Page 33 - The Edge - Back to School 2017

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WHY COX BUSINESS SPLIT WIDENS communities revolves around familiar issues of controversy.

The schism between the K-12 and the business

The business community pushed for merit-based funding,
FOR YOUR SCHOOL? CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 which public school advocates believe only favor certain
K-12 policy, had forged an alliance to pass Prop. 123 in 2016, schools, notably charters.
and its success at the ballot box gave educators hope they Chris Kotterman, director of governmental relations for
would have a seat at the table when crafting future education the Arizona School Boards Association, said the merit-based
NETWORK RELIABILITY policy. funding is “disproportionately awarded to certain charter
But K-12 advocates said that hope was dashed following schools that do very well on standardized tests.”
We work around the clock to keep our this year’s legislative session, when legislators did little to But Hamer, the chamber official, denies preference for any
network free of attacks and outages, address issues school advocates raised and instead passed schools.
so you can continue to educate using policies they opposed. “The business community is nondenominational when it
advanced technology. They said the teacher pay hikes that Ducey boasted of, for comes to educational performance,” he said.
example, failed to even match inflation since the last teacher Lisa Graham Keegan, CEO of A for Arizona, also said
raise. Similarly, they argued, merit-based funding for schools, the business community’s intention is to support schools
which lawmakers approved and which was backed by the that aid low-income students and produce students with the
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is ineffective skillsets necessary to build a successful workforce and attract
in solving public education funding issues. businesses to Arizona.
But business leaders said their relationship with the K-12 She attributed what she calls a “fast-paced moment” in
community is “very, very strong.” Arizona’s education history to the “instinct” business leaders
“The business community is more engaged now than it has bring to schools.
been, maybe ever, in efforts to align our education system The business community also successfully pushed for the
with skills that are necessary for a productive workforce,” said expansion of a controversial voucher program, in which the
Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of state provides funding for a child’s private education.
Commerce and Industry. Once limited to certain populations like children with
Indeed, while the business community has always had a disabilities, lawmakers this year opened up the program to
robust education agenda, it has aggressively been pushing all pupils, albeit enrollment is still capped to roughly 5,000
policies in the last several years. new students a year.
Notably, business leaders lobbied hard for legislators to Kotterman called voucher expansion a “gut-check to true
restore funding for career and technical education, and by public education advocates,” which he said made clear that
the time the restoration legislation was approved, lawmakers the business community is interested in making decisions
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were clambering over each other to get credit for it. that benefit their members, with little regard to the education
While the business community and K-12 advocates agree community.
COST EFFICIENCY CUSTOMER FOCUS on overarching goals, such as better education outcomes and “When your primary economic policy is maintaining low
We understand that schools operate We treat our relationships like partnerships, more money for teachers and low-income schools, they differ taxes, you’re going to run into problem with institutions
within strict budgets, which is why we because we believe that a quality on paths to get there. that depend on taxpayer support,” Kotterman said. “It does
work closely with you to ensure efficient customer experience is just as important Dick Foreman, president of the Arizona Business and feel like they’re (business community) picking sides… and
solutions at the best possible cost. as the technology we provide. Education Coalition, said “inclusive” was not an adjective he what they’re picking is a very specific model that advantages
would use to describe the 2016-2017 legislative session. schools of choice over traditional district schools.”
Foreman agreed that while school leaders were open to Many believe that, in the end, public education advocates
discussions about education policy, they were not invited to and business leaders would have to reconcile their differences,
the table. or at least set them aside, in order to push big initiatives.
However, Foreman recognized that the business Daniel Scarpinato, who speaks for the governor, said the
community is “sensitive, aware and interested in public success of Prop. 123 last year illustrated what can be achieved
education.” when these two groups get on the same page.
Unfortunately, he added, there is very little opportunity “There’s no way that you could have seen such a significant
for CEOs and superintendents to communicate on what he policy like that move through without real cooperation on
considers a level playing field. that end,” Scarpinato said.
Foreman attributed this unequal playing field to differing He noted that throughout the state’s history, monumental
WE ANSWER TO CUSTOMERS, NOT SHAREHOLDERS. worldviews. He said CEOs are worried about making policies in education only happened when the business
profitable decisions, and superintendents are concerned with community and the K-12 advocates hunkered down together.
pleasing teachers. Ducey is keen on having these two groups work together,
The relationship between the business community and particularly because he is pushing big initiatives, such as the
the education community, Foreman added, is the “same as ambitious goal of having 60 percent of Arizona’s adults with
it always has been, mostly favorable on the surface, but not a professional certificate or college degree by 2030.
having a clue what goes on under that surface.”
Enterprise | Government | Healthcare | Hospitality | Education CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

Ann Newman | (623) 328-4197 | ann.newman@cox.com
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