Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/851305
A little more than a year ago, the Arizona Education Association joined forces with nine other organizations to form a coalition focused on reinvesting in Arizona's public schools. The coalition, AZ Schools Now, took an active role in the 2017 legislative session. We challenged Governor Ducey's budget proposal with a proposal of our own, focusing limited education dollars on teacher pay raises. We held statewide community budget hearings, sent postcards to our legislators, and organized rallies at the Capitol. Visit azschoolsnow.org to learn more about AZ Schools Now. How State Legislators Voted on School Funding in 2017 Show Your Support for a Stronger Arizona Arizona's economy and its homegrown workforce need strong public schools to be able to compete regionally, nationally and internationally. Today, our economic strength is being drained because: • Our students receive 31% less in per-student funding than the national average, • Lowest-in-the-nation teacher pay has left thousands of classrooms without qualified, full-time teachers, and • Expanded ESA voucher subsidies biased toward high-income families is exacerbating an already large achievement gap. Increasing revenue to create sustained and dedicated funding to expand and stabilize our workforce of qualified teachers, provide critical tools for classrooms, and repair and maintain school facilities, Repealing the taxpayer-funded ESA voucher expansion because Arizona cannot afford to fund two education systems: one public, one private. Take the Strong Schools Pledge! If you believe in fostering a strong, vibrant Arizona economy through these priorities, then take the Strong Schools Pledge today! @SchoolsNowAZ www.azschoolsnow.org @AZSchoolsNow