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Vetoed church lease tax bill back again this session
A bill Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed last year giving a property tax break to private property owners who lease space to churches has been introduced again in the new legislative session.
K-12 inflation $$$ a distant murmur in Ducey’s budget
In his inauguration speech, Ducey warned that his budget won’t meet general approval among special interests, and his budget delivers on that promise. The new governor proposes a $9.09 billion budget for FY16, and aims to structurally balance the books by FY17.
The Shrine at the Casa
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico, of the Americas and of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. The mosaic building being dedicated in the photo was erected by the Franciscan Renewal Center (Casa de Paz y Bien) in 1954 on the center property at Lincoln Drive between Mummy and Camelback mountains.
If only it’s that simple
A cursory look at the spending priorities of school districts and charters adds interesting context to the debate on Ducey’s Classrooms First Initiative, a proposal to put more money into the classrooms.
Voters expect leadership for a new prosperity in Arizona
The inauguration of Governor Doug Ducey and our fellow Republicans to every statewide elected office, and to majorities in both legislative chambers, makes the case that Republican leadership and policymaking are what voters are looking for in both good times and bad.
A losing strategy: Arizona is not an ice cream shop
We know that Arizona’s budget is facing a $1 billion shortfall and the state has been court-ordered to pay $317 million to schools. We also know that while other states are rebounding from the recession, Arizona’s employment rate and economic recovery continue to lag behind others.
Charters enthusiastic, districts less optimistic on Ducey achievement district plan
For some Arizona charter school operators, Gov. Doug Ducey’s proposal to allow high-performing schools with large wait lists to use other schools’ vacant facilities was a big step toward achieving a persistent goal.
Ducey budget would shift money out of veterans’ fund
Gov. Doug Ducey wants to take more than $900,000 in funds specifically donated by taxpayers to help post 9/11 veterans to instead operate new cemeteries for veterans near Marana and Flagstaff and keep the doors open at an existing one in Sierra Vista.
Arizona schools rank low in administrative costs, high in support costs
Gov. Doug Ducey’s initiative to get more money into classrooms is going to meet resistance from educators. They don’t necessarily agree that more money directed to teachers and school supplies equates to better academic performance.
You say ‘and,’ I say ‘or’ – Billions in school funding could hinge on two words
In his State of the State address, Gov. Doug Ducey pleaded with lawmakers to settle with schools and resolve the K-12 inflation funding lawsuit, whose outcome could plunge Arizona’s budget deeper into a fiscal abyss.
Fast-tracked Civics Test bill reaches Gov. Ducey’s desk
The Arizona Legislature approved the first bill of the legislative session today, sending to Gov. Doug Ducey a measure that would require high school students to pass a civics test in order to graduate.
Report: Arizona patients consumed 10 tons of medical marijuana in 2014
Arizona’s more than 63,000 medical marijuana patients ate, drank or smoked more than 10 tons of the drug last year.
That’s the equivalent of about seven Volkswagen Beetles, more than 2,300 gallons of milk - or, if you prefer, in excess of 40,000 eight-ounce bags of Cheetos.
