Page 15 - The Edge - Back to School 2017

away in 2020. at could mean 200,000 vouchers, Fischer said. e Fischer said if the message lawmakers are hearing about Prop. 301
veteran reporter told AASBO members their goal should be repeal is that teachers want more money, extension or expansion will lose.
SB1431, plus retain the cap in existing law. Lawmakers have to understand that buses, lunches, roofs, and air
Bentz cited surveys indicating the relatively low voter turnout in conditioners all cost money.
elections, especially primaries, and that 71 percent of the electorate At that moment during the panel discussion, a toddler in the
did not have kids at home in the last election cycle, indicating a lack of audience cried out, prompting Fischer to say, “I’m scaring little
interest in school issues. He said the message to voters and legislators children.”
should be: “Education protects our quality of life. Schools protect Fischer said Gov. Doug Ducey has indicated that he will never
our property value, reduce crime, and attract businesses. Companies support a tax increase or even a measure that allows voters to weigh
want to locate in places that have a quality education system to ll the in on a tax hike. “If you want to at least keep your six-tenths of a cent,
jobs businesses will be creating.” start doing your groundwork now,” he said.
School-related issues change over the years. “You have to nd Foreman agreed: “Prop. 301 is going to be a tough sell, no matter
items that are important to people,” Bentz said. “School security what. I don’t know what the governor will do.”
is very important. Another major change is the importance of Kotterman said the prevailing feeling is that the education
technology in schools.” community needs to get the governor on board “for what we all
Darland agreed that it’s important to keep people engaged think needs to happen.” Conducting a successful initiative process is
regarding the overall value of education, including those who don’t a real challenge, he said. “You need to know what works,” Kotterman
have children. said. “You don’t want to spend time and money on something unless
Fischer emphasized the importance of the message. ere’s a you’re reasonably sure it will pass.”
di erence between calling the ESA program parental choice or it’s “a Bentz said one of the biggest issues of a tax proposal is a “forever
voucher to use public money to send a child to private or parochial tax.” A tax that isn’t temporary or has a speci c termination date is
school – words have meaning.” He said Sen. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, not going to win, he said.
sponsor of the ESA expansion, hates the term voucher. “But that’s Essigs asked the panelists whether they think school funding will
what it is,” Fischer said. “If you call it parental choice, you lose.” be better, worse or the same by 2025.
Foreman recalled the late lawmaker Je Groscost who said he’d Kotterman, in a halting voice, said, “I think that it will be better.”
rather be a pitcher than a catcher. “In making public policy, it’s better Bentz observed: “It’s up to the folks in this room to nd solutions.
to have a signal, throw your favorite pitch, and the batter doesn’t know Don’t waste 2018. Education is a top issue facing the state. It has been
what’s coming. “ Another Groscost comment involved throwing “a for the last two-and-a-half, three years. ere is an appetite to do
little chin music,” if necessary, Foreman said. something when it comes to increasing funding for schools.”
“We’re playing catcher, allowing them to deliver a pitch, high and Foreman replied: “Better, but not for the right reasons. If we have
fast, and we’re trying to deal with that,” Foreman said. “I’m getting to go through the next ve years like the last ve years, a portion
tired of chin music.” of this room will no longer be here. We will not be able to sustain
On lawmakers who reject all tax increases because they’ve taken Arizona classrooms in ve years with what we’ve gone through in
a no-tax pledge, Foreman said, “ at’s like telling me, ‘I’ve got no the last ve years. It’s got to change. I’m con dent the pendulum will
thought process, no matter what.’” swing.”
Fischer, following up on the baseball analogy, said it’s important Expressing his journalist’s pessimism, Fischer said, “Having
to choose the people (legislators) who do the pitching. He said that covered the Legislature, it’s hard to be an optimist.” He recommended
perhaps only ve of the state’s 30 legislative districts are politically ling lawsuits, getting tough with policymakers. “You’ve got to get
competitive, which means whoever wins the primary in those their attention,” he said. A sales tax is a hard sell, and a property
25 districts will be the next legislator. “You have to look at those tax increase will never happen, Fischer said. A small energy tax that
August primaries,” Fischer said. “Look at those candidates. Ask your would be paid in large part by out of-state users of Palo Verde nuclear
questions about education or taxes, right-to-choose or gay marriage, energy is a possibility, he said.
whatever it is. You can’t wait until November. By then, it’s too late.” “It comes down to getting on the ballot,” Fischer said. “Just the
Bentz said research shows that a greater percentage of Republicans threat of 200,000 signatures in your pocket will get their attention.
vote than do Democrats, and that turnout among independents in You’ve got to smack them upside the head.”
primaries is extremely low, about 8 percent to 12 percent. More than Darland said she expects school funding to improve because,
half of independents don’t even know they can vote in primaries. “I’m an optimistic realist. I do believe it will get harder before it gets
What they can’t do, for example, is vote for a Democrat for the House better.”
and a Republican for the Senate. Essigs came back to Fischer, asking whether he thinks school
e topic turned to Proposition 301, the six-tenths of a cent sales funding will get better or worse. Without missing a beat, the reporter
tax that goes mostly to K-12 education. Essigs said it will provide said, “It can’t get any worse.” To his audience, he said, “Don’t be
$696 million for the 2020-2021 school year, when it is due to expire. complacent. You have to roll over and quash the people in your way.”
e panelists generally agreed that the Legislature is not inclined to Foreman closed by encouraging AASBO members to nurture
put an extension on the ballot in 2018, preferring to push the issue to their business partnerships: “ e business community overall is very
2020. ere is some talk in the education and business communities supportive in what we’re doing.”
to extend and expand the Prop. 301 sales tax.

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