Weekly Ed Report February 27, 2023 - Save Our Schools Arizona

Save Our Schools Arizona
Weekly Education Report

56th Legislature, 1st General Session
Volume 5, Issue 8 • Week of February 27, 2023

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How will Arizona lawmakers celebrate Public Schools Week?

Happy National Public Schools Week! We’d love to see lawmakers celebrate our state’s public schools and pass good bills that support Arizona’s 1.1 million public school students. But we’d settle for just one week where educators and students aren’t under attack.

Last week, the House and Senate each advanced hundreds of bills, including many attacks on schools, teachers and students — but only a few bills that could positively impact our schools. SB1305, Mesnard’s “anti-CRT” bill aimed to attack teachers and censor classroom conversations, passed both the House and Senate, and is heading to Gov. Hobbs’ desk, where we look forward to seeing her veto stamp get good use.

Last Week, Again: This week is Crossover Week 2.0: legislative leadership has canceled next week’s committee hearings to allow lawmakers to fully focus on long days on the floor.

A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: One of the few education bills advanced last week in catch-all Appropriations Committees was HB2800, which its sponsor Rep. Matt Gress (R-4) bills as a “teacher pay raise.” We applaud efforts to raise educator pay, but cannot support this bill because it’s so poorly constructed that it’s simply unworkable:

It requires that schools must pay teachers higher salaries, no matter what. Even if the legislature fails to give districts funding — for example, if lawmakers fail to agree to budget properly for the required teacher raises, fail to waive the AEL spending cap, or if the coming recession drives them to make cuts to school funding — districts would be required to somehow pay teachers anyway. This would force them to actually lay off teachers (thus increasing class sizes) in order to make ends meet.
The bill’s definition of “teacher” is very narrow. It intentionally leaves out half-time teachers, most special education teachers, and all critically needed support personnel like aides, bus drivers and counselors.
Funds would be tied to an “accountability” measure that does little more than bury schools in busywork. Public school funding is already highly accountable. (Not to mention, our state is also flinging hundreds of millions of dollars a year at ESA vouchers with zero accountability.)
Any new funds that do get allocated would be subject to the AEL school spending cap — failing to advance a long-term AEL fix while passing this bill would be putting the cart before a horse charging down the Grand Canyon.
The sponsor did not consult education funding experts before introducing his bill, and none registered or testified in support of it. By contrast, teacher pay bill HB2779 (Schwiebert, D-2), which was constructed thoughtfully with input from many education experts, was not even given a hearing.

Also last week, both the House and the Senate voted to advance literally billions of dollars in tax cuts, despite Arizona schools being $5.7 billion behind the national average for K-12 funding per year. Lawmakers rubber-stamped a variety of profligate measures along party lines, from squandering nearly $1 billion on unneeded one-time rebates to gouging massive holes in ongoing revenue collection. All of the bills would make it impossible for Arizona to ever adequately fund its public schools.

Lawmakers cannot have it both ways. It’s encouraging to see bipartisan agreement that teachers should be paid more fairly for the critical work they do. But the money to pay them has to come from somewhere. And it should go without saying that any pay measure must allow teachers to keep their jobs even when the legislature fails to do theirs. We urge the legislature to work in bipartisan fashion with Governor Hobbs’ office to ensure these new revenues are placed where they belong: safely in base pay, where they cannot be cut or otherwise tampered with, inside the yearly budget.

ESA Voucher Accountability: ESA transparency bill SB1706 passed out of the Senate Education Committee and currently awaits a Rules hearing. Use our one-click email to contact your lawmakers TODAY, urging them to support SB1706 and all additional universal ESA voucher accountability measures. If you’ve already emailed, please do it again!

Bills in Rules - RTS!

The intent is for these bills to receive floor votes this week. After you use RTS, contact your senator for Senate bills, your representatives for House bills.

Remember, the Rules committees don’t take public testimony and won’t read your comments.

Actions!

Use Request to Speak on these bills before Monday at 8AM:

Need a RTS account? Sign up here.

Want a refresher? Our friends at Civic Engagement Beyond Voting are hosting RTS trainings every Monday at 6:30 PM through March 6.

Upcoming Events!

Happy National Public Schools Week!

Feb. 26-March 4

Join our celebrations on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & TikTok!

Education Advocacy Mini Sessions

Mondays at 6:30pm

2/27 – Encouraging friends to advocate

3/6 – Welcome to Team SOSAZ!

3/13 – Supporting your Local School Boards

3/20 – Let’s Write! Letters to the Editor

Register HERE

Bills in Rules - RTS!

The intent is for these bills to receive floor votes this week. After you use RTS, contact your senator for Senate bills, your representatives for House bills.

Remember, the Rules committees don’t take public testimony and won’t read your comments.

SB1696, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would double down on a bill passed last year by banning district and charter schools from exposing minors to “sexually explicit materials.” The incredibly broad description includes text, audio and video that references sexual contact, sexual excitement, and even physical contact with a person’s clothed or unclothed buttocks. This would ban many classic works of literature, from Shakespeare to Maya Angelou. Violations would be a class 5 felony. Being amended to apply only to cities and counties. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1704, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), is subject to a broad anti-public-health striker that would make it an “unlawful discriminatory practice” for public schools to ask for kids’ shot records. Vaccination rates in Arizona are dropping, in part due to disinformation and attacks on public health; measles vaccinations in Arizona kindergarten students have dropped well short of the 95% threshold necessary to prevent outbreaks, necessitating a public health refocus on raising these numbers. Measles is so contagious that 9 out of 10 unvaccinated people around an infected person will also become infected. Measles is making a comeback in Maricopa County; it’s dangerous to children and can have long-term effects. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SCR1024, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), is now subject to a striker that asks voters to enshrine racism in the state Constitution. This culture-war-driven measure would prevent the state from giving minority-owned businesses any preference in state contracts, keep school districts from specifically hiring black or brown teachers in an effort to increase representation, block teachers from discussing inclusion and equity issues that have arisen despite the 14th Amendment, and ban certain content from being taught in schools. This would negatively impact student learning, teacher retention and recruitment, and does nothing to prevent discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity in taxpayer-funded private schools receiving ESA vouchers. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2504, sponsored by Barbara Parker (R-10), would expand the school tuition organization (STO) voucher program to students in foster care. STOs are dollar-for-dollar tax credits to private schools that result in significantly less money for public schools (which serve the vast majority of foster youth). The bill is estimated to cost the state half a million dollars annually. Since the STO voucher program’s creation, Arizona has lost out on over $2.1 billion in funding. Meanwhile, our state’s public schools remain in the bottom 5 nationwide for funding. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2533, sponsored by John Gillette (R-30), is a rehash of a failed bill from last year that would require public schools to post a list of every single item teachers use or discuss with students. The unrealistic and unnecessary burden this places on already overworked, underpaid Arizona teachers cannot be overstated. Private schools and microschools receiving taxpayer dollars via ESA vouchers are predictably exempt. Backed by voucher pushers like the Goldwater Institute, and similar to legislation proposed in at least 17 other states. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2538, sponsored by Beverly Pingerelli (R-28), would allow district and charter schools to offer live, remote instructional courses for students in grades 9-12 in exchange for a portion of school funding. ADE would pay the district or charter an incentive bonus of $500 for each remote student who passes the course. Offering bonuses for passing grades monetizes learning and leads to cherry-picking of students and other forms of inequity. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2539, sponsored by Beverly Pingerelli (R-28), would force the State Board of Education to implement a “public awareness program” to prop up school choice in Arizona, including free publicity for taxpayer-funded ESA vouchers. If someone moves to Arizona and registers a car here, the information would be delivered to them along with their registration. This absurd bill would spend $600,000 per year and create four full-time positions to handle this work. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2546, sponsored by Rachel Jones (R-17), would force any school district with at least 35,000 students to call an election to decide whether to split the district into two or more. This is “educational gerrymandering“: in some areas of the nation, especially those with scarce state funding, wealthier areas are choosing to break away from poorer ones, leaving kids with fewer resources behind. The bill contains no appropriation to pay for the required elections. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2786, sponsored by Justin Heap (R-10), would require school boards to notify parents of recommended or funded “training opportunities” for teachers or school administrators. The new Horne administration considers social-emotional learning, diversity and equity to be Trojan horses for “critical race theory,” and has canceled planned teacher presentations on these and other “non-academic” subjects, even though the American Psychological Association says they positively impact kids’ lives and ability to learn. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HCR2038, sponsored by David Livingston (R-28), would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to automatically extend the previous year’s state budget if lawmakers don’t pass one in time. This would remove any real motivation for lawmakers to work together and avoid shutting down our state. In recent years, lawmakers have finished nearly every budget with days or even hours to spare before the start of the next fiscal year. See mirror bill SCR1034, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13). Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

In a shocking video released last week, Superintendent Tom Horne & his new ESA Director Christine Accurso explained that they are changing the rules to ensure anyone with a high school diploma can now receive ESA voucher funds for services — with no background checks, no fingerprint requirements, no experience, no training and no credentials. They also bragged that they rubber-stamped nearly 111,000 submitted expenses without any receipts or required documentation.

With the universal ESA program growing to nearly 50,000 students (a 500% increase), who is ensuring student safety and making sure students are actually learning? If literally any expense is being approved, who is monitoring where our $600 million in taxpayer dollars are going?

The ESA voucher program has snowballed out of control, with few protections for fraud or abuse. Arizona taxpayers deserve to know what we are getting for our hard-earned dollars, just as we do with our public schools.

Use our one-click email to contact your lawmakers TODAY, urging them to pass universal ESA voucher accountability. If you’ve already emailed, please do it again!

Bills in Motion

Any of the bills marked “ready for floor” could be brought up for a vote with less than one day’s notice. Bills that are “ready for rules” first require caucus meetings, which usually happen once weekly, before being brought to a vote.

Key: ⚠️= veto-proof bill, ⏱️= time is running out, 📥= on Gov. Hobbs’ desk, ☠️= dead

Attacks on teachers & curriculum:

SB1001, Kavanagh (R-3), would ban teachers from using a student’s chosen pronouns without written parental permission. This manufactured, divisive culture-war bill further politicizes teachers and will deepen Arizona’s ongoing teacher retention crisis. Doesn’t apply to taxpayer-funded private schools taking ESA vouchers. Awaits Senate Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

SB1040, Kavanagh (R-3), would ban trans kids from using the school bathrooms, changing facilities and “sleeping quarters” that align with their gender identities, further politicizing teachers. Doesn’t apply to taxpayer-funded private schools taking ESA vouchers. Awaits a Senate floor vote. OPPOSE.

📥SB1305, Mesnard (R-13), would ban teaching “controversial topics” in district and charter schools (but not ESA taxpayer-funded private schools). Violators would lose their licenses and face $5,000 fines. Doesn’t apply to taxpayer-funded private schools taking ESA vouchers. Passed both chambers 2/21 on partisan lines, with Republicans in support, thanks to “fast tracking” (see duplicate bill HB2458, Pingerelli, R-28). Headed to the governor’s desk. OPPOSE.

SB1323, Hoffman (R-15), would make it a felony for any public school employee to violate last year’s prohibition on referring students to or using any so-called “sexually explicit” material, which includes commonly taught literature and even the Bible. Doesn’t apply to taxpayer-funded private schools taking ESA vouchers. Awaits Senate Rules, Committee then the floor. OPPOSE.

HB2458, Pingerelli (R-28), is the third year for a ban on teaching “controversial topics” in schools. Teachers could lose their certificates, and districts would face penalties of up to $5,000. Doesn’t apply to taxpayer-funded private schools taking ESA vouchers. Duplicate bill SB1305, Mesnard (R-13), awaits transmittal to the governor’s desk. OPPOSE.

HB2523, Parker (R-10), would require every K-12 student to recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily at district and charter schools. Doesn’t apply to taxpayer-funded private schools taking ESA vouchers. Passed the full House 2/21 on partisan lines, with Republicans in support. Awaits Senate committee assignment. OPPOSE.

HB2533, Gillette (R-30), would require public schools to post a list of every single item teachers use or discuss with students. Doesn’t apply to taxpayer-funded private schools taking ESA vouchers. Awaits House Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

HB2786, Heap (R-10), would require school boards to notify parents of recommended or funded “training opportunities” for staff. Part of the hunt for nonexistent “critical race theory” in schools. Doesn’t apply to taxpayer-funded private schools taking ESA vouchers. Awaits House Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

Voucher expansions:

SB1243, Mesnard (R-13), would bolster profit for STO vouchers by rolling them into a single category and increasing the maximum contribution amount. Passed the Senate 2/21 on partisan lines, with Republicans in support. Awaits House committee assignment. OPPOSE.

HB2014, Livingston (R-28), would more than triple over 3 years the amount Arizona spends on a specific type of STO voucher. Awaits a House floor vote. OPPOSE.

HB2504, Parker (R-10), would expand STO vouchers to students in foster care. Public schools serve the vast majority of foster youth, who are already eligible for ESA vouchers. Awaits House Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

Attacks on schools, school boards, districts:

SB1026, Kavanagh (R-3), threatens school funding by banning “drag shows” for people under 18. Violators would lose state funds for 3 years. Broad enough to include school plays and pep rallies. Awaits Senate Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

SB1331, Shamp (R-29), would allow parents to carry guns on school property with a valid concealed weapons permit, violating federal law. Passed the full Senate 2/21 on partisan lines, with Republicans in support. Awaits House committee assignment. OPPOSE.

SB1410, Wadsack (R-17), would allow lawmakers to order the Attorney General to investigate if school boards are violating state law, potentially obstructing local control by blocking policies they disagree with. Awaits a Senate floor vote. OPPOSE.

SB1599, Mesnard (R-13), would fine school districts that don’t post teacher salary information as already required by law up to $5,000 per day. Passed the full Senate 2/16 on partisan lines, with Republicans in support. Awaits House committee assignment. OPPOSE.

SB1694, Hoffman (R-15), would ban the state, including public schools, from requiring “diversity, equity, and inclusion programs” for its employees. Awaits Senate Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

SB1696, Hoffman (R-15), broadly doubles down on a ban on district and charter schools exposing minors to “sexually explicit materials.” Being amended to apply only to cities and counties. Awaits Senate Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

SB1700, Wadsack (R-17), is a broadly written book ban that takes aim at “gender fluidity” and “gender pronouns,” and would introduce an inaccurate, weaponized definition of “grooming” into statute. Awaits Senate Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

⚠️SCR1025, Wadsack (R-17), would ask voters to insert the “parents’ bill of rights” into the state Constitution as a far-right political bludgeon against public schools. Does not apply to private schools receiving taxpayer funds via ESA vouchers. Awaits a Senate floor vote. OPPOSE.

HB2539, Pingerelli (R-28), would force the State Board of Education to implement a “public awareness program” to prop up school choice in Arizona, including free, mandatory publicity for taxpayer-funded ESA vouchers. Awaits House Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

HB2546, Jones (R-17), would force any school district with at least 35,000 students to call an election to decide whether to split the district into two or more. This could lead to educational gerrymandering. Awaits House Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

Attacks on direct democracy:

⚠️SCR1002, Kern (R-27), would ask voters to require a supermajority vote on constitutional amendments. Passed the full Senate on partisan lines, with Republicans in support. Awaits House committee assignment. OPPOSE.

⚠️SCR1015, Mesnard (R-13), would ask voters to require ballot measures to collect signatures from a percentage of voters in each of Arizona’s 30 legislative districts: 10% for initiatives and 15% for a constitutional amendment. Passed the full Senate on partisan lines, with Republicans in support. Awaits House committee assignment. OPPOSE.

Resources & Accountability:

SB1281, Shamp (R-29), gives state income tax rebates of $200 individual, $400 joint, to anyone who filed a return in 2022. This would drain $936 million from the state General Fund, which would mean massive cuts to K-12 education. Passed the full Senate 2/22 on partisan lines, with Republicans in support; awaits House committee assignment. OPPOSE.

☠️SB1657, Bennett (R-1), would reinstate a statewide K-12 exit test. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, but held. Dead in its current form, but could be revived via striker. OPPOSE.

⏱️SB1674, Epstein (D-12), would require a cost study of Arizona online instruction to make sure students are learning and taxpayer dollars are properly spent. Awaits Senate Rules Committee. SUPPORT.

⏱️SB1675, Epstein (D-12), would make menstrual hygiene products available free of charge in public district and charter schools that serve students in grades 6-12. Awaits Senate Rules Committee. SUPPORT.

⏱️SB1706, Marsh (D-4), creates reporting that requires the ADE to release more information about who is using ESA vouchers and how taxpayer funds are being spent. Awaits Senate Rules Committee. SUPPORT.

⚠️SB1577 and SCR1035, Mesnard (R-13), would mandate automatic 50% income tax cuts if Arizona has a surplus. These are General Fund dollars that could be used to bring funding for K-12 schools out of the bottom 5 nationally. Passed full Senate 2/22 on partisan lines, with Republicans in support; awaits House committee assignment. OPPOSE.

⚠️SCR1034, Mesnard (R-13), would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to automatically extend the previous year’s state budget if lawmakers don’t pass one in time. This would remove the only structural motivation lawmakers have to work together. See duplicate bill HCR2038, Livingston (R-28). Awaits Senate floor. OPPOSE.

HB2003, Livingston (R-28), would slash corporate income taxes nearly in half by 2025. Arizona’s tax giveaways already far outpace the entire state budget. Passed the full House 2/21 on partisan lines, with Republicans in support; awaits Senate committee assignment. OPPOSE.

HB2538, Pingerelli (R-28), would allow live, remote instruction for grades 9-12, with bonuses for passing grades. This would monetize learning, leading to cherry-picking of students and other forms of inequity. Awaits House Rules Committee, then the floor. OPPOSE.

⚠️HCR2038, Livingston (R-28), would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to automatically extend the previous year’s state budget if lawmakers don’t pass one in time. This would remove the only structural motivation lawmakers have to work together. See duplicate bill SCR1034, Mesnard (R-13). Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

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Save Our Schools Arizona Weekly Education Report

56th Legislature, 1st General Session Volume 5, Issue 8 • Week of February 27, 2023

Click here to jump to a section!

Click here to jump to a section!

How will Arizona lawmakers celebrate Public Schools Week?

Bills in Rules - RTS!

Actions!

Upcoming Events!

Bills in Rules - RTS!

Bills in Motion

Attacks on teachers & curriculum:

Voucher expansions:

Attacks on schools, school boards, districts:

Attacks on direct democracy:

Resources & Accountability:

Join Team SOSAZ!

Save Our Schools Arizona
Weekly Education Report

56th Legislature, 1st General Session
Volume 5, Issue 8 • Week of February 27, 2023