skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Study: Economic Growth Not Enough to Reinvest in AZ Education

play audio
Play

Friday, December 1, 2017   

PHOENIX – The Arizona education budget is $1.1 billion lower than before the Recession - and new policy brief says Gov. Doug Ducey's plan to raise revenues by growing the economy simply won't suffice. Arizona has cut taxes year after year - and then slashed school budgets to the bone during the downturn.

Dana Wolfe Naimark, president and CEO of Arizona's Children's Action Alliance, says her group's report makes the case that higher taxes are necessary because those cuts have devastated Arizona schools.

"Here we are with our children experiencing a huge shortage of permanent teachers in their classrooms, outdated textbooks and technology, overcrowded classrooms with not enough books and not enough desks, dysfunctional school facilities," she laments.

The governor has asked other agencies to look for savings and has said he wants to continue to cut taxes. He is set to present his budget to the Arizona Legislature in January.

Citizens passed Proposition 123 last year to fund education. However, even with that $350 million a year restored, the annual deficit of more than a billion dollars remains. Wolfe Naimark says a tax increase is warranted.

"We can't turn this around until we restore revenues and reinvest in public schools," she states. "And simply sitting around waiting to watch the economy grow cannot catch up to the needs of our public schools."

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Arizona had the highest percentage drop in per-pupil state spending in the country between 2008 and 2015. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee says while funding is up over last year, it is still 19 percent below what it was in 2008.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021