Flake tries to strike education earmark

Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake is trying to strike an earmark which would provide $1 million for a Maricopa County Community College program that helps low-income and minority high school students get into college.

Flake, a Republican who represents Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, is known as a steadfast opponent of federal funding for lawmakers’ special projects. He refuses to request money for special projects and often tries to defeat such earmarks in other lawmakers’ districts.

This time, Flake opposed a provision in an energy bill that would aid community colleges in his own district. The earmark was backed by his fellow Arizona representative, Ed Pastor, a Democrat who represents the state’s 4th Congressional District and whose daughter works for the community college district.

The two lawmakers argued Tuesday during a House floor debate when Flake offered an amendment to strike the provision from the Energy and Water Appropriations bill.

The amendment was among three that he had offered to stop, totaling $2.75 million in funding requests. All of his amendments were rejected.

Flake — whose district includes parts of Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Apache Junction and Queen Creek — argued the funding proposal was attached to a bill that had nothing to do with education funding. He added that proposals to fund special projects need more scrutiny to ensure they accomplish their goals.

“It would be foolish and not truthful for me to stand here and say the program is not making a valuable contribution to Maricopa County,” Flake said. “However, the criteria for receiving another federal handout of $1 million cannot and should not rest simply on whether a program is doing valuable things.”

Pastor — whose district spans parts of Phoenix, Glendale and Guadalupe — said the money would go toward college district’s ACE program, which benefits “atrisk” students who otherwise wouldn’t attend college, and which helped 1,800 students last year.

Pastor said it was attached to the energy bill because the program emphasizes math and science education.

“There are many success stories, and it’s a program that needs to continue,” he said.

Pastor has been criticized for helping to secure funding for the ACE program because his daughter, Laura Pastor, was hired as one of the program’s directors in 2005.

Pastor has said it’s a coincidence that his daughter was hired for a program he supports.

The ACE program was started nearly 20 years ago to give high school students a chance to earn college credits and get started on a path toward higher education.

It targets families of students who are at risk of dropping out to reinforce the importance of staying in school.

Steve Schenk, CEO of the Maricopa Community College Foundation, said ACE addresses a very real problem in school systems across the country.

“Educational success in this country is an unrecognized crisis,” Schenk said. “The need for these type of programs exist across the Valley, across the state and, really, across the nation.”

The program operates on about $3 million annually from a mix of public and private funding, Schenk said.

Flake, though, said questions remain whether the program is more effective than similar ones offered at community colleges nationwide. He said he will oppose federal earmarks for programs such as ACE until there is more scrutiny.

Last year, Flake offered a total of 39 amendments striking earmarks from various appropriations bills.

So far this year, he has offered 15.

“I’m often criticized for meddling in the congressional districts of other members and making attempts to make federal earmarks transparent,” Flake said. “But that accusation would be unfounded with this amendment.

“As the saying goes, all politics are local. And this amendment makes that a truism, with a portion of Maricopa County within the boundaries of the district that I represent.”