Arizona advocacy group tracking education following Proposition 123 legalization
Dec 27, 2016, 9:08 AM
(Flickr/woodleywonderworks)
PHOENIX — Education for children is slated to be a major issue presented to the Arizona State Legislature in 2017, with one prominent organization ensuring that lawmakers do their jobs.
The Children’s Action Alliance, a non-profit child advocacy group, will be keeping a watchful eye on the legislature, making sure that public education is a high priority after voters passed Proposition 123 in May.
Dana Wolfe Naimark, president and CEO of the group, said there are still more steps that Gov. Doug Ducey needs to take to advance public education.
“We certainly know the current resources in our public schools are not enough to retain and sustain quality teachers, to keep updated textbooks and technology in our classrooms and to keep our school facilities and school buses safe,” Naimark said.
“Those are very basic fundamentals of education, so we are definitely expecting next steps, and we will be working with legislators on options to create those next steps.”
Proposition 123 will pump $3.5 billion into K-12 education over the next decade. The settlement cash comes from $1.4 billion in general fund money and $2 billion from a state land trust.
Wolfe Naimark said her organization will be looking at budget issues and budget proposals, in order to ensure that the money is being put to good use.
The organization will also look at tax credits given to private schools, which Wolfe Naimark said she believes are draining money from public schools.
“We need to make sure that we are investing additional resources into public schools, rather than draining resources out, as we have been,” Naimark said.