Proposition 208 was approved by voters in Arizona which has many involved in education excited about what is to come next.
Many teachers have supported Proposition 208 in regards to the new income tax that will distribute revenue to teacher and classroom support staff salaries. Distributions will also go toward teacher mentoring and retention programs, career and technical education programs and the Arizona Teachers Academy.
Proposition 208 will impose a 3.5% income tax surcharge on taxable annual income over $250k for single persons and $500k for couples. It could bring in nearly $1 billion of new revenue annually to the state’s underfunded school system.
CATCH UP: What to know about Prop. 208
Many Arizona teachers, organizations and schools have expressed their thoughts on the passing of Prop 208, including Kathy Hoffman, Arizona’s state superintendent of public instruction, on Twitter.
Before election day on Oct. 19, Hoffman tweeted “#Prop208 will provide direct funding to support our classrooms and help solve our teacher shortage crisis. Importantly, these funds can’t be blocked or diverted by politicians. Flip your ballot over and join me in voting #YesOn208!”
#Prop208 will provide direct funding to support our classrooms and help solve our teacher shortage crisis. Importantly, these funds can’t be blocked or diverted by politicians. Flip your ballot over and join me in voting #YesOn208! https://t.co/MW0RL7LUoH
— Kathy Hoffman (@kathyhoffman_az) October 20, 2020
Kathy Hoffman proceeded throughout the month of October to tweet about #Prop208 and #YesOn208 until the day of the election on Nov. 3.
Other teachers from the valley reacted to Prop 208 as well, their reactions being transparent and honest.
“This additional funding is needed for the state. Long story short, I just don’t want teachers leaving,” Meagan Brown, a special education teacher at Twin Peaks school in Marana, told News 4 Tucson.
“You want a teacher that loves teaching and loves children and if you don’t find someone that does not, you don’t want them,” Brown said. “So this will keep people in the classroom that belong in the classroom.”
President of the Phoenix Union High School Governing Board Stephanie Parra said she believes the passage of Proposition 208 could not come at a better time for Arizona.
“We are looking at this as a win for education, especially with all the challenges facing our schools. With 50,000 students no longer enrolled in public schools, what is going to happen to our funding structure?” Parra told 12 News.
Academic organizations, including downtown’s Chispa AZ, shared their thoughts as well. They took to Facebook to post about celebrating the support of teachers, students and educators in Arizona so Prop 208 could be approved.
“We celebrate Arizona’s overwhelming support of teachers, students and educators to approve #Prop208! Without a significant investment in our Public Schools, there will be no #EnvironmentalJustness!” the organization wrote.
Stand for Children Arizona, another downtown organization dedicated to children’s education, also voted ‘yes’ on Proposition 208, and proudly posted on their Facebook, saying “incredible news for Arizona students, teachers, and the economy. A big shout out to everyone on the ground who worked tirelessly to pass #prop208!”
Invest in Education, also known as InvestinED, had Prop 208 updates on their website and informed the public about education funding and the economy and where the money will go now that Proposition 208 was passed.
“Arizona’s 1.2 million K-12 public education students are the big winners tonight. By passing Proposition 208, Arizona voters said yes to our state’s students and their future,’ said Amber Gould, chairwoman of Yes on 208 – Invest in Education, in a statement. “As a teacher and the Chairwoman of Yes on 208, I am incredibly grateful to everyone who voted yes on Proposition 208. Thank you for your trust and support.”
Contact the reporter at kasolori@asu.edu.
