual budget consequences of declining enrollment. A statement his office released ahead of the rally said 'representations that the Governor is proposing a cut are just inaccurate.' A switch to a single-year count would mean about $150 million less than expected for schools. Polis' plan would still mean an overall increase in funding of about $388 per student. A counter proposal, backed by House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat, would leave the four-year enrollment calculation in place but reduce how much of the new funding formula would go into effect this year — 10% versus the promised 18%. That would slow funding increases. CEA President Kevin Vick said the demonstration's turnout shows the education community is united in demanding that the state does not further cut education funding. 'Colorado's students deserve fully funded schools, not budget cuts that undercut their future,' Vick said in a statement. 'It's time for our state to prioritize public education and invest in the resources our students need to succeed.' Delaney Jarmon, a special education teacher at Aurora Public Schools in her third year teaching, came to the rally with a handmade sign that read 'Budget cuts never heal.' She said her school is already low on funding and support, and further cuts would only harm students. 'I came out here because not only do we need funding for our school, we need individualized attention for our students,' Jarmon said. 'And if we don't have enough teachers to have that individualized attention, it's harder for our kids to learn.' Jarmon said if the state cut funding from schools once before, 'who's to say it won't happen again.' At her school, she has 15 children with autism in one classroom, which she said 'is really hard.' She wanted to be a voice for her students who couldn't use their own voices. Willow Mason, a school psychologist at a Denver high school who has worked in Colorado schools for seven years, said she's seen 'a sense of frustration' build up, especially this year. Given the uncertainty of support for education from the federal government, 'more than ever we need our state government to be helping us out with education,' Mason said. She brought her two kids to the rally. They are both enrolled in public schools, and she said they appreciate programs like arts and sports, 'all those things that take money.' Newsline reporter Sara Wilson contributed to this report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
