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Many bills are written in the Arizona legislature, but few are chosen. And when Democrats write the bills, even fewer make the cut. With that in mind, here’s an incomplete list of bills relating to education which I hope will get a serious hearing, even though some of them are less than perfect. (If I’ve missed any important ones, commenters, let me know.) I’m not going to list the sponsors of each bill, but I’ll show how many are Democrats and Republicans. You can click on the links to learn more.

There’s plenty to say about the bills, but it doesn’t make sense to say much until we see which get serious consideration.

Opt Out of Statewide Assessments
HB 2246. This bill would allow parents to choose to have their children opt out of statewide assessments for whatever reason they choose. (Sponsored by 3 Republicans)

Public School Tax Credits
HB 2198 allows tax credit money given to public schools to be used for classroom curriculum as well as extracurricular activities. Currently, the money can only be used for extracurricular activities. (Sponsored by 2 Democrats) 
HB 2232 increases the maximum public school tax credit from $200 for an individual ($400 for a couple) to $500 for an individual ($1,000 for a couple). (Sponsored by 9 Democrats, 1 Republican)

Private School Tax Credits/School Tuition Organizations
HB 2231 says 95% of the tax credit money collected by STOs must be used for scholarships, meaning the STOs can only keep 5% for overhead. Currently, STOs can keep 10%. (Sponsored by 11 Democrats) 
HB 2233 forbids tax credit donors from recommending beneficiaries for scholarships. Currently, donors can recommend anyone but their own dependents (STOs aren’t bound by the recommendations, but they tend to follow them). (Sponsored by 10 Democrats, 1 Republican) 
HB 2235 means tests scholarships. At least 66 percent of the scholarships have to go to children whose family income doesn’t exceed 185 percent of the income qualifying a child for free or reduced lunch. (Sponsored by 11 Democrats)
HB 2251 says the Department of Revenue has to send information on tax credits donated by corporations to the Governor, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, Chairs of the Finance and Ways and Means Committee, and the Secretary of State. (Sponsored by 10 Republicans, 6 Democrats)
HB 2234 Restricts the amount of extra tax credit money parents can give when their children move from public to private schools. (Sponsored by 12 Democrats)

Joint Technical Education District (JTED) Funding
HB 2249 includes funding for 9th grade students. (Sponsored by 10 Democrats, 5 Republicans)

Ethnic Studies
HB 2357 repeals the statutes that were used to dismantle TUSD’s Mexican American Studies program and are currently being used to try and alter the way the Culturally Relevant Curriculum is taught. (Sponsored by 15 Democrats)

All Day Kindergarten
HB 2426 mandates that all school districts or charter schools offering kindergarten offer all day kindergarten. No funding is attached to the mandate. (Sponsored by 11 Republicans, 4 Democrats)

Sex Education
HB 2476 gives parents the right to opt out of age-appropriate sex education programs. Currently, parents have the right to opt in. Instruction includes abstinence education and information about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases. (Sponsored by 15 Democrats)

Community College Tuition
HB 2487 waives the first two years of tuition and fees for community college for  Arizona residents who maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher. (Sponsored by 11 Democrats)

Immunization, Health Services
HB 2466 requires schools with websites to post immunization rate of pupils and whether the school employs a school nurse. If anyone other than a school nurse provides health care services to pupils, the qualifications of those persons must be posted.

This article appears in Jan 15-21, 2015.

13 replies on “Education Bills in the Lege (Which May or May Not See the Light of Day)”

  2. Obama, Rat T? Obama? Do all roads lead to Obama bashing? That’s a stretch in a post about Arizona legislation. Stay closer to topic, please.

  3. And now Republicans defend any and all tax breaks, credits and incentives for the 1% at the expense of the 99%. Big, big list of issues the Republicans were for, until Obama agreed and now they are against it. Raging hypocrites, Kelly Ward, and Paul Gosar leading the parade. How’s Clive these days, there, Kelly?

  4. I just reread my post, and it’s still not about Obama or the Congress.

    There are some interesting bills up there, worthy of discussion. An opt-out of standardized testing bill. A progressive sex education bill. Proposed changes to public and private school tax credits. A repeal of the anti-MAS legislation.

  5. I thought we were posting in favor of good quality education. I didn’t see any rules about content. What page are they on?

  6. Very interesting, David. Thanks for putting this handy synopsis together for us. I am particularly interested in the Public School Tax Credit bills – never understood why private and schools were treated so differently, this levels the playing field a little.

  7. Would love to see HB 2476 pass. God knows teenagers could use sex ed. It’ll never pass though. Esp with “I hate all education” Ducey sitting in the catbird seat.
    Looking at most of the rest, other than JTED funding, they just make me think I’ll be glad when the legislature is back home.

  9. Thanks for this synopsis though I am confident the Democrats are more politically capable of working with others than you seem to be. There are a lot of good bills here though I thought parents were already allowed to opt out of sex ed.
    I think if the amount is raised to $500 it should be conditional. Soon after this law was first implemented it was almost suspended because so much tax money was being sent to the schools. Depending on the needs of the treasury a limit could be set each year below the maximum amount.
    And not a single dollar should go to the classroom simply because there should be no taxpayer money used in the private school classrooms.
    At this time, ethnic studies is one of those bills intended to polarize the lawmakers more than advance a program. This is one that COULD jeopardize any hope of progress on other, more important legislation.
    And, really, David; how can you take someone to task for being as acerbic as you are in your basic posting?

  10. Harold, I’ve never gotten on you or anyone else for being too acerbic. I’m just saying, stay on topic. I have the luxury of writing on any topic I damn well please because, hey, they’re my posts. But commenters really should stick to the topic at hand so the comments section isn’t hijacked. If Rat T wants to write about Obama, fine. He needs to find a place to write his own posts, then he can go to town on the Prez all he wants. And if I decide to comment, my comments should relate to his Obama bashing.

  11. A comment to me on another forum is that political topics are often a bit rough & tumble but then that’s how it is with politics…..and religion. The thread only gets hijacked when others choose to participate and it looks like the rest of us manage to have a bit more restraint. No matter, this was a good topic and I appreciate the chance to have a consolidated view of some very important issues.

  12. I would rather we enjoy sharing a wide variety of opinions. I feel secure in my beliefs. You should to.

  13. I would be thrilled to see HB 2246 passed. It’s time to pull the plug on high-stakes testing. I’m all for directing funds away from standardized tests and redirecting them to art, gym, field trips, vocational ed, and anything else we educators can get our hands on that will actually help human beings instead of merely line the pockets of test-making corporations.

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