Education Will Suffer Due To Arizona's Budget Deficit

by Cory Williams on Jan 21, 2009 12:39 PM MST

Beatuofa posted a link to an article over in the FanPosts section regarding this issue, and I wanted to take a little time out of my day to put in my two cents.

The universities of the state of Arizona should not have to pay for the state legislature's sins. Running a state poorly and with reckless abandon has put Arizona in a quagmire of massive budget shortfalls and looming deficits. As a people, Arizonans should be outraged at the mishandling of a job we freely elected leaders to undertake professionally and with integrity.

Now, as a way to curtail spending and rein in the budget deficit, lawmakers intend to cut $1.5 billion from education, from kindergarten through the university level, just in this year's budget.

The Arizona Board of Regents called the proposal to cut nearly $500 million from university budgets over the next year and a half "cataclysmic in the depth and breadth of devastation they will cause to our higher-education system in Arizona."

For the current-budget year, university spending cuts would be the largest contributor to the budget solution: 16 percent of the total, according to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

The word "catacylsmic" is rarely used, due to its gravity, magnitude, and significance. However, in this situation it is fitting.

There's not much left to cut unless we really want to get draconian," said Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

But Democrats said the plans are already draconian and will push Arizona further down in the ranks of states trying to compete for the best talent.

"These cuts to education will set us back competitively, both regionally and nationally," said House Minority Whip Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix.

The plans, written by Kavanagh and his Senate counterpart, Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, are the first glimpse of how legislative leaders propose to deal with the budget deficits. The proposals, which are short on details, capped a week of exclusive focus by lawmakers on the state budget. Arizona's current budget is $1.6 billion out of balance and is projected to run a $3 billion deficit next year unless lawmakers take steps to close it.

Why, in times of crisis, are education and health care the first sectors of our budgets deemed "extraneous"? We live in a society that can only improve itself through broader knowledge and healthier lives. Cutting back on education and health care is a big slap in the face to Arizona's youth, telling them their future doesn't matter as long as the present remains viable.

The shortsightedness of this entire budget reduction is astounding, and I am appalled over the very strong disregard for the future of Arizona.

Yesterday, rallies were held on the campuses of Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University. While turnouts were woefully small in comparison to the size of the student body, we can accept the lack of time to get the word out as a logical reason, not to mention the historic Inauguration of Barack Obama taking precedence.

In the end, this site is a reflection of the university it covers. Since my own university shall be crippled by the potential budget, I must stand up in this public forum and denounce that very possibility.

Without action, we are left with a government that is unresponsive to the people. Without protests, we are giving the state legislature a mandate to use cameras on our highways, force compulsory removal of license plate vanity frames, and slash the funds that go towards our state's self improvement. Every day, I see Arizona sliding further into the abyss, and the only way out is through the action of the people. Stand up, Arizona. Do not give in to the fascist possibilities that stand before us. This is still our land, and we deserve better.

The Fascist conception of the State is all-embracing; outside of it no human or spiritual values can exist, much less have value. Thus understood, Fascism is totalitarian, and the Fascist State—a synthesis and a unit inclusive of all values—interprets, develops, and potentiates the whole life of a people.

- Benito Mussolini

Call your representative. He or she needs to know this is not an acceptable course of action for our state. The link provided will give you the list of the entire legislature. Finally, here is the link to ASU's budget cuts page, where they maintain that the acts of the legislature would be unconstitutional. Please read carefully.

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Comments

I knew this economy stuff was bad

but this is really really bad. I’m glad that I got out of Arizona about 3 years ago. Geez.

"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan

by Dirk Diggler on Jan 21, 2009 1:46 PM MST reply actions

Who should suffer if not education and healthcare?

AZ’s budget is a mess and you don’t think that education and healthcare should suffer. Then where does the money come from? The budget has to be balanced and I’ll bet dollars to donuts that the largest budget expense is education with healthcare probably #2.

Are you going to makeup the deficit by cutting everything else? Are you going to tax the wealthy more than they are already taxed?

You huff and you puff and you use words and phrases such as running a state poorly, reckless abandon, outraged, catclysmic, astounding, appalled, and not an acceptable course of action yet nowhere in your rant to do offer anything even remotely resembling a solution.

So … how do you think the problem should be solved?

by sundevils on Jan 21, 2009 7:58 PM MST reply actions

You’re saying that we should risk the intellectual future of the state of Arizona because of a short term budget deficit?

Cutting tax incentives is not the same as raising taxes. No one is suggesting that taxes be raised, so I would prefer if you didn’t put those types of words into my mouth.

We aren’t cutting the budget from some vague umbrella term such as “education.” We are taking away thousands upon thousands of reliable jobs at all 3 universities, at the same unfairly increasing the amount of work on each remaining professor, janitor, and technical support serviceman.

In K-12, we will be crowding classrooms to unforeseen levels (40? 50 kids?) and putting undue strain on the teachers who are ALREADY paid nearly nothing ($25,000 is a starting salary). What kind of effect will this have?

Teachers of any quality will look elsewhere for work; the remainder will be ill-equipped to deal with regular classroom sizes, let alone the exorbitantly larger ones in our future. This is a horrible budget that will cripple and maim our educational system.

As for your response, you did plenty of huffing and puffing as well. Since you’re already out of K-12 (I would presume, although we can never tell, can we?), you cannot appreciate the magnitude of this cut. You must presume that education is unimportant if you think it is the right thing to monopolize.

The older generation currently in power needs to stop neglecting the future, and instead punish themselves for the shortcomings of Arizona.

You and I both know there are earmarks in budgets that are needless and should be revoked. If we presume this is a short term crisis, which is our enduring hope, we must make short term changes to the way we spend our money. Take a small amount off of each sector. Stop increasing the police state’s prevalence. We must learn to do more with less, but education shouldn’t lose over 30% of its previous budget. You cannot cut off the brain to save the face.

House Of Sparky: An Arizona State Sun Devils blog

by Cory Williams on Jan 21, 2009 8:37 PM MST up reply actions

Still looking for your suggestions ...

OK, so we now know that you aren’t suggesting that taxes should be raised. And we know that you think that education is off limits. Given the magnitude of the AZ budget deficit “taking a small amount off of each sector” is not going to solve the problem, especially when you have put the largest sector of them all (education) off limits. And from your initial post it appears (maybe I am misreading your post) as if you believe that the second largest sector (healthcare) is also off limits.

In the spirit of shared sacrifice I think that education needs to cut expenses and generate more revenue. I think it is madness that a family with four children pays as much to support public schools as the family next door with only one child. I think it is insanity that the people who most benefit from a college education (the students) are the ones who complain the loudest when tuition is raised. [Walking the walk … I paid non-resident tuition for five years; graduated with student loans; and was able to pay them off while in graduate school]. Here is my plan as it relates to education:

- Cut retirement benefits for all state employees, which includes K-12 and the cc and univ systems
- Increase tuition with an appropriate amount of the increase going for financial aid
- Eliminate tenure and implement pay for performance in K-12
- Take greater advantage of parent (or other volunteer) invovlement in K-12; this is a grossly underutilized resource going to waste
- Increase admission standards at the state universities with some shift in funding going to the community colleges to absorb the additional demand (it costs the CC system much less to educate each student). I find it very interesting that the universities compare themselves to “peer institutions” when it comes to faculty salaries (to show how faculty are underpaid) yet all of these so-called peer institutions have higher admission standards than does ASU.
- Hold businesses more accountable for contributing to the university system because they are the ones who benefit from hiring its graduates
- Eliminate duplication of university programs, and right size all programs.
- Accept a higher % of non-resident students. Within the UC system a profit is made on each non-resident student. I assume this is the same at ASU, UA, and NAU and if it isn’t than it could be. These non-residents often stay in the state after graduation and become long-time taxpayers (and I’ll bet anything that they contribute well to the alumni association)

There are certainly other things that can be done but that’s a good start.

by sundevils on Jan 22, 2009 7:10 PM MST up reply actions

A message from Michael Crow, our president.

Cory:

Thanks for your e-mail and for your post informing others about the serious challenges ASU is facing. It’s difficult for people to grasp the magnitude of what is at stake for all Sun Devils and all Arizonans.

I appreciate your proactive approach. Undergraduate Student Government (Sarah Atwill) and the Arizona Students’ Association are involved in similar efforts and students can contact them for information.

Thanks again for your support of ASU.

Michael M. Crow

President

House Of Sparky: An Arizona State Sun Devils blog

by Cory Williams on Jan 22, 2009 12:46 PM MST reply actions