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Thursday, February 25, 2010
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To view the ABEC newsletter using your web browser, click here. | ||
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Thursday, February 25, 2010 | ||
 "Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained, hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired." ~ Erik H. Erikson Friends of ABEC,
These are tough times in Arizona. The budget cuts sustained throughout our systems have been brutal – from cities to schools. The very infrastructure in our state on which businesses base relocation decisions – the educational system – is at risk of further cuts, making further economic development and the vision of career and college readiness for every graduate dim memories. It's enough to make our leaders cry, from educators to civic leaders to legislators. There is just not enough money - even after these cuts. Confidence in our systems is wounded, and certainly trust between key leaders is impaired. And Arizona is not alone in this crisis and the crisis is not going away soon. According to The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, one of the nation's premier policy organizations working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals, in an article entitled "Recession Continues to Batter State Budgets; State Responses Could Slow Recovery," we learn that "the worst recession since the 1930s has caused the steepest decline in state tax receipts on record. As a result, even after making very deep cuts, states continue to face large budget gaps. New shortfalls have opened up in the budgets of at least 41 states for the current fiscal year (FY 2010, which began July 1 in most states). In addition, initial indications are that states will face shortfalls as big as or bigger than they faced this year in the upcoming 2011 fiscal year. States will continue to struggle to find the revenue needed to support critical public services for a number of years." In a chart entitled "States with Projected Mid-Year FY2010 Budget Gaps", these gaps represent double-digit percentages of the general fund budgets of Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Virginia - gaps of revenue to meet budget. I am reminded of a writing some time ago by one of Arizona's stellar superintendents. Nic Clement, Flowing Wells Unified School District superintendent, described how each year he wrote down goals for his upcoming school year and tucked them away in his top drawer to review periodically. Not long ago, after much struggle with budget cutting and shortages in the district, he pulled open that drawer and discovered he had failed to write down those goals. He'd been so overwhelmed by the struggles and worries of the day, that he'd forgotten to envision and set goals for the future. He pointed out then - and still today - that we all must continue hoping and setting goals for our future. If not hope, then what? It is that hope that set ABEC on the trail of school finance reform. We'll continue to hope that at the end of this crisis, we'll have a new, less complex, and more efficient system in place.
These are tough times. But we will emerge. We'll likely be changed. But we must never, ever, ever give up.  Susan Carlson
ABEC executive director "Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work. You don't give up." ~ Anne Lemott  The 2nd regular session of the 49th Legislature is in full swing with, of course, our elected officials still trying to balance the budget for this current fiscal year that ends June 30, 2010 as well as next fiscal year, ending June 30, 2011. Ideas such as a temporary once-cent sales tax, lowering business taxes, borrowing money, privatizing current state-funded programs, and many others, continue to be vetted. Not to get lost in these budget discussions, however, are a few education-related bills worth highlighting:HB 2731: HIGH SCHOOLS; GRADUATIONS; BOARD EXAMINATIONS
This bill creates the Grand Canyon Diploma and enables high school students to choose different pathways to education, beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. Various track options to obtain this diploma are specified. It also calls for a private organization to operate and administer the board examination system. HB2732: SCHOOLS; THIRD GRADE RETENTION
Establishes competency requirements for the promotion of pupils from third grade and creates the Task Force on Reading Assessment. HB2733: EDUCATION DEPT; DATA COLLECTION
By October 31, 2011, the Superintendent of Public Instruction is required to enter into a contract with a public or private entity to administer all the data collection, compilation and reporting duties of the Department of Education, the State Board of Education, the State Board for Charter Schools, the School Facilities Board, the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind, the Arizona Board of Regents, and the Community College Districts. Contractor and contract requirements are specified. Also establishes a task force on data privatization to design a request for proposals for the data collection process and submit it to the Dept of Education by March 31, 2011. The task force self-repeals September 15, 2011. ABEC has not yet taken a formal position on any of these bills mentioned, and staff will continue to monitor their status as well as many other bills throughout the session.
School Finance Reform Initiative: Peoria Unified School District and Orcutt-Winslow Partnership co-convened the first ABEC forum on the school finance proposals for the West Valley. The target audience was the group of participants from the first series of forums, at which they learned about the current status of how public schools are funded in Arizona. Nearly 40 people attended, including educators, business representatives, parents, elected officials, school board members, and legislators. They reviewed and discussed the key proposals for changing the school finance system, providing excellent feedback and concerns. ABEC has collected that feedback and will be creating an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page for the website. Planning for additional forums is underway in Prescott, Cottonwood, Mesa, Sierra Vista, Yuma, Flagstaff, Tucson, and Casa Grande.
ABEC staff is continuing to meet with legislators individually.  Middle School Scholars Pilot Project: The pilot project continues development between Lowell Elementary School, Phoenix Elementary School District and ABEC, based on four guiding principles:
1. Education is a shared responsibility;
2. Students must see a connection between coursework and their futures;
3. Parents must play a supportive role in their child’s educational process; and,
4. The school community can share and support students in their learning.
The pilot project has four goals:
1. Expose students to a variety of career choices. 2. Make students aware of their own career interests and abilities or aptitudes. 3. Enable student to connect coursework selection to their future education and career choices. 4. Engage parents in sharing in the responsibility for preparing their children in the transition to high school. With the increase in graduation requirements, ABEC hopes through this pilot project to make an impact on the success of incoming 9th graders and their success in achieving graduation.
Organizations wanting to get involved in this pilot project, should contact Patrick Contrades at patrick@azbec.org. … our new ABEC members:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!
EDUCATION NEWS:
Panel OKs bill to track illegal immigrant students - Arizona Capitol Times, 2/23/10
Lawmaker proposes special diploma to help high schoolers get community college credit - Arizona Capitol Times, 2/23/10
House panel OKs bill to link AIMS, passing 3rd grade - Arizona Capitol Times, 2/22/10
Teachers open to merit pay - azdailysun.com, 2/21/10
Ruling could end bonus-pay for Arizona teachers - The Arizona Republic, 2/19/10
Cash-strapped states slashing school budgets – EducationNews.org, 2/15/10 Teacher Turnover in Charter Schools, 2009 – EducationNews.org, 2/12/10
Success in Florida Schools - by Jeb Bush, The Arizona Republic, 2//12/10
Changing Education - School Solutions, 02/10/10
NOTE: ABEC is featured in this video news story
Community forum held on AZ school finance reform – The Arizona Republic, 2/1/10
NOTE: Story on ABEC Public Engagement Forum in the West Valley
'Algebra-for-All' Push Found to Yield Poor Results - Education Week, 2/9/10
SPECIAL REPORTS:
Arizona 2020: A Framework For the Next Decade - A special report of the Arizona Republic AP Report to the Nation - The College Board
Advanced Placement State Report for Arizona - Class of 2009 [PDF]
Better Federal Policies Leading to Better Schools – Center on Education Policy, Feb. 18, 2010
Current Challenges and Opportunities in Preparing Rural High School Students for Success in College and Careers: What Federal Policymakers Need to Know - Alliance For Excellent Education
Is Your Local High School Making the Grade? 10 Elements of Successful High Schools: A Guide for Rural Communities - Alliance For Excellent Education
Quality Counts 2010 - Education Week; Arizona Report
Bringing School Reform to Scale - Harvard Education Press. New book details large-scale strategies that led to academic gains in Broad prize-winning school districts
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The Arizona Business & Education Coalition (ABEC) is a 501(c)3 organization providing a balanced forum for business and education leaders to collaborate and improve K-12 education policy, with linkages to pre-kindergarten and postsecondary education. Guiding principles include: increasing public awareness about the relationship between Arizona’s future workforce and the quality of the K-12 system; actively and effectively influencing education policy; and sharing responsibility for the growth of student achievement in Arizona. For more information, visit www.azbec.org. You are receiving this e-mail because you are a member of ABEC, have signed up to receive our eNewsletter, attended an ABEC or ABEC-related event, or have made direct contact with ABEC.
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