Education
Every child has the right to a great education regardless of race, zip code, or income level. And we know that teachers and public schools play a crucial role in bringing Arizonans together and preparing every child to have a happy and successful life.
Yet too many teachers can no longer afford to teach in our state. Arizona’s investment in our children’s public schools has been in the national basement for the past fifteen years. As a result, one-third of our children no longer have a permanent, qualified teacher in their classroom.
That’s a disaster for all of us who want to live in a safe, healthy, and thriving community.
Republicans’ decision to drain $1 billion from public schools into academically and financially unaccountable private schools that allow owners to pocket our tax dollars with impunity is only making things worse.
We need to make a significant and lasting investment to make sure every child gets their chance to thrive. To do that, it’s essential that we first lift the 1980-era spending cap on school districts which led to the teacher shortage crisis so that we can increase teacher and staff pay to the national median, reduce class sizes that are among the highest in the nation, and fulfill the state’s long-promised funding to repair or replace outdated school facilities.
