What Prop 204 means for education

Arizona — At this month’s Miami school board meeting, board members heard from interim superintendent, Sherry Dorathy, about Prop 204. While little advertising as of yet has hit airwaves for any of the propositions voters will be deciding on this November, Prop 204 has been receiving much attention from school administrations around the state.

Prop 204, the so-called Quality Education and Jobs Citizens’ Initiative, will extend the one-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2010 permanently. The “temporary tax” is set to expire automatically on May 31, 2013. But with all the cuts school districts across the state have been slapped with, many in public education feel that the tax is helping to keep them above water.

In 2010, Prop 100 introduced the one-cent sales tax proposal to voters as a necessary action to save public education. The “temporary sales tax” was approved by over 60 percent of the voters in a special election held on May 18, 2010, raising the total state sales tax to 6.6 percent, and took effect June 1, less than one month later. Originally, two-thirds of the raised revenue from the tax increase was supposed to go to public education, including the three state universities, ASU, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University, while the other third would be allocated to health and human services and public safety sectors.



For the complete article see the 09-26-2012 issue.

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