So in case you've been under a rock for the past....oh year or so, our economy is in the landfill. The outlook is not good. If you've got a job...give thanks.
The state of Arizona has found itself to be $1.6 billion in the red. Yikes. So now that our intelligent governor, Janet Napolitano, is gone--her replacement (who doesn't have a college degree by the way) and her friends in the legislature have crafted a plan to reduce the deficit. So what do we cut here in Arizona --a state that ranked 48th or 49th in funding for K-12 schools and was ranked as number 50 in Morgan Quitno's 2006-2007 "Smartest State" rankings? Why education of course! If you're already at the bottom I guess you have no worries right? So the geniuses in the statehouse are cutting $142 million to university funding and $133 million to K-12. What does that mean? Well teachers I know say it means no "cost of living" raises for this year and their jobs are not secure (not to mention cuts to field trips, books, and other supplies).
At the climbing gym last night we had a short conversation with our friend Robert Kelty. Robert is sort of a local celebrity because he was Teacher of the Year for Arizona in 2008. It was an unusual choice because Robert is an elementary school teacher and it was only his 2nd (or 3rd) year teaching in the AZ school system. That says a lot about what a great teacher he is.
Anyway, Robert is the new kid on the block at his school. If his school is forced to lay off teachers--guess who gets to go?? Robert is not worried--hell, he could likely easily get a job in any other state--but really?
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