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Old 11-05-2015, 09:17 AM
 
8,081 posts, read 6,926,044 times
Reputation: 7978

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So what does CD think of this proposal


Quote:
  • A "trigger" that would allow lawmakers to withhold annual inflation adjustments to the K-12 funding formula if economic conditions are stagnant or deteriorate. Under the criteria outlined in the plan, this would have happened only six times since 1992, according to the Governor's Office.
  • Another trigger that would allow the Legislature to reduce the amount of money distributed from the state's Permanent Land Endowment Trust Fund if the fund posts a lower balance than in prior years. The plan calls for hiking the trust fund's distribution. Lawmakers say the trigger would help them protect the fund's principal if it earns less money.
  • A third trigger that would let lawmakers stop funding K-12 inflation payments, and cut the K-12 budget, if education spending reaches 49 percent of the state budget, and deeper cuts if K-12 spending equals 50 percent of the overall budget. The K-12 budget currently equals 42 percent of the general fund; it has never hit 49 percent, state officials said.
More details emerge on $3.5B Arizona education-funding proposal


I'll say my bit first, for those of us who have lived here in this wonderful state of AZ (The State Government notwithstanding) have seen on a few occasions an attempt to pull money from the State Land Trust, one of our greatest assets. Nearly every single attempt by various Republican Governors has failed due to a perceived attempt at 'looting' one of our few great items. Brewer tried it about 6 years ago and failed.

Now Doug Ducey wants to dip into it to 'solve' a problem I believe he created. To me this comes across like arm wringing more than a solution, his administration wanted to get into the land trust like so many others have wanted to but Ducey has the cajones to create a problem first so that we can dip into it with voter approval. He is touting it as a way to fund schools without raising taxes, but weren't we already funding the schools at a greater level prior to the last budget that was produced without the land trust?

Following up that, Jeff DeWit (the Republican State Treasurer) has publicly come out against Ducey's plan.

Quote:
Treasurer Jeff DeWit said in a letter to lawmakers Tuesday that Ducey's plan to use $1.8 billion in trust cash over five years starting in 2017 amounts to a raid on the principal of a fund designed to remain intact forever.
Treasurer slams Ducey's plan to use trust cash for schools


Quote:
DeWit contends that taking an additional $2 billion out of the trust over 10 years would ultimately cost schools $8 billion over 40 years.
Jeff DeWit-Doug Ducey feud escalates


So there's my bit, what does this board think of the proposal.
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Old 11-05-2015, 09:23 AM
 
Location: Peoria, AZ
975 posts, read 1,399,625 times
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I will vote "no" on this ballot proposition.

This is a short sighted, temporary fix to a long term problem.

Also, this still doesn't provide adequate funding to Arizona's school districts.

Current politicians likely don't care though because the unintended consequences will occur after they're out of office.
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Old 11-05-2015, 09:24 AM
 
1,567 posts, read 1,948,328 times
Reputation: 2374
Didn't voters already approve this, that's what I thought the lawsuit was about. They have been selling the land for quite some time. Dewitt wants to store it forever, but I guarantee it will end up getting raided to fund something stupid or squandered away on useless projects.

I would like to see the money go towards education as long as it goes to a specific purpose. 100% of these funds should be used in the CLASSROOM or towards teacher salaries and zero should go to administration.
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Old 11-05-2015, 09:44 AM
 
8,081 posts, read 6,926,044 times
Reputation: 7978
Quote:
Originally Posted by ajonesaz View Post
Didn't voters already approve this, that's what I thought the lawsuit was about. They have been selling the land for quite some time. Dewitt wants to store it forever, but I guarantee it will end up getting raided to fund something stupid or squandered away on useless projects.

I would like to see the money go towards education as long as it goes to a specific purpose. 100% of these funds should be used in the CLASSROOM or towards teacher salaries and zero should go to administration.
It will be voted on next year.

It's been tried in the past with an overwhelming defeat record. The issue with this one, IMO, is that a problem exists that this can 'solve'. It politically genius but also really dangerous.

The lawsuit you're thinking of was a sales tax from Prop 301 in 2000 that would increase school funding to inflation but was never paid to schools.
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Old 11-05-2015, 08:23 PM
 
784 posts, read 920,742 times
Reputation: 1326
Quote:
Originally Posted by ajonesaz View Post
Didn't voters already approve this, that's what I thought the lawsuit was about. They have been selling the land for quite some time. Dewitt wants to store it forever, but I guarantee it will end up getting raided to fund something stupid or squandered away on useless projects.
.
Couldn't you just put the money into a "lockbox".....remember that great idea.......lol.

What pieces of land is being sold?
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Old 11-05-2015, 10:17 PM
 
Location: When you take flak it means you are on target
7,646 posts, read 9,916,066 times
Reputation: 16451
The common man won't get a crack at the land. It will go to corrupt companies and foreigners. I'm beginning to wonder if AZ govt is crooked.

And 3 BILLION - that'll be siphoned and squandered by crooked politicians and school administrators in no time and the kids still won't be able to count or write cursive.
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Old 11-08-2015, 01:09 AM
 
Location: East Central Phoenix
8,028 posts, read 12,214,074 times
Reputation: 9806
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamies View Post
The common man won't get a crack at the land. It will go to corrupt companies and foreigners. I'm beginning to wonder if AZ govt is crooked.

And 3 BILLION - that'll be siphoned and squandered by crooked politicians and school administrators in no time and the kids still won't be able to count or write cursive.
Bingo! This is probably the best answer yet. It really matters very little if the money is coming from the State Land Trust or not ... it all comes down to the same problem with education, which is the government subsidizing an entity that should be funded, supported, and managed by the private sector! No matter how much money we continuously toss into the public system, and regardless where the source of the money is from, the majority of the funds still go to administration instead of to the classroom. No matter how much we spend on public education, the quality will always be substandard to the private system, and the bleeding heart liberals will always be begging for more funding. Enough is enough!
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