Filtering by
- All Subjects: Emigration and immigration
- All Subjects: Education--Finance
- Creators: Morrison Institute for Public Policy
- Status: Published
Migration is a global phenomenon today, putting the United States in the midst of another historic wave of immigration. As a "gateway" and a destination, Arizona is certainly not alone in coping with people crossing borders.
How can we continue to concentrate on such key issues as job creation, education, pollution, the prison system, water management and structural deficits when the incendiary issue of illegal immigration again grabs the headlines?
Examines illegal immigration and the fact illegal crossings and apprehensions are down, giving pause to inflammatory rhetoric and possibly creating a window of opportunity for civil discourse on this especially volatile political issue.
Arizona has grown rapidly over the years and our education system has grown in step with the population. But increasing the total budget for education doesn't mean that we have directed more resources to each student. The numbers show that Arizona has one of the lowest per-pupil funding rates in the country. Parties of one faction or another argue endlessly about which numbers to use in comparing Arizona to other states, or even whether such comparisons are possible. What is indisputable is that Arizona ranks in the bottom tier of states in both education spending and in student achievement and that we have made substantial cuts in our funding of both K-12 and higher education since the beginning of the Great Recession.
The purpose of this brief report is to provide information about the past, present, and future of a very significant education reform program and tax increase, commonly known as Proposition 301. Coverage includes the history leading up to the ballot measure approved by Arizona voters in November 2000, its status approximately one year after it went into effect, and its prospects over a 20-year life span.