Governor Doug Ducey launched his Classrooms First Initiative Council, gathering pro-Common Core, pro-charter school business and education members, who are charged with “simplifying and modernizing the current school finance code to ensure more funding for teachers and classroom instruction.”
Created through Executive Order in January, the Council reflects the governor’s commitment to maintaining Common Core standards and steering more money to charter schools.
The meetings of the Council should be interesting as Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas will likely face off with the unelected head of the State Board of Education Greg Miller.
Ducey made the announcement to the Pro-Common Core Arizona Business and Education Coalition (ABEC). Founding organizations of ABEC include: Intel Corporation, Motorola, Cox Communications, the Greater Phoenix Leadership, the Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC), Mesa Public Schools, among others.
The Council will be co-chaired by Governor Ducey and Jim Swanson, President and CEO of Kitchell Corporation.
Additional members include:
• Diane Douglas, Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Greg Miller, President, State Board of Education (Owner Challenge Charter School)
• Janna Day, President, State Board for Charter Schools (Chair of Political Affairs for AZ Chamber of Commerce, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP Attorney/Lobbyist)
• Tim Carter, County School Superintendent, Yavapai County (Common Core apologist)
• Brian Capistran, Superintendent, Glendale Union School District (Pro-Common Core)
• Alicia Alvarez, Principal, Alta Vista Charter High School (American Charter Schools Foundation)
• Susan Chan, District Administrator, Kingman Academy (Douglas critic, Pro-Charter)
• Beth Maloney (2014 AEF Arizona Teacher of the Year), Dysart Unified School District (Pro-Common Core)
• Annie Gilbert, Director of School Operations & Finance, Ball Charter Schools
• Ken Hicks, Chief Financial Officer, Peoria Unified School District
• Dawn Wallace, Education Policy Advisor to Governor Ducey (Pro-Common Core, Pro-Charter)
Ducey called the current system of financing schools “antiquated, complicated in its implementation and too rigid for 21st century education expectations. Our goal is to create a funding formula that incentivizes student success, not seat time.” In other words, teachers will be under more pressure to teach to the test.
The Council members will serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The group will present preliminary school finance reform recommendations in September 2015, with final recommendations due to the governor in December 2015.
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