A week and a half ago, a majority of Tucson voters said no to both Propositions 401 and 402, which would have allowed TUSD to tax those residents within its boundaries to fill the gap left by state budget cuts. Currently, Arizona faces a large budget shortfall. As the state legislature considers more budget cuts to the public schools, it is becoming harder for many schools to find enough funds for what are seen as basic necessities like computers, paper and other classroom supplies. In some schools, including University High, these shortages are fueling frustration among the faculty and students.
According to the Invest in our Kids campaign, the main proponent of the legislation, the propositions would have provided $187 per student to be spent by individual school councils, full funding for all-day kindergarten and improvements in technology resources such as new classroom computers and faster internet service. TUSD’s governing board asked voters to “please vote YES so TUSD students can be competitive and graduate to become successful adults in our community.” University High student Kyle Eckerstrom, in a letter supporting the proposals, asked adults to “stop being selfish and instead think about the future,” and to “think about the fact that their parents paid enough taxes so that they got a great public education.”
Opposition to the legislation came mostly from the Pima Association of Taxpayers (PAT), a nonprofit group. Calling the propositions “irresponsible government spending,” the association also put up signs around the city which read “We’re taxed to the max!” and urged voters to vote no on all propositions. PAT centered their arguments around the idea that desegregation funds that have long been given to TUSD have acted as an all purpose override. The Invest in our Kids campaign says that the district “does not have wide discretion on how to use these funds.”
