Prop 204 Money Will Not Reach the Classroom

Dear Friends,  Proposition 204 will NOT help teachers or students, but will instead continue to reward an education system that has increasingly spent less and less money in the classroom. Dr. Craig Barrett, the former CEO and chairman of Intel Corp., has vocally expressed his opposition to Prop 204 because he knows there is zero accountability:  "Prop 204 throws money at education and numerous other special interest groups, but doesn't tie that money to performance improvements. Unless we fix the system, we won't see any improvement in results." – Dr. Craig Barrett Even Governor Jan Brewer, the driving force behind the temporary sales tax in 2010, is warning voters of the serious problems with Prop 204: "I believe what they're asking for is simply a blank check from the taxpayers that would generate billions of dollars with absolutely no assurance at all of where the funding would be devoted to." – Governor Jan Brewer Even during the worst years of the recession, operational per student spending only decreased 5 percent. This year alone education spending in the state budget increased by $28 MILLION dollars. The problem with Prop 204 is that it throws over a BILLION dollars a year in taxpayer funds into a broken system with no strings attached.  In fact, since the passage of Prop 300 in 2000, school districts have directed even less money into the classroom than ever before. In 2011, only 55 cents of every education dollar was dedicated to classrooms. We need real education reform, not Prop 204. Real reform guarantees that revenue raised goes where we need it most – to the teachers in the classroom. Please join me in voting NO on Prop 204. Thank you, Doug Ducey Chairman - No New Taxes, No on Prop 204  Paid for by No New Taxes, No on 204.  Major funding by Americans for Responsible Leadership, the Arizona Automobile Dealers Association, the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, and the Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Company.