Arizona Education Association

Advocate Fall 2011

Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/39006

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 5 of 39

AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL session, lawmakers faced an estimated Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 budget deficit of $763.6 million and FY 2012 deficit of about $1.15 billion. The majority party Republicans made it clear that they intended to balance this budget by making cuts to spending without consideration for any of the many options to increase revenue. Here is a review of this last legislative session: A Corporate Welfare Package In February state legislators passed a corpo- rate tax cut package during a three-day special session. The bill was passed primarily along party lines with Republicans voting in support and Democrats in opposition, and was signed by Governor Brewer. At a time when Arizona has no available revenues for health care coverage, school building repair, or keeping per-pupil education funding even with infla- tion, state lawmakers chose to pass a corporate welfare package. This unaffordable proposal will deepen Arizona’s structural deficit and ultimately, made it harder to protect education funding from more devastating cuts during the rest of the session. AEA raised concerns about the bill in com- mittee testimony because it is not a compre- hensive tax reform proposal and only addresses tax cuts for businesses without looking at the long-term revenue structure or the fiscal deficit situation likely to be created by this bill. We know, based on the conservative fiscal esti- mates by the legislature’s own staff, that this will have a net negative loss to the general fund of $538 million once fully in place in FY 2018. This amount will compound the nearly $1 bil- lion loss when the temporary sales tax increase from Proposition 100 expires in FY 2014. AEA requested the legislature consider the option 6 Fall 2011 ❘ AEA Advocate 2011 Legislative Session Targets Teachers and Public Employees t the beginning of this legislative of adding triggers to the bill so that if the jobs aren’t created, then the tax cuts are halted. The Arizona Education Association stands ready to work with the governor, legislators, business leaders, and civic leaders to craft a comprehensive fiscal blueprint that provides fair taxes to business as well as adequate revenue to invest in quality education and basic infrastruc- ture needs. Our job will be considerably more challenging once these tax cuts take effect. Without a comprehensive solution, these are bills Arizona cannot afford. Read more about the corporate welfare package online at www. arizonaea.org/politics.php?page=195. Education Budget Cuts Less than a year after voters taxed them- selves to protect education from budget cuts by passing Proposition 100, Governor Brewer signed a budget that included over $183 million in cuts to K-12 education. These cuts were on top of cuts to K-12 education the legislature (on party-line votes) and governor have passed since January of 2009 totaling more than $1.4 billion. The proposed cuts will harm Arizona’s public schools and our state’s economic recovery. “Arizona voters overwhelmingly chose to protect funding for public education last year when they voted in favor of Proposition 100 and against Proposition 302,” said Andrew F. Morrill, president of the Arizona Education Association. “This budget does not reflect the priorities of Arizona and continues to drive our state in the wrong direction.” “More cuts will mean more job loss, which will have a devastating effect on our state’s economy and create an even greater economic burden for Arizona,” said Morrill. “A strong economy needs strong schools to produce

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Arizona Education Association - Advocate Fall 2011