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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.

Governor Ducey gave his state of the state address this evening and was predictably vague about his plans for public education funding. Besides repeating his 20 by 2020 pledge, there was nothing new offered: no talk of increased funding beyond 20 by 2020 (which still leaves our schools well short of 2008 funding levels), and no discussion of identifying a dedicated funding stream for public education.

This isn’t acceptable. Our students and our schools deserve better. Please call Governor Ducey at 602-542-4331 and tell him that we need a bipartisan solution on education funding during this legislative session. Visit this site for more details and ideas on what to say in your call.

Our election is less than 10 days away! Whether you have yet to send in your early ballot or you prefer to vote in person on November 6, it’s important to be informed about the candidates and how they will (or won’t) support public education in Arizona and in Chandler. CEA has updated our online Voter Toolkit to include information on candidates recommended by NEA, AEA, and CEA, as well as candidates who have signed the Invest in Ed Pledge. This resource also gives you all the information you need on the logistics of casting your ballot.

This truly is a critical election for our country, our state and our district. Please visit our Voter Toolkit at chandlerea.org/votertoolkit to become informed, engaged voters, and feel free to share it with others!