AZ Schools Now is hosting a town hall on public school funding Thursday, March 30, 6 p.m., at the Pima Community College West Campus Center for the Arts, 2202 W. Anklam Road.

The governor's education budget proposals and the Democrats' proposals will be presented, then people in attendance will be asked to give their thoughts and ideas about education funding.

AZ Schools Now includes ten organizations which advocate for public education funding in Arizona.

Healthy Skepticism Note: Governor Ducey loves to portray himself as a  "friend of education." Ducey's no fool. He knows supporters of public education are marching forward with the wind at their backs, with a majority of Arizonans supporting increases in education funding and teacher salaries, so he wants to look like he's leading the parade. A favorite ploy is to talk about how he's working together with the education community to look for solutions. But lately when he said he's working with education groups on renewing Prop 301, the six-tenths of a cent sales tax for education which expires in 2020, AZ Schools Now was very clear, Ducey hadn't reached out to any of its groups.

Democratic legislators are also wary of Ducey's faux-Kumbaya moments with people who say we need a significant increase in education funding.

“My caveat with this governor is always the devil is in the details,” [Senate Minority Leader Katie] Hobbs said. “Yes, I’m happy that he supports the extension and possibly expansion [of Prop 301]. However, I would like to see specifically what the proposal will look like. . . . I will buy it when I see it. He’s made a lot of promises on education that he hasn’t really delivered on."

Like Hobbs said, Ducey is long on promises, short on delivery. Buyer beware.