AEN Releases 2011 Legislative Voting Record on Education Funding

Arizona Education Network Newsletter

April 25, 2011

In This Issue

AEN's 2011 Legislative Voting Record on Education Funding. How Did Your Legislators Vote?

Call Governor to Veto Bill Locking in Cuts for Years to Come

Legislature Silences Defenders of Arizona's Students

What Can We Do Now?

fArticle Title

AEN's 2011 Legislative Voting Record on Education Funding. How Did Your Legislators Vote?

Today Arizona Education Network released an analysis of Arizona legislators' voting records on education funding bills.

The legislative voting record compiled by the Arizona Education Network identifies the 59 legislators who voted against public education funding 100 percent of the time in 2011. Many of Arizona's 90 legislators like to say they support public education, but the record shows nearly 60 percent of them do not.

These unprecedented education cuts are crippling our schools, threatening our state's economic future and damaging our children. Legislators say they had no other option but to cut $454 million from our schools, community colleges and universities--bringing the three-year total cut to $1.3 billion. However they had other options, including following the Governor's original budget proposal, which had $116 million less in education cuts. In addition, legislators could work to close the more than $10 billion in tax loopholes that prevent the state from raising more revenue.

Below is a summary of the data. We invite you to visit our website here for a detailed explanation of our methodology, a display of actual votes cast and a summary of the legislative bills included in the study. To identify your legislative district and/or legislators, click

here.

The following list shows legislators' voting records on public education funding bills. The percentage shown reflects votes to cut public education funding (i.e. 100% means voted 100% of the time against public education funding).

District 1
Sen. Steve Pierce	100%
Rep. Karen Fann	100%
Rep. Andy Tobin	100%

District 2
Sen. Jack Jackson, Jr.	0%
Rep. Tom Chabin	0%
Rep. Albert Hale	*

District 3
Sen. Ron Gould	100%
Rep. Doris Goodale	100%
Rep. Nancy McLain	100%

District 4
Sen. Scott Bundgaard	100%
Rep. Judy Burges	100%
Rep. Jack Harper	100%

District 5
Sen. Sylvia Allen	100%
Rep. Brenda Barton	100%
Rep. Chester Crandell	100%

District 6
Sen. Lori Klein	100%
Rep. Amanda Reeve	100%
Rep. Carl Seel	100%

District 7
Sen. Nancy Barto	100%
Rep. Heather Carter	100%
Rep. David Burnell Smith	100%

District 8
Sen. Michele Reagan	100%
Rep. John Kavanagh	100%
Rep. Michelle Ugenti	100%

District 9
Sen. Rick Murphy	100%
Rep. Rich Gray	100%
Rep. Debbie Lesko	100%

District 10
Sen. Linda Gray	100%
Rep. Jim Weiers	100%
Rep. Kimberly Yee	100%

District 11
Sen. Adam Driggs	100%
Rep. Kate Brophy McGee	100%
Rep. Eric Meyer	0%

District 12
Sen. John Nelson	100%
Rep. Steve Montenegro	100%
Rep. Jerry Weiers	100%

District 13
Sen. Steve Gallardo	0%
Rep. Richard Miranda	0%
Rep. Anna Tovar	0%

District 14
Sen. Robert Meza	0%
Rep. Chad Campbell	0%
Rep. Debbie McCune Davis	0%

District 15
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema	0%
Rep. Lela Alston	0%
Rep. Katie Hobbs	0%

District 16
Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor	0%
Rep. Ruben Gallego	0%
Rep. Catherine Miranda	0%

District 17
Sen. David Schapira	0%
Rep. Ben Arredondo	0%
Rep. Ed Ableser	0%

District 18
Sen. Russell Pearce	100%
Rep. Cecil Ash	100%
Rep. Steve Court	100%

District 19
Sen. Rich Crandall	100%
Rep. Kirk Adams	100%
Rep. Justin Olson	100%

District 20
Sen. John McComish	100%
Rep. Jeff Dial	100%
Rep. Bob Robson	100%

District 21
Sen. Steve Yarbrough	100%
Rep. Tom Forese	100%
Rep. Javen Mesnard	100%

District 22
Sen. Andy Biggs	100%
Rep. Eddie Farnsworth	100%
Rep. Steve Urie	100%

District 23
Sen. Steve Smith	100%
Rep. John Fillmore	33.3%
Rep. Frank Pratt	100%

District 24
Sen. Don Shooter	100%
Rep. Russ Jones	66.7%
Rep. Lynne Pancrazi	0%

District 25
Sen. Gail Griffin	100%
Rep. Peggy Judd	100%
Rep. David Stevens	100%

District 26
Sen. Al Melvin	100%
Rep. Terri Proud	100%
Rep. Vic Williams	100%

District 27
Sen. Olivia Cajero Bedford	0%
Rep. Sally Ann Gonzales	0%
Rep. Macario Saldate, IV	0%

District 28
Sen. Paula Aboud	0%
Rep. Steve Farley	0%
Rep. Bruce Wheeler	0%

District 29
Sen. Linda Lopez	*
Rep. Matt Heinz	0%
Rep. Daniel Patterson	0%

District 30
Sen. Frank Antenori	100%
Rep. David Gowan	100%
Rep. Ted Vogt	100%
*Not present for the final vote/passage of bills.

Call Governor to Veto Bill Locking in Cuts for Years to Come!

Before the Legislature recessed on 4/20/11, both chambers of the approved HB 2707--the TABOR bill which is legislation that freezes the Arizona budget at current recession levels and allows only for adjustments for increased population and cost-of-living.

There has been no financial analysis so the financial impact of this bill is unknown!

Governor Brewer has not yet acted on HB2707--call Governor Brewer's office at (602)542-4331, then press 4 to talk to a representative of the Governor's office. Ask the Governor to veto HB2707. Tell her that there is no financial report on the impact of HB2707 on the Arizona economy. This bill is too risky to the financial future of Arizona.

As the First Regular Session of the Arizona Legislature concluded in the early hours of April 20, 2011, a disturbing pattern emerged: the silencing of those who defend Arizona's students. This Legislature passed five bills--HB2002, SB1329, SB1365, SB1116 and HB2219--aimed at stifling stakeholders in public education. If all these bills become law (two have already been signed into law by Governor Brewer and three are pending her signature) together they will:

Inhibit contributions to groups that advocate for public education;
Strip teachers of rights to lobby for pro-education legislation;
Prohibit schools from advocating for funding, and;
Move away from local governance of schools

Read the full article here >>

What Can We Do Now?

The answer couldn't be more clear: Start organizing for 2012!

It's time for Arizonans to stop putting out fires--it's time to start going after the arsonists.

The Arizona Education Network is developing the Campaign for Education 2012. We are mobilizing education supporters statewide to oppose those who are destroying Arizona public education.

Please take a few minutes to join the Campaign for Education 2012. Click here. The information you provide will be kept confidential.

Print this flyer. Give it to parents at your school, your neighbors, your relatives and your friends. Help spread the word about the devastating cuts to education and the Campaign for Education 2012.

Regards,

Your AEN Team

Arizona Education Network

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arizonaeducationnetwork.com

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