Save Our Schools Arizona

Weekly Education Report

55th Legislature, 2nd General Session

Volume 4, Issue 21 • Week of June 6, 2022

🚨 All hands on deck! 🚨 Massive voucher bill hits the House Monday

Lawmakers have forced a mammoth ESA voucher expansion bill and “two measures relating to K-12 finance revisions” onto the House Rules Committee agenda set for Monday afternoon. This late Friday addition signals that special interests are pushing an 11th hour Hail Mary in their attempts to destroy public education.

Details on these bills are still sketchy, and drafts haven’t been released to the public, but this legislature has taught us to expect nothing but the worst when it comes to education bills. We expect the ESA voucher bill to be a universal expansion with zero accountability measures and no enrollment cap — even bigger than Prop 305, which voters overwhelmingly rejected. As for the "K-12 finance revisions," rumor has it they're versions of long-stalled school funding overhaul bill SB1269 (under which roughly half of Arizona districts would lose money) and previously-dead school takeover bill HB2284. These efforts are being driven by deep-pocketed special interests, the voices in the House Republican majority who are most hostile to public schools, and in the case of the school takeover bill, by the governor's office.

🚨🚨ALL HANDS ON DECK 🚨🚨

Email your lawmakers TODAY

Tell them it's time to fund public schools, not to pass more vouchers! 

Despite a record $5.3 billion surplus, this Republican majority remains hellbent on forcing through a wasteful, unwanted ESA voucher expansion. Meanwhile, Arizona lawmakers are faced with a teacher retention crisis, huge class sizes, and last in the nation per-pupil spending. They have just 16 working days left to pass a state budget for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

All this begs the question: What happens to Arizona's public schools if lawmakers don't pass a budget by July 1? Technically, without a state budget, schools cannot operate because they would not have the money to do so. Districts are currently being forced to assume that funding for next year will continue at current levels, in order to pay teachers and honor contracts they've already signed. However, they cannot spend dollars the legislature has not appropriated — to say nothing of the various strings lawmakers usually attach or the new programs they require. Can schools even open in the fall if the legislature remains gridlocked?

It’s also important to remember that some districts, such as Chandler, Higley, Maricopa, Benson and Bisbee, have adopted year-round calendars and begin school in July. These districts are at the most potential risk. Our Republican legislative majority is childishly operating as if their actions don’t impact the state, when in reality they do. Why are lawmakers playing chicken with our schools?

Speaking of gridlock, the Senate did not hear classroom censorship bill SB1412 last week as expected, presumably due to public opposition from a single Republican senator, Paul Boyer (R-20). We cannot assume the bill is dead, however, as it can still be amended. Keep reaching out to your state senator to express your opposition.

It’s obvious: the only path forward is to elect a new legislature that will prioritize our public schools. We're talking to voters around the state, doing the critical work to help Arizona #Vote4PublicEd. Primary ballots will be mailed out in 5 short weeks! Join us and help make phone calls or knock on doors by clicking here. We need you!

🌟  Use our one-click email tool to tell lawmakers NO to their incessant attacks on public education

Be among the first to sport a *NEW* #Vote4PublicEd car magnet: bit.ly/SOSAZmerch

Many of these could be brought up for a vote with less than one day's notice.

Attacks on schools, school boards, districts:

• SB1269 (Udall, R-25) is a last-minute move to rig the school funding formula to increase the disparity between wealthy and impoverished schools. Early estimates say roughly half of school districts in Arizona would lose money. Awaits House Rules Committee, then the floor.

Voucher expansions:

• SB1657, Boyer (R-20), is a near-universal ESA voucher expansion that pulls money directly from the Classroom Site Fund (created by voters to fund public schools) and diverts it to unaccountable private schools. Awaits House Rules Committee, then the floor.
• HB2278, Livingston (R-22), expands School Tuition Organization (STO) vouchers and allows STO voucher companies to collude to give students multiple vouchers. Awaits Senate Rules Committee, then the floor.

Attacks on teachers & curriculum:

• SB1211, Barto (R-15), would require public district and charter schools to post a list of every single item teachers use or discuss with students within days of instruction. The burden this places on already overworked and underpaid Arizona teachers cannot be overstated. Failed a House floor vote thanks to Joel John (R-4) and all Democrats. Republicans are keeping the bill technically alive by motioning for reconsideration every 2 weeks.

• SB1412, Udall (R-25), would ban teaching controversial topics in schools and drive further distrust of educators. Teachers could be disciplined up to losing their license, and school districts would face penalties of up to $5,000. Passed House floor 5/25. Awaits a final Senate vote.
• HB2495, Hoffman (R-12), would ban students from using “sexually explicit” material in public school, even "classical literature" (which is not defined) or books for college credit without written parental consent. The bill ignores modern literature, art and history, and will drown families in permission slips. Awaits Senate floor and final passage.
• HCR2001, Kaiser (R-15), asks voters to amend the state constitution to include the "Stop Critical Race Theory and Racial Discrimination in Schools and Other Public Institutions Act." Awaits Senate Rules Committee, then the floor.

Watering down teaching:

• SB1159, Gray (R-21), would allow anyone who completes any teacher prep program to receive a Standard Teaching Certificate, and expands "subject matter expert" teaching to grades as young as kindergarten. This furthers the misconception that anyone can teach, and that it is not necessary to be trained in curriculum, classroom management or instruction. Awaits House floor and final passage.

Your voice matters! A simple phone call or email to your lawmaker asking them to prioritize funding for schools and responsible policies for education goes a long way. Make it clear that you expect well-funded and well-resourced schools where educators feel supported and students feel safe. 

For Arizona to move forward and thrive, we need these critical discussions! Find your legislative district here. Email and phone info is here for your representatives and here for your senator. Please reach out and make your voice heard.

Here are some other easy actions you can take:

• Sign up for a Community Action Team: East Valley, West Valley, Metro Phoenix, Northern Arizona,  and Southern Arizona! Your local coordinators will help you with using Request to Speak and contacting your lawmakers.
• Request an SOSAZ Education Roadshow presentation HERE
• Sign up to automatically receive the SOSAZ Legislative Weekly Report HERE 
• Get your #PublicSchoolProud shirt and mask HERE. Our 2022 Legislative Special is $20 to cover costs and shipping. Wear Public School Proud gear to show your dedication to well-funded public education in Arizona!