Growing Our Party

THE WHOPPER

AND IT IS NOT FROM BURGER KING

IT IS TIME FOR THE TEACHERS TO DISCOVER THAT THEIR PROBLEM IS NOT AT THE LEGISLATURE, BUT WITH THE SUPERINTENDENTS AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES.

IN ADDITION, THEIR UNION, THE AEA, IS COMPLICIT IN THE MISREPRESENTATIONS.

Any educational funds from this tax will go to districts ONLY.

The brochure we received from the YES people states there are 140,000 more enrolled than in 2004. THAT IS A BLATANT LIE.

The fact is that in the district system there were 887,489 TOTAL ADMs in 2004 and the current district TOTAL ADMs are 931,844. These numbers are straight from the Superintendents AnnualFinancial Report, prepared and submitted by the district business offices to Department of Ed. That is an INCREASE of only 44,345 more children, NOT 140,000 during the years the YES people chose, and that is only a 4.9% increase.

Now to look at tax load: According to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee report on Expenditures to the Districts Maintenance and Operations Budgets, in FY2004 the state General Fund appropriated $3,349,554,200 to the districts while in FY2009, the state General Fund appropriated $5,079,427,900 to the districts. That is a 51.64% increase.

Let me repeat that, because it is a startling set of figures - - the average daily membership increased by a mere 4.9% since 2004 - the time span they chose - while appropriations increased by a whopping 51.64%.

Teachers say that they have not had pay increases for seven years, or they have had pay cuts the last three years. If that is true, they need to be asking their administration where the dollars went. The funds were appropriated from the state General Fund and if they did not receive those funds there is only one stop from the legislature to them - the district offices.

There are also comments about how many teachers have lost their position. Some teachers have been let go, but lets look at why that is happening.

In 2008, the number of district pupils was 950,815, however, as stated above, the current number has decreased to 931,844 - a loss of 18,971. If you figure the average class size is 30, that is a loss of 632 classrooms and subsequently a lack of need for 632 teachers. Teacher reductions are NOT because of low appropriations, but a lack of pupils. That pupil count, by the way, is continuing to decline every month and will for the foreseeable future.

Any government agency that has a 4.9% growth in caseload and has received a 51.64% increase in funding has too much taxpayer money, not too little. These figures are readily available and published on the JLBC and ADE websites, so you can use them with comfort to inform your friends and neighbors about the real education story.

Vote NO on Prop 100!!

It is a scam, it is unnecessary, it will harm seniors on fixed incomes and it will further damage our economy by costing the Arizona job market 24,000 to 40,000 jobs.