Thousands of Education Supporters Engage in Community Outreach Events

Yesterday thousands of teachers, education support professionals, parents, students, and other public education supporters took part in the AEA March4Schools Statewide Day of Action. Reports are still coming in from all over Arizona about activists reaching out to community members to share their stories about the impact of budget cuts on our schools. AEA Lobbyist Jennifer Loredo heard from many legislators throughout the day who asked her about receiving several phone calls from constituents. Here are the highlights from March4Schools:

• 600 people, including parents, staff, and administrators attended a rally at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler to get together to share information about current legislative actions. AEA recommended candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction, Penny Kotterman, spoke at the event.
• In Tucson 400 people gathered at a rally in Reid Park to promote the role of public schools in the community.
• A voter education event with 400 in attendance was held at Higley High School. Activists helped people register to vote, passed out voting records of current legislators and presented new candidates.
• 300 education supporters attended a rally at Kiwanis Park in Tempe in a celebration of public education that will help increase awareness about what the legislature is doing. Penny Kotterman also spoke at this event.
• 300 attended a rally at Rillito Park in Amphitheater to support public education. AEA Vice President Andrew Morrill spoke at this event.
• 300 people attended a picnic at Riverview Park in Mesa for a rally and to make 2,000 phone calls to legislators.
• In Marana about 240 AEA members and their children, parents, and education supporters held rallies at eight polling sites to display positive messages about Prop 400. There was great support from the community with traffic honking and waving as they drove by.
• In Glendale about 180 people took part in the Unity Rally at Murphy Park to bring the Glendale community together to support public education.
• 100 education supporters marched at the Town Square in Prescott.
• Another 100 marched in Dysart to promote their district override.
• In Cartwright and Washington Elementary school districts activists walked door-to-door to educate the community about the impact the state legislature is having on public schools.
• In Parker about a fourth of the people who vote came out for a rally. The rally raised visibility of education issues in the community.
• Each school site in Paradise Valley had an activity planned throughout the day, such as handing out legislative voting records to parents, door knocking, flagpole meetings, or calling legislators to tell them their actions will have an effect on voters in the primaries.

The list goes on and on. Check out the media coverage of March4Schools. View photos from the day online. Share your photos by e-mailing them to sheenae.shannon@arizonaea.org. Tell us your story about March4Schools!

In cooperation with The Education Coalition and the National Education Association, the AEA hosted a summit with participants ranging from business leaders to classroom educators. It became apparent that there was far more common ground among participants than differences in opinion. The AEA and its partners decided to create a video to capture the similarities. Over the next several weeks you will be receiving a video from the AEA. Please take a few minutes out of your day to watch these videos.

Now, having learned more about Arizona’s budget crisis and what our state is facing over the next few years, please join us in the conversation by blogging your comments below. Be ready for next week’s video which discusses how Arizona’s political system is causing many of the issues we’re facing today.

Yesterday the Arizona Supreme Court declined to accept jurisdiction of the special action petition filed by the Arizona Education Association this past November, which challenges laws enacted during the second special session of the 49th Arizona Legislature. The AEA will pursue the action in a lower court.

“The laws created are targeted at teachers’ rights and have already harmed public education in Arizona,” says AEA President John Wright. “These laws were passed behind closed doors without public debate. That’s why we are continuing our legal challenge – not only are the policies bad for our schools, but they were passed in an unconstitutional manner.”

Lawyers representing the AEA say that the Court’s decision is not based on the merits of the case presented by the organization. The Court merely declined to accept jurisdiction of the special action petition at this time without offering any explanation or reason for its decision.

The AEA anticipates moving quickly to another venue to argue the merits of its case while continuing to engage with legislative leaders who have the authority to address these policies during the upcoming session. Wright explains, “The AEA is confident that through public debate, whether in a courtroom or committee hearing, public officials will recognize that these policies are not right for Arizona’s public schools.”

Let us know what you think about the Court’s decision by leaving a comment below.

Today the Arizona Education Association filed a special action petition with the Arizona Supreme Court against Governor Jan Brewer and the 49th State Legislature targeting policy changes made in the 3rd special session of the Arizona State Legislature aimed at teachers and other school employees. The policy changes allow arbitrary reductions in salary, prohibit seniority as a criterion for reduction in force, eliminate deadlines for issuing contracts, and limit employee rights to engage in professional association activities.

John Wright, president of the Arizona Education Association, said, "These policies represent a complete abandonment of legislative leadership. The special session was called to address Arizona's budget deficit; instead, the legislature mysteriously determined that removing contract security and allowing salary reductions for career educators was a more appropriate focus. The interests of Arizona's families, students, and economy were completely ignored."

The policy changes were passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Brewer as part of the 3rd special-session budget package. According to attorney Roopali Desai, HB 2011 violates the state's Constitution and thus is null and void.

Desai, an attorney from Coppersmith Schermer & Brockelman PLC., said, "In House Bill 2011, the Legislature violated the Arizona Constitution in at least four ways. The bill modified teachers' employment contracts in an emergency special session that was called for the purpose of creating a budget, even though the employment terms that were changed are not related to the budget.

"This violates provisions of the Constitution intended to prevent precisely what happened here---the use of a special session to pass unrelated legislation that likely could not have been passed during regular session."

The special action petition states that, "The Arizona Legislature exceeded its authority under the Governor's call for special session when it enacted Sections 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 76 of HB 2011, which modify existing legislation relating to the employment of teachers by public school districts. These provisions are not appropriations and are not related to the state budget. In addition, the Legislature's enactments fail to comply with constitutional provisions requiring single subject legislation and prohibiting impairment with contractual obligations."

An excerpt from the special action suit as it was filed with the Supreme Court:

I. SECTIONS 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, AND 76 OF HB 2011VIOLATE THE ARIZONA CONSTITUTION BECAUSE THEY ARE UNRELATED TO, AND GO BEYOND THE SCOPE OF, THE SUBJECTS IDENTIFIED IN THE GOVERNOR'S CALL FOR SPECIAL SESSION.

II. SECTIONS 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, AND 76 ARE VOID BECAUSE HB 2011 VIOLATES THE ARIZONA CONSTITUTION BY ENCOMPASSING MORE THAN ONE SUBJECT AND COMBINING UNRELATED LEGISLATIVE GOALS, WHICH ARE NOT EXPRESSED IN THE TITLE OF THE ACT.

III. SECTIONS 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, AND 76 ARE VOID BECAUSE HB 2011 VIOLATES THE ARIZONA CONSTITUTION BY COMBINING GENERAL LEGISLATION AND UNRELATED APPROPRIATIONS IN A SINGLE, NON-GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL.

IV. SECTIONS 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, AND 76 VIOLATE THE CONTRACT CLAUSES BECAUSE THEY NULLIFY EXISTING RIGHTS AND BENEFITS IN PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS' EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS.

V. SECTIONS 16 AND 76 OF HB 2011 ARE VOID FOR VAGUENESS.

This week the real impact of the legislature’s inept management of the state budget is showing up in classrooms.

• Teachers have larger class sizes.
• School employees are forced to take furlough days.
• Districts have ordered freezes on purchasing instructional materials.
• Staff has been reduced and work that supports the instructional process is not getting done.
• School employees have had salary reductions and have been warned that if the legislature’s new budget makes additional cuts, the salaries levels in their current contracts may be reduced during the school year.

What is your story? How many kids to you have in our class? What is the impact on your job? How are your students impacted?

Speculation about what will happen in the State Senate today is running wild. Nobody knows if they have the votes. Anything could happen. They could pass the budget today, delay until tomorrow, or even delay until next week. Map to the Capitol

This is a very dynamic situation, and our ability to communicate and change plans at a moment's notice is essential to our success.

The schedule as it stands now:

Senate Gallery at 1:00 p.m.
If at all possible, be at the capitol and gather in the Senate gallery just before 1:00 p.m. today. Before you come, make a telephone call to your Senators and let them know you are coming in support of public education and will be in the gallery watching today. Ask them to introduce you from the gallery.

If the Senate does not have the votes and decides to adjourn for the day, an immediate communication will be sent out on this email list, Facebook, and Twitter. If you are coming to the capitol later in the day, check to see if there are any changes in plans.

Demonstration on the Mall at 4:00 p.m.
There will be a rally between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the mall of the capitol beginning at 4:00 p.m. If the legislature is attempting to push out the budget today or have passed it by then, this demonstration will be a critical tool to stop the budget.

If the Senate adjourns, this rally may be postponed. Please watch for updates. Visit www.march4schools.com for the latest news.

The Senate is scheduled to convene at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4. The Governor and Senate President Bob Burns are desperate to pass the budget tomorrow so the Governor’s sales tax can be on the November ballot. By all accounts the vote is extremely close and the budget has already passed the House. This is the last chance to stop this devastating budget.

We need you at the capitol tomorrow to let legislators know that we will not stand idly by and let them make massive cuts to our public schools. We are meeting in the Senate Gallery at 1 p.m. tomorrow and will hold a demonstration at 4 p.m. on the mall in front of the capitol. Your participation at one or both of these times is critical to stopping this budget! If you cannot arrive until later than 4:00 p.m., come and join us then. Visit www.march4schools.com for more information. Below are links with more information.

• Summary of Legislative Majority Budget Proposal
• What could happen if this budget passes
• Latest updates on budget news
• Call your legislators and the governor
• Email your legislators and the governor

July 31
8:00 a.m.

Despite desperate attempts by Senate President Bob Burns and Governor Jan Brewer, the Senate does not have enough votes to pass a budget. It is time for them to realize that this flawed budget does not deserve to be passed and to go to work through a bipartisan process on a new budget solution.

But rather than admitting this budget does not have support, they continue to use strong-arm tactics to force senators to vote for this partisan budget.

At 6:00 a.m. the Senate President finally told Senate members they could go home and sleep, but he did not adjourn the Senate. Instead, it is recessed until 1:00 p.m. this afternoon.

At 6:00 a.m. the governor and Senate President Burns were still holding Senator Pamela Gorman (R-Anthem) in the Senate President's office attempting to convince her to change her vote, although she strongly opposes the budget.

Minutes ago, the 1:00 p.m. meeting of the Senate was cancelled, and the Senate is officially adjourned until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4.

One hundred AEA March4Schools activists led by AEA Vice President Andrew Morrill kept vigil at the capitol during the process yesterday and there were still fifteen teachers, parents and education supporters in the gallery at 6:00 a.m. this morning when the Senate President finally recessed the Senate. When the Senate decided to recess, there were more education supporters in the gallery than Senate budget supporters on the Senate floor,

Constant March4Schools contact with key senators, testimony, and visible coverage by the media have helped support senators who are attempting to hold firm against this budget - a budget that contains massive education cuts and huge tax breaks for the rich.

Continued citizen action is needed to force the governor and Republican leadership to sit down with the Democratic leadership in the Legislature and negotiate a budget that moves Arizona forward in these difficult times.

Mark your calendars to be at the capitol Tuesday afternoon August 4 to continue the AEA March4Schools protest of the budget. Go to www.march4schools.com for details on exact times and logistics.

July 30, 8:30 p.m.

Appropriations Chair Predicts Future Special Session with Deeper Cuts to Education Even if Sales Tax Passes

By appointing a new committee member to get a quorum and making a deal with a Maricopa County Republican Senator to cut funds for the Rio Verde Project in Tucson, the Republican Leadership has found a way to put together enough votes get the budget bills out of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

In the process, Senate Appropriations Chair Russell Pearce explained that any revenue from a temporary sales tax would be used to help pay down Arizona's debt rather than restore any education budget cuts. The Governor says she wants to use any revenue that will be generated from her temporary sales tax referral to restore public education cuts that are included in this budget package. It is clear the language in the bill will allow the legislature to decide if they want to restore education cuts with the sales tax revenue or use it for other purposes. Based on testimony of Senate Appropriations Chair Pearce, even with the passage of the sales tax he plans on another special session with further cuts to public education and no restoration of education cuts.

This bill is becoming more flawed and harmful to Arizona and its economy in order to gain the support of extreme right wing Senators like Jack Harper of Surprise, Arizona. Harper opposed the budget because it included a sales tax increase referral. But he apparently agreed to support the budget package if a provision to cut off sales tax funding revenue to Pima County's most important economic development project was added.

The entire package of bills passed the Appropriations Committee on a party line vote.

AEA Vice President Andrew Morrill and AEA Republican Caucus Chair Chris Ackerley (Amphitheater High School Teacher) both testified to the damage that this budget will do to our schools, the damage it will do to our economy, and its irresponsible fiscal polices.

For a summary of the budget package and the harm this budget will do if passed, view AEA's website.

With the exception of the amendments passed in Senate Appropriations today, the budget has passed the Senate and House Appropriations Committees in identical form. If the House and Senate have enough Republican members to provide a majority vote on the floor (16 in the Senate and 31 in the House), the budget will proceed to the Rules Committee, Caucus Meetings, and the floor for a vote tonight.

If not, the process will stall.

Do they have the votes? Stay tuned and take action to stop this budget.

Take Action:
Call your legislators and the governor
Email your legislators and the governor
Join other March4Schools activists at the capitol www.march4schools.com
Watch the deliberations on your computer

July 30, 5:30 p.m.

It appears that Senate Republican President Bob Burns is once again struggling to find enough Republican Senators to pass a budget that includes massive cuts to public education and other vital services. So, once again he is attempting to manipulate the legislative process to get what he wants.

After adjourning yesterday and regrouping this morning with the Governor and House Speaker Kirk Adams, Burns scheduled the Senate Appropriations Committee to meet at 3:30 p.m. to get the budget passed and sent to the floor of the Senate. But when two Republican Senators who oppose the budget failed to show up today, there were not enough present to make a quorum for the committee.

To solve this problem, Senator Burns called the whole Senate back to the floor to appoint an additional member to the Appropriations Committee so there would be a quorum and the budget could be moved. But, there were only 15 Senators who attended the floor session, falling one short of a quorum for the Senate. Senate President Burns declared a quorum anyway and appointed John Huppenthal as an additional member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

So, now the Appropriations Committee is meeting with Senator Huppenthal as a new member.

The question remains, do they have the 16 votes needed to pass this budget once it gets to the floor?

Take Action:
Call your legislators and the governor
Email your legislators and the governor
Join other March4Schools activists at the capitol www.march4schools.com
Watch the deliberations on your computer