Page 26 - The Edge - Winter 2016

ARIZONA CAPITOL TIMES CONTRIBUTING ARTICLE

BY GARY GRADO

Teacher Pay, Infrastructure Top Priorities

as Schools Prep for New Funding

As the campaign gets under way to pass Proposition 123, school e district, which has eight schools, needed voters to pass a
leaders are busy calculating their potential take and planning how $4.3 budget override for the additional state money to really make
to spend it. a di erence.
e measure, if approved, would put $3.5 billion into school Voters on Nov. 3 gave a clear no, voting 56 percent to 44 percent
co ers over the next 10 years and settle a long-standing lawsuit against the override.
between public schools and the Legislature. “ at $1 million we receive would be only a Band-Aid,” Burdick
School superintendents and charter school leaders say they’re said.
grateful for the additional funding, which should start owing in She said the district is in a unique situation because it sponsors
scal-year 2017. But they’re also striking a more measured tone four charter schools, which make up half its student enrollment.
than lawmakers and the governor did when they celebrated the Lawmakers decided in 2014 to no longer allow traditional public
legislation a er it was passed and signed on Oct. 30. schools to reorganize as charter schools as a way to capture more
e agreement puts the issue in the hands of voters, who will state money. So-called district-sponsored charter schools will be
decide May 17. phased out by scal year 2017
Cuts came deep and o en during the recession and as the state at change will cost Cave Creek $3 million.
climbed out of it, teachers were le without raises and schools were LITTLETON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
crumbling.
A small sampling of superintendents identi ed teacher pay as Number of schools: 8 K-8
their priority when the additional money begins to ow, assuming Enrollment: 5,188
voters approve. Budget: $48 million
Of course, some schools are in better nancial shape than Littleton, where four out of ve students get subsidized lunch,
others, so the extra cash will go further for some than others. will receive roughly the same amount in additional state money as
Cave Creek, but the elementary school district’s situation won’t be
For example, Peter Boyle, founder of Western School of Science
and Technology, a charter school serving 7th to 9th grades, said as dire.
Superintendent Roger Freeman said the district has had a “long
the $75,000 he anticipates to receive in scal year 2017 will be tradition of voter support.” Voters came out in support Nov. 3 of
substantial. its $3.8 million override proposal.
Tucson Uni ed School District Superintendent H.T. Sanchez e years of no in ation funding and cuts have taken their toll,
said the $5 million his district is estimating to get will be a break- however.
even proposition when considering cuts that are to take e ect the Freeman said the district has taken a $9 million hit in lost
same year. in ation adjustments since 2010.
“ ere really isn’t a substantial amount of money that makes Freeman said he and his sta anticipate taking proposals to
things better,” he said. “ at’s just an unfortunate statement to the board for either restoring some of the cuts, such as school
make, but hopefully this opens the dialogue, this opens the door counselors, or increasing teacher salaries.
and people don’t feel this is the end of it.” e money will allow the district to begin chipping away at the
CAVE CREEK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT di culty of keeping good teachers, Freeman said.
Number of Schools: 8 K-12 TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Enrollment: 5,240 Number of schools: 89 K-12
Budget: $53 million Enrollment: 46,822
e school district by virtue of the alphabet is the lead plainti Budget: $546 million
in the lawsuit settled by the funding agreement. Even though it is Superintendent Sanchez said he’s grateful for any additional
estimated to receive an additional amount, but any gains dissipate when the state begins the new
$1 million in scal-year 2017, it could be of little signi cance, policy of funding school districts by the enrollment for the current
the district’s Superintendent Debbi Burdick said. year instead of the prior year, and a law cutting money for Joint

26 THE EDGE | WINTER 2016