Cheerful news to report out of Arizona:
Yesterday the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a budget FY 2010 that closes the state’s $3 billion deficit. Lawmakers closed the gap through privatization, spending cuts, asset sales, bonding, and fund sweeps.
Most importantly, the plan does not include any tax increases.
Arizonans thought they were entering an era of conservative executive leadership when Janet Napolitano left for DC and was replaced by Secretary of State Jan Brewer. However, shortly after taking office, Gov. Brewer proposed an 18%, billion dollar per year sales tax increase in the middle of a recession. It is unclear who is advising her to do this but they apparently never took Economics 101.
In a move that will help expedite the state’s economic recovery, the Senate budget plan also includes permanent repeal of the state property tax. The state property tax had been suspended but is slated to come back at the end of this year. Permanent repeal will provide Arizona residents $250 million in property tax relief this year by preventing its reinstatement. Now that’s stimulus.
Gov. Brewer, who is apparently desperate to lose her first gubernatorial primary, has not only stuck by her calls for a tax increase but has promised to veto any budget sent to her by the legislator that does not sock it to Grand Canyon State taxpayers.
Stay tuned for the latest on this budget fight that is of national importance.
Videotapes of Activities at Planned Parenthood Facilities at Issue
In response to recent events at local Planned Parenthood clinics, County Attorney Andrew Thomas is publicly calling on Planned Parenthood to report sexual abuse of minors to law enforcement and to train and instruct all staff members to do so. Thomas has taken this action after an adult, posing as a 15-year-old impregnated by a much-older adult, visited two Planned Parenthood clinics and was offered an abortion for a fee at both facilities. The encounters with Planned Parenthood were videotaped at two Phoenix Planned Parenthood Offices.
Under state law, A.R.S. § 13-3620, medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses, as well as people who are responsible for the care or treatment of a minor are required to report instances of sex crimes or abuse in which the victim is a minor. Thomas is recommending that new legislation be passed to make clear the statute applies to nonprofessional employees and workers at medical or abortion clinics, such as clerical and triage staff, not just licensed medical professionals.
Thomas stated, “Medical professionals are required to notify law enforcement when they learn a child has been the victim of sexual abuse. That obligation applies to those working at Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood should honor the letter as well as the spirit of the law by plainly instructing their employees to report alleged sexual abuse of minors to the proper authorities, and by making sure these instructions are followed.”
Just prior to the release of these videos to the local news media, Planned Parenthood contacted the Phoenix Police Department and inquired about whether they could receive training on these matters. The County Attorney’s Office has notified Phoenix Police that prosecutors from its Sex Crime Bureau would be available and willing to fulfill this request in coordination with Phoenix Police. However, Planned Parenthood has not responded to follow-up calls from Phoenix Police regarding this request for training.
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The investigation shows how the county is digging into your tax dollars to build a new state of the art courthouse with a hefty price tag.
Here is your chance to get some Public Relations!! I'm putting together a press release that talks about how NetworkingPhoenix.com is helping local companies generate new business. Do you have a testimonial for me? If we use your write up and get picked up by the media, you have good chances of being interviewed as well! Due date is by E.O.D. this Wednesday.
Starting this month, I will be hosting one of Danielle Hampson's Web TV shows, The Every Day Woman Show. If you have a woman owned business or a business that caters to women and are interested in being interviewed, contact either Gelie or Danielle for questions.
We have a few more spots left for our LinkedIn seminar tomorrow...sign up quick if you want to attend. We'll be having more soon if you can't make this one.
Below are this week's featured events and some great upcoming events. Enjoy! MondayCurrently, this position is open to attorneys statewide who have been in practice at least five years. There are no restrictions with regard to political party affiliation. Certain criteria may change, however, depending on potential nominations to the Commission by the Governor in the interim.
Commission members review the applications of persons seeking to fill vacancies on the Arizona Court of Appeals and the Arizona Supreme Court. After reviewing the applications, the Commission conducts interviews of selected applicants and forwards to the Governor a list of names for her consideration.
Link to interactive application: http://www.myazbar.org/AZBarInfo/ApptCommitteeNews.cfm?id=86
Gov. Jan Brewer and the majorities at the Arizona Legislature have done a good job of working together to go back and fill the gap in the FY2009 budget.
Unfortunately, Gov. Brewer is still stuck on the idea of raising taxes in order to solve the FY2010 budget deficit crisis, as shown in this statement released today:
http://www.americansforprosperity.com/files/statementbygovernorbrewer05-14-09.pdf
Also, Gov. Brewer’s spokespersons and surrogates are appearing at town halls, legislative district meetings, business club meetings and other venues around the state, arguing in favor of the tax-increase proposal. If you are planning to be at a public meeting anytime soon, please print, copy, and distribute copies of our latest talking points against the tax hike plan:
http://www.americansforprosperity.com/files/brewertaxincreaseactionflyer5-14-9.pdf
Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity
(Arizona Federation of Taxpayers)
www.aztaxpayers.org
tjenney@afphq.org
| Out-of-Wedlock Births on Rise |
| In a room full of ten American babies, it is likely that four of those children were born to a single mother. The latest reports from the National Center for Health Statistics show that out-of-wedlock births are sharply on the rise, currently at 40% of all births. That number has doubled since 1980. The sharp increase results from women in their 20s and 30s intentionally deciding to have children without getting married. This news yet again shows the devaluing of marriage in our culture. It also shows how much our society has moved away from the knowledge that children do best with a mom and a dad. Note that this isn't about single parent households resulting from death or divorce. No, this increasingly new societal norm says it no longer matters whether children have a mom and a dad. Yet study after study continues to show that the best way to raise a child is with two married parents. Better school performance, less drug use, and more successful futures are just a small sampling of the overall benefits typically received by children raised by their married parents instead of cohabitating or single parents. Read more on our blog. |
| CAP on the Radio |
| Part of CAP's mission is to communicate truth to the citizens of Arizona. One way we are doing this is with our new radio feature, Family News Minute. This daily policy-focused feature is played on stations throughout Arizona as well as being posted on our web site. Listen for these unique spots on the radio or visit On the Radio to listen online. If you don't hear Family News Minute on your favorite Christian radio station, let the station know you'd like to! You also can hear my weekly commentary on Family Life Radio on the FLR stations throughout Arizona. |
| We'll See You on Tuesday Night! |
| Our office is extremely busy preparing for our CAP Family Dinner with Mike Huckabee next Tuesday. We are thrilled that so many of you will be joining us for this special evening. While online registration is closed, you can still purchase tickets by calling our office today before 5 p.m. or on Monday before noon. There will be no walk-up registration at the event. |
| Good News/Bad News at the Capitol |
| The good news is the Legislature and Governor agreed to a budget bill addressing yet another shortfall in the current fiscal year budget. The bad news is the Legislature and the Governor still have not agreed to a budget for the 2010 fiscal year. And, yes, this means that the Arizona Senate still is not hearing any bills, including pro-life and pro-school choice legislation passed by the House. |
| Pro-Lifers Are the Majority |
| The results of a new Gallup poll released this week show that the majority of Americans are pro-life. The poll showed that 51% of Americans identified themselves as pro-life, while only 42% identified themselves as supporting abortion. Read more on our blog. |
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The court ruled, "Even the City's own ordinances and rules reflect that this permit is valid," and that the Council may revoke it only on a showing of "good cause or public necessity."
The Prestons own and operate a tattoo studio in
"The Council's action was a travesty," remarked Clint Bolick, director of the
The court sent the matter back to the City Council to reconsider in light of its ruling. Meanwhile, the storefront remains vacant, and the Prestons still would like to open a studio there.
"This ruling is a victory for the rule of law," declared Bolick. "If the City can lawfully treat the Prestons this way, then every small business owner in
The Goldwater Institute is a nonprofit public policy research and litigation organization whose work is made possible by the generosity of its supporters.
By John F. Munger and Lisa Graham Keegan
In Arizona's traditional K-12 education system, low test scores, dropout rates and other statistics make it clear that too many of Arizona's schools are failing.
Some education interests frame the issue of educational reform as throwing more money at Arizona's education model. However, even if we stipulate that Arizona schools are at the low end of national expenditures, investing more money in a bad model makes little sense.
The number of dollars spent does not correlate to educational results and achievement for our children. If it did, Washington, D.C, New Jersey and other notoriously bad school systems would show the best results in the country. In Arizona, for example, per pupil spending has increased from an inflation-adjusted $1,214 in 1945 to $9,707 today. But test scores have not improved.
Charter schools spend $7,800 per pupil. Of the top 15 high schools in Arizona, 14 are charter schools and one is a traditional K-12 school. Charter schools do have fewer restrictions than traditional schools. However, that does not account for the fact that 14 of our top 15 schools are charter schools.
America's overall inflation-adjusted education spending has increased 73 percent since 1980, student/teacher ratios fell by 18 percent, class sizes were the smallest ever, but student assessment scores did not improve. More money alone does not correlate to improved education. Our state's classrooms
The $9,707 is an "all-in" figure that includes buildings, capital costs and some separately accounted for programs. With facilities costs separated, Arizona spends about 58 cents of its education dollar directly in the classroom and operations. Teachers are paid about $2,000 of the almost $7,000 the state spends per student.
Where is the other $5,000 going? Certainly not to teachers.
Yet the most important factor that influences improvement in student achievement is quality of instruction.
Arizona's teachers historically have been selected from among the bottom third of high school applicants to college. They must earn a degree in education, where they are required to learn little substance of the subjects they will teach. Their education is primarily in pedagogy, the raw process of teaching.
Elementary teachers must pass professional and content-knowledge tests and high school teachers must have 24 hours of college credits or pass content tests in the subjects they teach. No Child Left Behind requires teachers to be "highly qualified," which requires content testing and coursework. The subject competency tests, however, are at about the fifth-grade level, well below the college level.
Bill Gates could not teach our kids computer science without taking pedagogy tests and doing student teaching. Absurd. Great teachers, meager pay
Meanwhile, the great teachers are not paid well enough and too often are held back by seniority systems and Draconian contractual terms that reward longevity and not quality of service.
Quality teaching is not the priority under the current model. If that were the first concern, we would openly embrace young teachers who are excelling instead of handing them the first pink slips.
A designated teacher of the year was given a pink slip this year. Why? Because union contracts with some school boards dictate pay and preclude retention of teachers based on success with students. That is ridiculous.
Unfortunately, Arizona will not allow experts in their fields to teach because, while they have a degree or deep knowledge in substantive areas our kids need to learn, they do not have a university degree or training in raw pedagogy.
Graduates in the top echelons of America's most elite schools, experienced business executives and others are not fully certified for lack of an education degree.
We have wonderful sources for more great teachers in proven programs like Teach for America and the Teacher Advancement Program.
Some "fast-track" programs that teach the required pedagogy skills are available to experts in their fields; however, more are necessary to get these experts in front of our state's classrooms. Accountability counts.
In addition, our system does not require adequate accountability of principals and teachers. If Arizona were serious about school achievement, we would allow school leaders to hire and fire the staff at their schools and hold the principal accountable for student progress.
The district office determines who has seniority and teachers ask for schools based on seniority. The principal is given little discretion. Laws for teacher dismissal require that we work with failing teachers for about three years before they can be dismissed.
We believe:
• Teachers matter. Enormously.
• Quality instruction matters. Enormously.
• Clear and appropriate academic goals matter.
• Regular assessment of progress matters.
• Gauging teachers by the progress their students make is essential.
• Recruiting academically gifted teachers matters.
• Paying excellent teachers professional salaries and gradually increasing their control over the school environment is critical. Reform works.
We know such reforms work when we look at other states and countries that have focused on improving quality instruction and have revolutionized their educational system.
In 1998, for example, Florida spent about the same per student as Arizona. Floridians adopted a set of reforms similar to those outlined here that created revolutionary improvements in its schools.
Florida's poorest children (free-lunch eligible) alone outscore the statewide average for all Arizona kids, although the two states spend roughly the same amount per student. Florida spends less per dollar of personal income than Arizona.
Percentages of Florida students scoring basic or better on national assessment tests went from 53 percent to 70 percent while Arizona went from 51 percent to 56 percent.
Arizona can have a world-class educational system. But we must implement educational reform that focuses on quality instruction and the other factors outlined above.
We must flatten our educational administrative behemoth drastically to reduce costs and reallocate most power — the real power to hire, fire and budget — to principals, where it belongs; and then hold them accountable to parents.
To maximize availability of the very best teachers for our children, we must open up the teacher-certification processand actively recruit the very best qualified teachers we can find, who have real knowledge of the subject matter they are to teach.
If they do not have training in pedagogy, we should expand available training and mentoring.
And let's start spending more of our money to find, recruit, hire, highly reward and incentivize great teachers. Great teachers should be making six-figure salaries.
Money could be available by eliminating waste in our school administrations. Back to the $5,000 of each student's allocation not going to teachers.
Why not start by offering the very best teachers the chance to take on a few more students in return for that additional $5,000 per student; and the school gets the other $2,000 as its incentive. Take it slow and test it with each teacher, a few additional students at a time.
Giving more students to the best teachers, in return for "bonuses" of $5,000 per additional student, could incentivize the best teachers and open more enrollment in our best schools.
Finally, we can do many things that cost no money but that have been important factors of reform in Florida.
• End social promotions and hold students and parents responsible for disruption and student failure;
• Establish a student assessment system that would will allow us to judge performance of our schools and students, with real consequences for failure; and
• Encourage development of effective charter schools.
Throwing more money at a dysfunctional system is neither politically acceptable to the public nor smart. It is certainly a very hard sell.
We need reform. And Arizona's school leaders can do almost everything described here without new laws. But if school systems will not do it, then new laws might be needed to force reform.
Once the public regains confidence in the state's education system, in its ability to spend money correctly and in the ability to determine exactly what our state needs more money for and why, then the additional money will be much easier to get.
On StarNet: Ending social promotion is one of the reforms mentioned in the opinion piece by John F. Munger and Lisa Graham Keegan. The results of an Arizona Daily Star investigation, published last May, showed thousands of middle and high school students across Tucson are advancing to higher grade levels every year even though they flunk core subjects. Read the stories in the Star investigation and find a searchable database of area schools at www.azstarnet.com/socialpromotion.
Quality teaching is not the priority under the current model. If that were the first concern, we would openly embrace young teachers who are excelling instead of handing them the first pink slips.
John F. Munger and Lisa Graham Keegan are members of ImagineArizona, developing innovative public policy. Write them at johnmunger@imaginearizona.com
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Most surprising was a paper presented by Cory Hansen, an education professor at Arizona State, in a Teach for America session...Hansen recounted the things that she and her fellow professors had learned while teaching education courses at night in an evening master's program for Teach for America teachers staffing elementary classrooms in some of Phoenix's worst neighborhoods. 
Tattoos evoke widely divergent reactions. Some people view them as edgy and counter-culture; others see them as artistic expression. Regardless, there is no question that the industry has gone decidedly mainstream. These days, you're as likely to see your suburban, middle-class, college-age daughter or grand-daughter going into a tattoo studio as you are to see a member of Hell's Angels. The Prestons have inked soldiers, police officers, teachers, and even missionaries.
Here's how the scam worked: The non-profit boards would make a high-level hire. That board would then inform MCCCD of the hire date and pay rate and the new non-profit employee would be added to the payroll. All direct costs to MCCCD would be invoiced to the non-profits, which then eventually reimbursed MCCCD. These "employees" never reported to MCCCD supervisors, who supposedly had authority over them.
