SAVE THE LIBRARIAN

Arizona's newest governor, Doug Ducey, hasn't won over a lot of fans with deep cuts to education.  Everyone is feeling the pinch from universities down through K-12.  Making matters worse, tax payers are turning down opportunities to plug the funding gap for schools by voting down overrides.  This combination is hitting home.

Earlier this year, I came across more and more articles about schools laying off teachers.  In January, the Dysart school district made the agonizing decision to give 143 teachers their walking papers.  In fact, Dysart was one of seven districts in the Phoenix metro area where voters rejected overrides last fall. The others are Apache Junction, Queen Creek, Morristown, Nadaburg, Palo Verde, and Saddle Mountain.

Then word about cuts started happening at my own daughter's school.

Neighbors were in a panic and encouraging others to join the peaceful protests at the sate Capitol.  The district held informational talks within our local community.  And concerned parents started letter writing campaigns.

This week, word that our librarian's position is on the chopping block.  I can only guess what's coming next.

Traditionally, Arizona doesn't have the greatest track record for per pupil spending.  The latest report from 2015 Quality Counts, "Arizona continues to spend among the least per pupil in the nation, ranking 50th among the states and the District of Columbia using the latest national data available from 2012."

No one likes higher taxes.  I'm not a fan of higher taxes.  But, I do understand the importance of education overrides.  I'm guessing our school will be organizing another one soon.

Estrella Mountain Elementary School started up a GoFundMe campaign to keep our librarian.  I was gobsmacked when I saw a good Samaritan donate $200 to the campaign... and she says, "I don't live in Estrella and I don't know this lady, but my hat's off to her!"

Living in Arizona has its challenges when it comes to education.  I do feel, as a parent, it's my responsibility to do a good chunk of the education at home.  That's more than just reviewing homework.  It's about doing additional research online, visiting locations where more learning and hands-on experiences can take place, and most important, engaging in thought-provoking conversations with my child about real world events, current and historical.

Do our lawmakers really understand what's happening in our schools?  I haven't seen too many visit my child's school lately.

Tell us about the cuts happening at your school... and please share your ideas for getting taxpayers on board for voting in favor of schools. 

~TELL US ABOUT THE BUDGET CUTS HAPPENING AT YOUR SCHOOL~

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