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The budget is expected to drop on Monday, May 20. Word on the street is that the budget may include a permanent tax cut of $300 million. This is money that could be used to fix public school funding not just this year, but every year for decades to come.

It is critical that we have as many people there as possible each day to let our leaders know that we’re paying attention and will be holding them accountable. In particular, CEA will be there en masse after school on Wednesday, May 22. Stay tuned to AEA and CEA social media, and pack your bags for a long night. Teachers’ 5% salary increase is not guaranteed (and it still may not go to all certified employees) and the legislature appears to be prioritizing a tax break instead of funding district additional assistance (DAA) or other public school funding shortfalls. Even more outrageously, the legislature is considering allowing ESA money to go to other states, draining even more money from our public schools!

Please let us know that you’ll be heading to the Capitol on Wednesday after school … stay as long as you can, and bring dinner, blankets, children, papers to grade … whatever you have to bring so you can be a physical body on the Capitol lawn. Be sure to wear #REDforED!

Thank you to everyone who voted in our recent election for Executive Board and Site Representatives, and special thanks to our candidates for their willingness to serve CEA! The results of the election can be found on our Elections Results page. Please note that we have many sites that did not elect a site representative, and an election will be held when we return to school in July to fill these vacancies.

All signs point to the legislature considering the budget as soon as Monday. We need to make sure all of our legislators know that we are watching and will hold them accountable if they don’t keep their promises to properly fund public education!

Can you get down to the Capitol next week (wearing red, of course) to make our presence felt? Budget sessions will start around 1:30 pm, but some of them will go into the evening, when we are better able to attend. To get prepared:

• sign up for AEA Budget Watch updates
• follow (and frequently check) AEA’s Facebook page for updates the legislative schedule
• get down to the Capitol when you can!

Can’t make it to the Capitol? Contact Governor Ducey and contact your legislators to share your stories about the need for increased public school funding and remind them of their duty to provide excellent public schools for all Arizona students. You can also organize or participate in other activities to raise awareness, such as walk ins, stand outs, etc. For more details on how to get involved, visit AEA’s Budget Watch page.

Please join CEA and Save Our Schools AZ for a fact-based and nonpartisan presentation covering the importance of strong public schools to a strong state economy and other issues facing education. This presentation will be held at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, May 21 at Ryan Elementary School.

Chandler Education Association members who attend will be entered into a drawing to win one of three gift cards … and for every guest they bring, members will receive an additional entry in the drawing! Light refreshments will also be served. Please join us! Visit our event page to RSVP.

The legislative session is well underway, and we’re reaching a critical point where activity will be fast and furious. We need to make our voices heard and keep the pressure on our legislators to keep moving forward toward restoring funding for education.

With all of the bills being considered, it can be tough to keep up, let alone advocate for our profession. Our Legislative Toolkit can help, giving you information on how to stay informed on what’s happening at the capitol and how you can make an impact on the process (including signing up for the Request to Speak system). Check it out today and become an education advocate!

Be prepared: attacks on our educator pensions are coming. Tonight, AEA is hosting an important information session so members can learn about their pensions and about AEA’s plan to fight back.

Join us tonight at the United Food and Commercial Workers in Phoenix from 4:30-6:30 pm. If you can’t make it out to Phoenix, the workshop will available to stream online via Zoom. Either way, register today to attend (registrants will receive information on how to stream the workshop, as well).

If you recall, one of the five #REDforED demands last spring was not to introduce new tax cuts until per pupil spending reaches the national average. Shockingly (or not?) JD Mesnard is now sponsoring a bill to cut taxes before addressing the continuing education funding crisis.

Arizona has the opportunity to put up to $230 million into public education funding. But rather than directing those additional revenues to better prepare for the next economic downturn or toward increased investments in our public schools, Senate Bill (SB) 1143 and House Bill (HB) 2522 will direct money toward a tax cut that will benefit the wealthiest Arizonans. It doesn’t make sense to cut taxes when we know Arizona’s students desperately need those funds.

We need to take action TODAY to convince our legislators that this is a horrible idea.

• Contact your legislators and urge them to vote no on these bills.
• Have a site meeting and share information about the bills. Post on social media and tag your legislators. One idea: take a picture with a sign with the number four (for the 4th AEU demand) and write what your school could do with that money.
• Use the AZ Legislature Request to Speak system to officially register your opposition to these bills.

It’s time again … the Arizona Legislature is back in session. We made great strides last spring and worked hard to elect pro-education candidates in the fall … but we still need to be vigilant during this session to hold our supporters accountable and prevent bad bills from being passed (including those that are intended to punish us for speaking out).

How can you help? We’ll be talking about lots of ways to help, but an easy one is to subscribe to the AEA Legislative Update. This subscription will bring you the latest news on what’s happening at the capitol (including ways you can take action) delivered to your inbox. Subscribe today, and stay tuned for more ways you can be engaged in what’s happening at the capitol.