Daniel Scarpinato has been a reporter for the Star, worked on Republican campaigns, was Director of Communications for Republicans in the Arizona House and was National Press Secretary for the RNCC. Now he’s a spokesman for Governor Ducey. He’s either a very talented guy, or no one wants him around for long.
Me, I want Scarpinato around, because he makes such wonderfully loopy, quotable statements. Back when he was working on Jonathan Paton’s campaign for U.S. Congress and I was posting on Blog for Arizona, I wrote about his pronouncements so often, I began calling them Scarps, which I defined as “attack dog, logic-challenged rants written by Daniel Scarpinato.”
I’ve been tempted to write about Scarpinato’s pronouncements a number of times since he’s been Ducey’s spokesman but passed on the opportunity. This recent statement, though, is just too good to pass up.
Here’s part of what Scarpinato said about Arizona’s education funding:
“The governor doesn’t think that’s acceptable, that we should be that far below the national average.”
Y’know, Daniel, I agree. The fact that our per student funding is so far below the national average isn’t just unacceptable, it’s scandalous. Oh wait, that’s not what you were talking about? You were talking about the percentage of school funding that goes into the classroom? Let me finish the quote:
“The governor doesn’t think that’s acceptable, that we should be that far below the national average and that little money is getting into the classroom,” Scarpinato said. “What [Ducey’s] Classrooms First Initiative is about and what his budget reflects is getting more money into the classroom.”
Ah, I understand. It’s perfectly fine that our per student funding for education is so much lower than almost every other state’s, but it’s absolutely unacceptable that the percentage going into the classroom is lower. A logical economic analysis would say, when you have fixed costs like transportation, maintenance and other necessary non-classroom services and have to make cuts, you’re forced to do your trimming where you can — like, say, the number of teachers you hire. After all, you can always cram a few more desks and students into a classroom and hold onto battered, out-of-date textbooks another few years to save money if there’s no other way to trim costs.
Here’s the math. If Arizona adds $134 million to the classroom as Ducey recommends, that will mean about $130 more for each student. Arizona spends thousands less per student than most other states, so that $130 boost, at the expense of $125 per student taken out of non-classroom expenditures, barely makes a dent in Arizona’s classroom funding deficit.
Daniel, thanks for making the point so eloquently. You and your boss are right. It’s completely unacceptable that our funding for education is so far below the national average. And Ducey’s funding shuffle won’t make a dime’s worth of difference.
This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2015.
Funding is lower in part, because the cost of living is lower. Real estate prices in DC dictate pay scale. It’s also hard to put a accurate price on education as you try to convert the curriculum to a different language/culture and I would imagine that causes much of it to be eliminated.
Wow, David W, that comment is so far out in right field that it’s on a different field entirely! Funding is lower because the Leg is not providing the money required by the State Constitution. In fact, the Leg is spending a lot of that money on lawyers to fight giving that money to the schools! That tells you all you really need to know about how much of a priority education is, and has been, for Arizona’s State government for the last six years and the foreseeable future.
How much money does the Constitution guarantee them?
When you read this article, the only logical conclusion would be massive layoffs and budget cuts in other areas to try to remedy the budget shortfall. But it makes the case that the students for which past monies were withheld are graduated and gone.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/27/arizona-school-education-funding-goes-trial/17986415/
“Already faced with a looming $1 billion budget shortfall….”
It seems that with all of this already known, public schools would have frozen hiring and administrators pay to offset under funding.
But it looks as though they were flush with cash:
http://www.arizonadailyindependent.com/2014/12/14/tusd-pay-raise-raises-eyebrows/
David W, in fact, the law guarantees a steady cost-of-living increase since the voters passed a referendum approving that. That’s why the courts say the state has to pay up. The “past monies” are a separate issue. That’s the billion on top of the $300 million-plus per year for what the state owes the schools right now.
I’m not sure the “Sorry suckers, too late” argument holds much water — that those students are graduated and gone, so why pay money from years past? First, it’s only since 2009, so maybe five classes have graduated, but lots of other kids in school in 2009 are still there, and ones that started since 2009 have been cheated as well. But even at that, I wonder what you would say to a deadbeat dad who hasn’t paid full child support since 2009 who argued, “Hell, those kids of mine already went without adequate clothes and food for the past 5 years, so there’s no reason to pay all that back support I owe them now.” If I were the judge, I think I’d tell the deadbeat he owes all that money he refused to pay earlier, plus interest.
I hardly know where to begin however thank you David Safier. First of all David W. have you looked at the amount of teacher vacancies? We have gone years and years without raises. THis year some teachers received a small raise because the incoming teachers were making almost as much as the teachers who have been in the system a long time. School districts cannot get enough teachers as it is. They should have frozen hiring? I suggest you check facts before you buy into what you read. That is why I thank David S. often for writing the truth. I cannot imagine what a hiring freeze would look like.
I feel incredibly sad that whenever I read David’s blog, I see so many that are misinformed and do not value the education of our children. Educators go to school for a long time and it never stops. THey put their own money into the classrooms. In my school system I see teachers, principals and support staff working extremely hard because they are ethical and believe education is extremely important. Why is it okay that the legislature moved money that the voters wanted the children to have out of education? Why aren’t they in prison? Why is creating private prisons more of a priority? Have you wondered at all why it is okay to have schools for profit when our schools need so many basics just to stay open? Keep writing David S. We need you.
I want to also add that Arizona taxes poor people at a much higher rate than the more wealthy people We could help education a lot if we fixed that injustice. http://www.ibtimes.com/poor-families-pay-d… We are in a crowd with other poor states that does that same.
Your idealism is cute, but you have hitched your wagon to the government horse. I don’t remember any of your out cries when this was said:
“If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.” Should we have gotten lawyers and courts to take the money instead?
…and then to see this today:
http://tucson.com/news/local/education/of-tusd-playgrounds-are-unsafe-audit-finds/article_0ec0e889-2187-5224-b25c-2348c914df1a.html
It’s obvious to the masses that they could care less about your child’s safety.
It has become indefensible.
Union membership has gotten the teachers nothing. You want to “help” the children? Cancel union membership and donate your dues to the public schools. There is no better way to pay attention than by putting some “skin in the game.”
Really get invested in solutions. So what would you have them spend the windfall on?
David, if the schools had the 1.3 billion dollars owed to them, they could return to pre-2008 personnel levels and have enough personnel to do all the jobs Then they could fix all the playgrounds. You can’t possibly believe this Is willful neglect when in actuality it is cause and effect.
Well David W. Arizona is and has been a right-to-work state. Unions here do nothing because they have no power. It would be a great if we could raise the wage that way but alas they are really non-existent here. When you have no bargaining power, the middle class cannot exist very well. If you think unions are the problem anywhere, you are very disillusioned. I have lived in Arizona since 1981 and it has been a right-to-work state since then. I doubt unions ever had any power here. Put that with the fact that the states that have the biggest disparity between the poor and the rich, (of the top 10), 7 of those states economists cite the primary reason being that loss of union bargaining power because the wages have either gone down or stayed stagnant. You can research that but please don’t just go to just right-wing sites. Our middle class has gone down since then and now is having a very difficult time if not impossible time going up. Our middle class became strong after auto workers and steel workers(just 2 examples) really had bargaining power with the unions. Our middle class began then and it was also at a time when children were being used in the work force. Those practices seized.
David W. I am very happy with my plan. I do not like that the president said what he said. I wish he would have said from the beginning that plans that have insufficient coverage will be discontinued. THis was one of the big reasons Obamacare was created. People were going bankrupt because policies were so poor and then needing taxpayer money. I have never heard btw someone’s argument against this is that they couldn’t keep their doctor. Everyone I know either were glad they changed or kept their doctor. You probably don’t even know what the Marketplace looks like. It is run so well. Anyone I have talked to who wasn’t happy with it did not have the right information. Insurance companies have been deluged(because it is new) with new clients. They (sometimes) are not willing to answer questions about the specific plan because they are too busy. The Marketplace does not have the authority to do that. THey have the information in print that the insurance companies give them. If potential clients have more questions, they must press their potential insurance company. I know this because my insurance company did not want to bother because of overload. I pressed them and they admitted, no the Marketplace can’t possibly answer that. SO do not believe some of the misinformation out there.
How do you think the playgrounds are suppose to be fixed? Money is taken away again and again and stolen. You have got to be kidding. First you support what is happening in Arizona and then you post something like that? Yes stealing money from children and schools and consequently they do not have enough money to operate is indefensible.
Budget cuts are not unique to AZ. What may be is the influx, coupled with the demands of trying to educate illegal entrants.
“State-level K-12 education spending has fallen dramatically in many states since 2008. In that time, 29 states cut per pupil spending, shifting the burden of financing education to local school districts and, in many instances, forcing schools to cut costs and even teachers.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/11/02/24-7-wall-st-states-slashing-education-spending/18046297/
29 states have cut per pupil spending. TUSD as an example has had a decline in enrollment, and I believe they have already talked about combining some middle school students into a high school facility. If they continue to show creative ideas for solving complex problems, a lot of the problems may be solved without additional funding.
There is much work to do. But just because your child wants more does not mean that you increase their allowance.
I wouldn’t call NPR a “right wing” website. I think your political persuasions may be failing you. The truth shall set you free.
https://www.azpm.org/p/top-education/2014/11/19/50036-charters-dont-have-to-receive-same-funding-as-public-schools/
I think David needs to get his kids into public school, and also go visit some classrooms in other states with better ed funding.
Hey! more money for prisons, less money for schools. Sounds like Arizona to me.
Sorry but my children went through the public school system. I am speaking from experience and first hand knowledge. Just supporting the teachers does not improve the school. If you want it all, own it all.
Fix the problems and the children and the funding would come back.
Until then you’re just spitting in the wind!
Oh David W. I thought you knew that regular public schools have to by law provide many more services and meet the needs of every child. They must bus them, provide special education, have nurses, and any special needs a child may have… speech is just one example. A charter school does not have to meet the needs for any particular child, THey teach and the kids that can handle it the way of that school stay. The kids who can’t , go back to the regular public schools. It is segregation in a way that many people like you do not recognize. It has nothing to do with illegals . Do your homework. That bite from AZPM was just a little bit and the judge was very aware of what regular public schools must provide by law. No way regular public schools can do what they are mandated to do on the same budget as charter schools. The charter schools for profit is such a waste of tax payers’ money. They do not do as well as public schools as a whole either. Most at best do as good and many worse. DO not rely on websites by charter schools for that information. Go to the Dept. of ED. and look at the stats.
I rest my case.