Arizona voters want more education opportunities, nonprofit says

PHOENIX — A local nonprofit called Education Forward Arizona recently released a poll that analyzes the state’s quality of post-secondary education and career training.

According to the poll, most Arizona voters support policies that help people get college degrees or certificates.

“The very future of Arizona is really tied to our ability to increase our educational attainment rates,” Rich Nickel, the CEO of Education Forward Arizona, said.

What else did Education Forward Arizona survey find?

The survey was done in partnership with FM3 Research and HighGround Public Affairs.

It found that:

• 63% of surveyed voters believe more needs to be done to increase the number of Arizona students who continue education or career training past high school.
• 95% support increasing access to apprenticeships and professional certification programs.
• 93% support more opportunities for students to take advanced placement and dual enrollment courses.

Researchers also found that surveyed voters were more likely to choose a candidate who supports Education Forward Arizona’s ACHIEVE60AZ Action Plan.

What impact will Education Forward Arizona plan have?

The plan calls for 60% of all Arizona workers aged 25-64 to have a college degree, license or specialized certificate by 2030.

In 2022, Arizona’s attainment rate was around 48%, according to the nonprofit.

Nickel said the polling shows a disconnect between what voters want and what lawmakers are doing when it comes to education.

He said spending cuts on higher education in the latest state budget reflect that disconnect.

“I think it gives politicians and policymakers a really good idea of some of the things they could do in the future that are really going to make an impact,” Nickel said. “But it is going to take an investment.”

He also said if the attainment goal is reached, Arizona’s economy could see an influx of $5 billion dollars.

The data overall shows Arizona voters agree on several education issues, a point also emphasized recently by the Center for The Future of Arizona.

There is also growing concern that Arizonans will miss out on economic benefits from new industries coming to the state, such as the semiconductor fabs being built by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

Without a large pool of well-educated workers, companies may question their investments in the state, Nickel said.

“They’re coming in now and asking things like, ‘Why are we 49th in the nation for education? Where’s our workforce coming from?’ And not as much as ‘Can we rely on Arizona to remain a low-tax state?'” Nickel said.