DANGER: WHAT COULD HAPPEN TOMORROW AT THE
The Legislative Republican Leadership plans to vote on a budget tomorrow (Wed., July 29). Though we have not seen the actual budget bills, all the K-12 funding cuts and policy changes found below are said to be included.
K-12 funding cuts
No 2% inflation funding ($102 million cut)
· The Republican Leadership wants to repeal the 2% inflation factor for the base funding level for this school year (the 2009-10 school year). This is the money the legislature gave to school districts on a bi-partisan vote during the special session on July 6. This is a loss of $102 million statewide, which is approximately $102 per student.
· In addition, the legislature wants to refer to the voters the ability to reduce voter-approved expenditures for the next three fiscal years. This means that if approved, the 2% inflation factor will not be funded for the near future.
Soft Capital Reduction ($175 million cut)
· The Republican Leadership wants to reduce $175 million in soft capital funding. Soft capital is the money districts receive to provide classroom support—things like textbooks, technology, library resources, instructional aids, etc. The soft capital dollar amount per student has not increased since 1998, and this budget proposal intends to sweep nearly all the remaining funds for soft capital expenditures. This will leave teachers paying nearly all classroom expenditures out of their own pockets.
No Funding for Actual Utility Costs ($80 million cut)
· There will be no funding provided to pay for the new utility formula that was passed in the 2008 legislative session for “excess utilities” (this is an $80 million cut to school districts that previously levied for “excess utilities”).
Reduced funds for Career Ladder
· Districts with the Career Ladder program will have their overall budget reduced (from 5.5% to 5%), with the potential that no new teachers could be allowed to join this school year.
Policy changes targeted against teachers & association members
Release time and association time
· The Republican Leadership wants to prohibit a school district employment contract from including compensated days for professional association activities. This means all release time and professional association time will no longer be able to be compensated in any way by the district. All bargaining and association time will need to occur outside of the normal school day.
No contract dates
· A school district will no longer have to issue contracts by May 15 to teachers with continuing status.
Salary reductions
· The May 15 statutory deadline for notice of salary reduction will be removed and school districts will now set their own salary reduction deadline.
Teachers with continuing status
· A school district will be prohibited from adopting policies that provide employment retention priority for teachers based on “tenure” or seniority.
· A school district will be able to reduce the salary of a teacher with continuing status in any manner. The statutory protection currently says a salary reduction of a teacher with continuing status can only occur under a general salary reduction.
Provisional teachers
· Provisional teachers will no longer have to be notified of nonrenewal by April 15.
· A school district will no longer have to give a preferred right of reappointment to a job for a teacher who has lost his/her job through the reduction-in-force (
If Arizona wants to continue to push good teachers to look for jobs elsewhere, a budget like this will certainly seal the deal.
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