It’s in an old Arizona guide book published in 1940, 500 pages long with lots of photos. The first chapter, Contemporary Scene, makes this statement about the state’s commitment to public education.

Ah, for those thrilling days of yesteryear, a time Arizonans were “almost extravagant” when it came to spending on their children’s educations!

The next paragraph celebrates the state’s “liberal spirit” as embodied by its embrace of the initiative, the referendum and the recall.

Back then, folks believed their initiative process was such a treasure that if anyone—the legislature, say, or the governor—even suggested surrendering that right, they “would be smothered under a storm of protest.”

Almost 80 years later, it’s time we honor our forebearers by renewing our commitment to funding public education and ensuring the viability of our initiative process.

A Historical Racism Reality Check: When talking about the “good ol’ days,” it’s always important to remember those days were a whole lot more good ol’ if you were white than if you weren’t. Neither “Mexicans”—as Hispanics are referred to in the book, even though they were in Arizona long before the first white settlers found their way here—nor “Indians” would have benefitted as much from the enlightened views toward education and the initiative process as the more recent arrivals, the “Anglo-Americans” (surprisingly, the book uses that term to describe white Arizonans).

This article appears in Apr 27 – May 3, 2017.

10 replies on “Back When Arizonans Cared About Public Education, and Were Willing to Fight For Their Initiative Rights”

  1. Informative Article, Mr. Safier….however, you have omitted once essential point in the Cost of Higher Public Education here in Arizona. Our Constitution states that this cost should be as close to free as possible…Hardly!!!

    PCC: The PCC Administration, unfortunately with the support of the Board of Governors and Faculty, are Incompetent with a focus on their own aggrandizement at the expense of PCC Students; witness the recent Increase in Student Tuition to support a Financially Bloated Administration and Faculty notwithstanding a 30+% Decline in Student enrollment within the past 6 years.

    PCC STUDENTS: You are being played as PAWNS!!! Pima Community College belongs to the residents of Pima Countythat means YOU!!!

    Take it back….GO ON STRIKE!!!!

    UofA: At the UofA: While Administrators are making over $200,000/yr, UofA President-to-be almost $1,000,000/yr, and Professors over $100,000/yr, Students are skipping meals due to cost.

    This is an Outrage and we, the Citizens of Arizona, are to blame for allowing our Public Educational System to be run as a For-Profit Business.

    Public Education, at all levels, should be available to all qualified Students at NO cost!!! Public monies should be supporting Students and the Classroom Infrastructure.and NOT a Bloated Administration/Faculty!!!

  6. In the May 2 Star I read that Governor Ducey has heard no concern about Arizona being near the bottom of all states in per-student funding. And his proposed budget, about to be introduced in the legislature, will be a home run for education. Among the devices featured in his plan is $38 million for results-based funding with about 65% of it going to schools doing very well while situated in relatively well-off neighborhoods and districts, with a disproportionate share going to charter schools. This is but one of the dozen or so gimmicks intended to show how well the governor is treating public education while failing to address the critical backlog of capital needs in the schools or the cruel underpayment of the states teachers, to mention just two of the critical issues he prefers not to notice.
    I suggest that every reader who has concern about our states inadequate funding for public education contact her legislators, who may listen and hear her concerns while Governor Ducey has made it all too evident that he will not.

  7. Let’s keep our mind focused on what is important: the quality of education, not the cost. This blog is perpetually focused on increasing the cost of education. There is not correlation between the cost of education and its quality.

    Just look at college graduation. As the percentage of young adults with degrees has gone up, the percentage of college graduates not employed has gone up even faster.

    We need a blog where people discuss education and education policy.

  8. Amen John. That is where the problem began. Money does not improve outcome. In fact in many areas it makes it worse.

  9. If Huppster really believes there is no correlation between the cost of education and its quality then why is tuition at the top private high schools way over $10, 000 and why do private schools need state taxpayer money? If they have love in their hearts they should teach children without government assistance.

  10. Why do people who believe more money is not ther answer to better education, believe that less money is?

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