Arizona law allows K-12 students to enroll in any public school in the district where they live, schools in other districts, or in charter schools.
They can also receive private or corporate tax-credit scholarships to attend private schools.
The state's newest program, "empowerment savings accounts," gives special-needs students currently in public schools funds to use on private school tuition, home-school curriculum or education services, as long as they leave their public schools.**
And, a state lawmaker is now proposing changes to the state Constitution to allow for the creation of school vouchers. A previous attempt at vouchers was knocked down by the courts because the state's Constitution prohibits the use of public dollars to pay for church or private education.
Arizona's education umbrella offers lots of choices, a point that often ranks Arizona high with education reform groups.
And while many tout the benefit of choice, others question whether more is needed, or whether education discussions are focused on the right matters.
Education laws across the country vary. Some communities and states simply mandate that students must attend their neighborhood schools. Parents have been jailed or fined for disregarding that.
"We do have a lot of options in Arizona: charter schools, online schools, the tax credit program, limited district choices if space is open," said Liz Dreckman, president and executive director of Arizona School Choice Trust, which disperses scholarships to students using several tax credit programs and private donations. "But it's still relatively true that low-income families that are in the worst public school districts don't have a lot of options if the charter schools have wait lists and the tax credit scholarships have wait lists, as well."
Dreckman said she found through informal polling that more than 10,000 students are waiting for private school scholarships at about half of the 50 school tuition organizations, or STOs, in Arizona that she questioned.
There are more than 1 million students in public schools in Arizona, with about 12 percent of them attending public charter schools and the rest at public district schools. Private schools are not required to report enrollment numbers to the state.
Tracey Benson, spokeswoman for the Arizona School Boards Association, questions why, with nearly 90 percent of Arizona students in public school districts, the focus of education chatter isn't more on improving those schools.
"Of course the question is: Is competition good? Some will argue, ‘Yes, it is. You have to let the market forces decide,'" Benson said. "But when you let the market forces decide, there are winners and there are losers. We just can't afford to let any Arizona students be losers."
What choice has done, she acknowledged, is create competition for students - and dollars.
Arizona's public school funding formula currently disperses dollars based on the number of students in the classroom.
"It has created a competition for students. It has created a competition for students between school districts, within school districts, between school districts and charter schools, and now, with the private school tax credit, it's thrown private schools more into the mix," Benson said.
Jonathan Butcher, education director for the conservative Goldwater Institute that crafted the "empowerment savings accounts" lawmakers approved, believes in the power of choice.
"We need more options. If the alternative is to simply pour more money into schools that provide a one-size-fits-all program, then we certainly need more choice, more ways for parents to pick programs that work. We can't keep doing the same things the same way," Butcher said.
In fact, movement is afoot to change the way education is funded.
On Friday, Gov. Jan Brewer told Capitol Media Services she will propose major changes to the state school funding formula.
Brewer indicated her proposal to fund education is tied to parent choice and expanded options for private schools but does not include any more money.
School districts are already getting into the choice game. And yes, Benson said, some of that is because of the competition. School districts are creating niche programs that address student interests in the arts, STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math), health care fields, business and more.
Several East Valley districts have schools with dual language programs. Back-to-basics programs are popular with parents - and are growing. Nearly every district has a college preparatory program of one type or another for high schoolers.
Whether or not another program of choice is created in Arizona, through vouchers or changes to the state funding mechanism, some argue the state needs a different focus.
"If choice equated to quality, we'd have the best school system in the country. To pin the discussion on choice ... is a mistake," Benson said. "What we need to really pin the discussion on is quality and making sure as many children as possible, hopefully all Arizona children, have access to a high quality education."
**Clarification (Jan. 9, 2011, 3:03 p.m.): The original version of this incorrectly identified potential recipients when discussing the state's "empowerment savings accounts." The funds are available only to qualified special needs students who currently attend an Arizona public school -- district or charter.
Contact writer: (480) 898-6549 or mreese@evtrib.com
concernedcitizen posted at 8:26 pm on Fri, Jan 6, 2012.
School choice is a funny thing, I think it has helped public schools to "raise the bar" to an extent, however if we offer too much school choice we could be headed for disaster.
I think we should do like some school districts are already doing, when enrollment declines, convert an old school that would have been closed into a back-to-basics or other type of public charter school. Revamp the public school education setting within the current structure of public schools. Creating too many alternatives to try to find a mold for every child is ridiculous and almost impossible. Yes, public schools tend to be a "one-size-fits-all" arena, but when you have to take such a variety of students from all different backgrounds, there is no longer differentiation happening, just mere survival on the teacher's part in trying to help all students achieve 1 year of adequate growth in their learning. I find it very difficult to meet the ability levels of all the students in my classroom and help everyone succeed. That being said, that is always my goal and I will always get as close to accomplishing that goal as possible.
I can also tell you, more money "thrown" at education that would go straight to the teachers would help me to be even more motivated to excel in my teaching. Maybe the governor needs to find a way to differentiate the amount of budget that goes to administration versus the amount of budget that goes directly to teacher's salaries. Maybe if we worked the percentages that way "per pupil" we'd see our dollars going directly where they need to go. Plus with the accountability measures enacted on teachers this coming year, we can trust our tax dollars would be better spent.
gil the baker posted at 6:59 am on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
NO
dragonfly1818 posted at 7:00 am on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
NO!
Moeman posted at 8:17 am on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
Of course not. Arizona has more school choice than most of the nation & still lags behind. Our lawmakers are NOT to be commended for this choice; it is a result of them throwing their hands up & saying "WE quit, YOU figure it out."
How can you require STRICTER standards on public schools, while at the SAME TIME open a record number of schools that DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW THOSE RULES?!
Education & teachers CLOSEST comparison should be Medicine & Doctors. In medicine, the payient is the customer & health is the product. The BEST doctor can give his patient the BEST advice & medication, but if the patient REFUSES to take the medicine & follow the doctor's orders, he will either get worse OR DIE.
In education, the student is the customer & education/curriculum the product. The BEST teacher can give the BEST lessons, but if the student REFUSES to actively engage, read, study & do homework, He will FAIL.
The BEST doctors can get a higher % of patients to follow orders & the BEST teachers can get more students to try harder, but THAT IS IT. We cannot FORCE anyone to do anything. WE DON'T BLAME DOCTORS FOR PATIENTS THAT REFUSE HELP, why are we blaming the TEACHERS for a kid who DOESN'T WANT TO BE EDUCATED?
HS has been marginalized in AZ, and simply isn't valued. The STATE has developed a BAD PRODUCT & wants to blame TEACHERS because the customers aren't BUYING. All of the blame & obligation has been placed on the teacher, and this JUST CAN'T WORK! The obligation MUST be shared; teachers SHOULD be well trained and I KNOW I AM WELL TRAINED. But the STUDENT MUST CARE AT LEAST A LITTLE. You would be SHOCKED at how many don't.
This is why tying teacher pay to student performance is going to KILL Az Education even more. Students care & try less & less, yet my pay will be lowered if they don't improve scores on tests they DON'T CARE ABOUT IN THE FIRST PLACE!? I don't even TEACH the subjects that are tested by the State; why the hell should I be affected by the results of a subject that I DON'T EVEN TEACH!?
I feel that school performance & atendance should be tied to the Federal Child Income Tax Credit. Your kid misses too much school, NO DEDUCTION! Your non-special education student, who IS CAPABLE, but REFUSES to try in school, NO DEDUCTION. You can't punish a teacher who is TEACHING solid lessons for a kid who just doesn't WANT to do better. If a patient ignores doctor's orders, the PATIENT loses. In this case, if the students won't follow the teacher's orders, THE TEACHER LOSES? WTH?!!!!
When asked, "How many of you try your best in school?" only 2 out of my 30 students in class raised their hands. When I asked "Why not?" my students answered because most of us are NOT going to a University right away, we are going to Community College & my GRADES DON'T MATTER AS LONG AS I PASS! So now HS kids take online courses to avoid HS & then take many Dual-credit courses that give them college credit, so WHERE IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ACTUAL HS CLASSES?! The State has destroyed it. People don't "DO THE RIGHT THING" without being incentivized to do so.
This is my last year in this BROKEN SYSTEM & the kids in the East Valley will lose out AGAIN!
CGabriel posted at 10:10 am on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
Give the money to the parents and we'll figure it out how to educate OUR kids. [wink]
asuaguila posted at 10:58 am on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
Most parents would not spend the money on their kids education, and then we have more people with no job skills on welfare or low paying jobs.
I agree with most of the earlier posts. There is too much money and time wasted on administration driven by the concept that "the fields are greener on the other side." I received an outstanding public school education in a small rural school district. Teach kids to love reading and the value of math, and science.
Also less blame on teachers and more involvement from parents is needed.
sarateach posted at 12:07 pm on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
Agreeing with most of these comments! I've taught in Washington State for 5 years and Arizona for 4. Charter schools were not as wide spread and students educational were able to be met using differentiated instructionand reading and math support educators. The charter schools that were available were added as a break-off of the same public school districts focusing on area's of interest for students such as technology, sciences, and arts. In addition, technology, PE, Music, and Art were also considered fundamental parts of every child's education, unfortunately, many districts in AZ are not encouraging these or don't have funding. How does anyone expect to meet every child's educational needs if the student is not also able to learn or do what may be their strength or area of interest like a fine art or technology. Since moving to and teaching in AZ it has been discouraging to see how much $ is being given to start so many charter schools, when that money could be put into thepublic schools and allow teachers to continue recieve fundamental training to support their students effectively. IVe also noticed parents can pull there kids from one school to the next because they don't agree with something in a classroom or district and kids can start to lose important social skills on how to adapt and work through certain situations. Yes, there are exceptions and I know firsthand classroom environments that discourage learning because of the classroom environment, but it's important to communicate with teachers and administrators first before making drastic changes. $ would not be so depeleted on education if more focus was given to requiring ALL parents to take an active rolein their son or daughter's educational experiences. If parents aren't sure or there is a language barrier money saved from going to charter schools can be used to educate families,too. I apologize for rambling, but I've been wanting to discuss these concerns since I moved here. I will end with my daughter grduated from high school with high honors, had a great public school education and because of that she is very successful at ASU for 2nd year with Dean's List grades (& she's not from the big districts) also my son has been doing excellent on AIMs and in classes, as well as many friends around him, being in a public school setting.
CGabriel posted at 4:23 pm on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
I don't think the solution is to give more money to teachers, if they are not motivated find a different job. At least parents are motivated, we want our kids to succeed. I am homeschooling because my daughter's teacher didn't respect our religious beliefs and kept making it hard for her and then saying that she was joking. We had enough, maybe I should had sue the school.
Slabside posted at 8:10 pm on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
First asuaguila says, "Most parents would not spend the money on their kids education, and then we have more people with no job skills on welfare or low paying jobs."
Then, "Also less blame on teachers and more involvement from parents is needed."
So which is it chief?
sarateach posted at 8:00 pm on Sun, Jan 8, 2012.
In reply to Slabside... If you read each comment carefully that you quoted they do coincide and make sense. Parents need to be held more accountable for their children's education and that includes $ to education and the parents need stop blaming teachers for everything that might be wrong with education and look in the mirror. Keeping in mind this is not saying all parents don't there are many whoare definitely involved and very supportive no matter what the situation is.
In reply to CGabriel... Yes, there are teachers who aren't motivated or can be disrespectful to students and parents. However, that could be said for many given situations. In addition, you had a bad experience with a teacher and that is not a good thing! However, if there is a bad situation with one teacher that cannot be looked at as ALL teachers are like that. Every teacher, parent, and student need to learnhow to handle different situations and different educational settings benefit different families. It's great you can and are willing to homeschool your child, but saying money shouldn't go to teachers is ludacris! Teachers put a lot of time, energy, $, heart and soul into their classrooms and trying their best to provide a positive and successful education for ALL STUDENTS. This isn't true for ALL TEACHERS, I know, however, I know teachers in charter and private schools who aren't the best either and not all homeschool parents are adequately providing their children with the best education either. By the way, a lot of homeschool teachers and providers are also paid and funded by that same education $, so should they also not get any $?
evresident posted at 5:36 pm on Mon, Jan 9, 2012.
Tracy Benson is right: "It has created a competition for students between school districts..." The worst competition is at the district level, where Peter Principle administrators have forgotten that their first and foremost charge is to do what's best for students. What's best for superintendents and administrators has been making their paychecks fat while scrimping on teachers and students, and that's exactly what has been happening. Problems are not addressed because it's more important to keep up appearances in order to attract new students and their families.
Gilbert Public Schools is spending big buck$ on a Chandler consultant's strategic plan, which includes discovering why Gilbert loses teachers. Before the district got their plan up and running, they decided to fire a teacher who reported bullying and race discrimination. http://westernconnections.com/ No help for the kids, no money for teachers. Then the Mesa district hired Helen Hollands, a Gilbert school board member, to attract new students to Mesa. It just happens that the teacher who is getting fired reported bullying at Meridian Elementary School, which is a Gilbert district school in the city of Mesa. Nobody could make up such hare-brained decisions if they tried. It's got to be the Peter Principle. http://money.howstuffworks.com/peter-principle.htm