Initially, there was dismay when first we heard of the concerns raised to incoming Gov. Jan Brewer by House Speaker Kirk Adams and Senate President Bob Burns regarding the executive order issued by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano authorizing meet-and-confer procedures for certain state workers.
It is unfortunate the meet-and-confer process has been delayed by the need to address a budget crunch of historical proportion. The voices of line-level state workers, those who know the most about the workings of each agency, and how to eliminate wasteful spending while improving efficiency, have been silenced.
Yet, we stand confident Attorney General Terry Goddard will issue the requested AG opinion with a finding that Gov. Janet Napolitano was well within Arizona law to issue the executive order. Additionally, we expect the opinion to reveal no violations of the federal Voting Rights Act.
We applaud Governor Jan Brewer for ensuring due diligence in this matter, and look forward to working with her, Senate President Burns, and House Speaker Adams to resolve the current crisis by hearing from those who do the work that is critical to keep moving Arizona forward.
— Chuck Foy is political director of the Arizona State Employees Association/CWA

Arizona’s new governor and Legislature will face state revenues that lag far behind current expenditures. Some legislators and interest groups claim that spending cuts are the only way to balance the budget. This is not true. Arizona does have budget choices.
These choices include collecting more of the taxes that are already owed, eliminating tax deductions and tax credits that no longer serve their intended purpose, or suspending new tax cuts that are scheduled to be phased in.
By strengthening revenue collections, Arizona can avoid severe cuts to health, safety, education and security of children and families. Despite the huge budget deficit, the growing needs of Arizona families, and a significant percentage of state revenue specifically allocated by voter initiatives, Arizona has financial options and is not forced to dismantle critical services.
Children’s Action Alliance calls on legislators and the governor to look at both sides of the ledger as they work to balance the budget. We understand that some services may have to be suspended or some programs combined. But we urge elected officials to consider all the fiscal alternatives and understand the human impact before making cuts that will cause long?term harm.
— Karen McLaughlin is director of budget and research for the Children’s Action Alliance.

The U.S. Congress gets it. The National Academy of Sciences gets it. But the Arizona Legislature doesn’t seem to get it. The clearest hope of digging ourselves out from the incredible financial pit that this country now finds itself in is to invest now, not later, in those segments of our society that have been most responsible for maintaining our standard of living up to the current time, namely science, technology, and entrepreneurship.
I moved to Arizona recently from Ohio, drawn by the tremendous possibilities associated with the largest university in the country undergoing a massive renaissance as a result of dynamic leadership.  Michael Crow and his team were making waves throughout the country through their concerted efforts to build a New American University, one where a mission to help change young people’s lives and economic prospects through higher education was combined with an effort to recruit star talent from around the country to build a high technology base that would help Arizona’s economy well into the 21st century. 
I wanted to participate in this exciting new adventure, to build a new interdisciplinary institute that combines the most exciting forefront research in fields ranging from cosmology to cognitive science to try and address the deepest questions facing humans.  
I wanted to help bring the best and brightest from around the world to Arizona, to contribute not just to the cultural fabric of the state, but also to help contribute building the infrastructure in which high technology can flourish.
Last week, faced with huge budget deficits, legislative leaders have recommended throwing out the baby with the bathwater in order to try and keep afloat, by making the largest cuts in higher education funding in state history, cutting $243 million in support for the remaining months of fiscal 2009, and $388 million in fiscal year 2010. In the face of such a drastic proposed cuts, the long-term mission of these institutions cannot help but be affected, and the state will ultimately suffer as a result.
Study after study has demonstrated that money invested in university-based research and education pays off with higher dividends than almost any other investment. The National Academies recognized this fact when they produced their groundbreaking study Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which recommended massive new investment in science and engineering education and research in order to keep the United States competitive.  
If the Legislature moves ahead with plans to drastically cut funding for higher education in the state, it will be a mistake that will have an impact far beyond the current college-age population in the state. Arizona State University has 150,000 alumni who help make up the economic fabric of the state. It pumps more than $3 billion into the state’s economy each year, not to mention the long-term dividends paid off by research and development that leads to new devices, new industries, and new jobs.
The federal government realizes the necessity to hit hard, even during bad economic times, by stimulating the economy through investment. The current stimulus package calls for assisting the states to maintain their higher education mandates.  One can only hope that these funds will help offset any devastating cuts made by state lawmakers. But the possibility of federal backstop is no excuse to support bad budget decisions at the state level.
The state that I just left, Ohio, is suffering now because it was unprepared to compete in a 21st century economy. In the face of that depressing situation, many people, like myself, have moved to regions that appeared to have greater opportunities. If the Legislature does choose to carry out this fiscal attack on higher education, I cannot say with certainly what will happen to the programs that we are trying to build at ASU, or exactly who may leave for greener pastures elsewhere.  But such emigration will happen, and in the long run not just the state’s public universities, but also the state itself will be poorer for it.
— Lawrence M. Krauss recently joined ASU as Foundation Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration to help direct a new Origins Initiative at the University.  He is an internationally known physicist, and bestselling author, and was on the steering committee of Science Debate 2008.

The work of leaders has just begun to improve Arizona’s educational system. Momentum is in our favor, despite the temporary financial crisis. To assure the future of our children, we must continue to develop and implement progressive, 21st century-ready education policy. 
According to Michael Cohen, president of Achieve, Inc, a national center offering expertise in assessments and accountability, “Arizona is now well positioned to tackle the difficult, but essential, task of ensuring that its (student) assessment and accountability systems are anchored in college and career readiness and that state education policies cohesively support this critical goal.”
The Arizona Business & Education Coalition (ABEC) supports education policy that: strengthens opportunities for children, birth through age 5; improves student literacy across P-12; increases school, college and career readiness; expands school and career pathways; and increases baccalaureate degrees awarded.
The building blocks are in place, and we need to finish the task.
We must complete the student data system by making sure it includes a teacher identifier that matches teachers to students, student-level transcript information including courses completed and grades earned and student-level college readiness test scores. With these elements in place, we will have all 10 elements of a quality data system, as defined by the national Data Quality Campaign.
We must create a comprehensive, coherent assessment system. That means completing the work of the Achieve Policy Institute, which includes setting target goals for 2019-2020. Core goals for P-12 and post-secondary education have already been suggested. We must still establish a baseline, beginning with 2007-08 and draft strategies that identify indicators of achievement. Of course, a reliable student-data system will be foundational to success.
We must commit to continuing the pilot of Algebra II end-of-course assessments. How do we really know our students have learned the content of a course? How do we know if Algebra II in one district is the same as Algebra II in another district? Experts say that end-of-course testing will give us those answers. We initiated an Algebra II end-of-course test pilot and must continue the assessment this spring.
We must create a statewide literacy plan. Effective literacy instruction should not be limited to K-3. Children beginning in Pre-K, continuing throughout the grades and across content areas must be good readers and understand the words they read.
 Increasing the supply of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers:  The STEM Education Center has been established, and our three state universities have convened regional groups of educators and business partners to develop strategies to increase numbers of teachers highly qualified in science, technology, engineering and math. This work is just underway.
We must ensure that Career and Technical Education (CTE) coursework is rigorous and aligned with the needs of industry and university. The Arizona State Skills Standards Commission is in the process of doing this assessment with the help of industry professionals. A student who has completed a sequence of CTE courses in an industry pathway should be eligible for certification in that pathway at graduation and eligible for acceptance at our state universities.
Policy boards including First Things First, the State Board of Education, the Arizona Board of Regents along with advocates like Greater Phoenix Leadership and ABEC began this work with our elected officials together. We must finish the job. 
— Susan Carlson is the executive director of the Arizona Business & Education Coalition, a statewide, nonprofit K-12 education policy advocacy organization currently studying and making recommendations on Arizona’s school funding formula.