Arizona School Administrators “back” Governer Brewer’s proposed budget
Tags: Governor Brewer's proposed budget, letter from ASA, proposed fy10 budget arizona
The Arizona School Administrators recently wrote a public letter to Governor Brewer, responding to her proposed FY10 Budget.
The text of that letter follows:
Dear Governor Brewer:
This has been a challenging time for all of us in coping with the economic conditions faced by our state. As members of the Arizona School Administrators Association (ASA), hearing about the K-12 budget firsthand as part of the stakeholders meeting, was significant and deeply appreciated. It demonstrated to us, as an organization representing over 1 million students in 226 school districts throughout the state, that you are a strong supporter of public education and are approaching the budget deficit with candor and forthrightness.
As requested, we have given strong consideration to supporting your proposals for FY 2010 and in FY 2011. In looking at our four ASA Principles in dealing with the State Budget Crisis of Economics, Equity, Local Control and Balance, we can unequivocally support and endorse your budget plan for FY10 which includes:
· the one cent sales tax,
· funding the inflation factor and,
· applying Federal stimulus money for K-12 education.
We believe your budget plan will significantly mitigate the effects of the budget shortfall for all of our districts. Certainly, any reductions are a concern, as they have direct impact on the quality of education our students receive. However, we appreciate your efforts to minimize the negative impact on our planning by allowing flexibility with the budget reductions. The officers and members of the ASA believe this proposal is the best of any plan advanced for the coming fiscal year and you have our full support.
While we can provide immediate support for next year’s budget, we feel further discussion is needed to develop various long-term strategies and solutions that would result in both comprehensive tax reform and increased budget accountability to address future needs.
Thank you for your leadership and inclusiveness.
Sincerely,
Greg Wyman, President Roger Short, Executive Director
YOUR TURN: What do YOU think of the Governor’s proposed budget?
i as a student strongly disagree with the proposed budget cuts in the fundings of eduacation in our schools. this means that highschools could be cutting programs such as sports,music, and clubs. in addition, schools are considering cuts to elective programs. electives suach as business,culinary,drama,art,piano,guitar,woods,and other electives could be taken away as a result of the lack of sufficient funding. additionally,daily transportation to an from school,field trips, and transportation to competitions may also be cut. not only that, but classes may be significantly larger because teaching positions may be cut.