AZ Latino Leaders Declare Support for Prop 123

(Phoenix, AZ) – A group of Arizona Latino leaders said today that recession-era education cuts by the Legislature took their greatest toll on Hispanics and other minority students, but those students are most likely to benefit from the infusion of funds that would come from the passage of Proposition 123.

Latino backers of the Proposition 123 gathered for a press conference today outside of Central High School in Phoenix. The roster of speakers included Tommy Espinoza, president and CEO of the Raza Development Fund; Stephanie Parra, member of the Arizona Latino School Board Association; Nydia Lias, an educator and teacher recruiter; HT Sanchez, superintendent of the Tucson Unified School District; and Mayor Greg Stanton.

“Latino youth will soon be the majority of students in our schools statewide, and their success will determine the success of the Arizona economy going forward,” said Stanton. “There is nothing more important to our economy than building an education system that provides quality opportunities for every child. Prop. 123 is an important next step to doing just that – strengthening our local schools and making sure they have the resources they need.”

A wide array of parents, teachers and Latino community leaders were on hand to describe the need for Prop 123’s passage and the benefits it would bring to Latino students and their families statewide.

Espinosa added, “There’s been a lot of back and forth about Prop 123, but the bottom line is that this plan puts money into the school districts almost immediately. Without these funds our schools will only deteriorate further. As soon as Prop 123 passes, count me as an advocate to keep finding ways to increase funding for our schools and to make Legislators, Governor and businesses morally accountable and responsible to ensure all of our kids will receive the best education for their future and the future of Arizona.”

H.T. Sanchez, Superintendent of Tucson Unified School District

“The state’s education budget cuts over the past several years were bad for all Arizona children, but especially for Latinos and other children of color,” said Petra Falcon, executive director of Promise Arizona. “Prop 123’s passage begins what must become a tireless effort to fund education at levels that ensure all children in Arizona are prepared to meet the demands of a modern economy. No one believes Prop 123 alone will do the job, but not passing this initiative will only make things worse.”

The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is backing the initiative. AZHCC President/CEO Gonzalo A. de La Melena, Jr. said, “Given the challenges facing our economy, and the fact that we have such a fast-growing, young Hispanic workforce in the state, passing Prop 123 is critically important. To those who worry that our political leaders will think their work is done by passing Prop 123, our job is to tell them that’s just not true. Prop 123 is one piece of the education foundation we have to build to guarantee that Arizona children and the state’s teachers do not continue to get short-changed.”

Chad Geston, Superintendent of Phoenix Union High School District

The Facts about Prop 123:

• Prop 123 is a ballot measure that, if it passes, will settle a years-long lawsuit and put $3.5 billion into Arizona’s K-12 public schools over the next 10 years without raising taxes.
• The majority of the $3.5 billion funding comes from Arizona’s state land trust fund, an invested account that earns income annually and has nearly doubled in value over the past five years.
• Districts have the flexibility to determine how to use these funds to address the financial issues that are unique to their communities. Many districts are choosing to invest in salary increases for teachers and employees, many of whom have not seen a decent raise in a decade.
•  Prop 123 allows money to be utilized in FY16.
•  Helps keep quality teachers in Arizona.

The Facts about AZ Latino students:

• Latino students are predicted to be a majority of all students in K-12 statewide by 2020, according to DATOS: The State of Arizona’s Hispanic Market.
• Since 2004 there have been more ethnic minorities in Arizona’s K-12 than White students, according to a recent report by AMEPAC, Arizona Minority Student Progress Report 2016, and that trend will continue with Latinos expected to become a majority of the state’s population by 2035-40.
• The Morrison Institute for Public Policy’s 2012 report, Dropped? Latino Education and Arizona’s Economic Future, warned unless it addresses the education gap between Latino and non-Latino students that “Arizona is at risk of becoming a second-tier state, educationally and economically.”
• Monica Villalobos, vice president of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and editor of DATOS: The State of Arizona’s Hispanic Market, said, “The consensus view by business leaders statewide is that Arizona’s economic prospects will suffer if we fail to properly educate our minority students, including the state’s Hispanic youth. The good news is that we can fix this problem before it gets worse, but we have to act together and we have to act now.”

Among the Arizona Minority Student Progress Report 2016 findings:

• School dropout rates have remained constant over the past few years. The highest dropout rates in 2014 were among American Indian students (7 percent), Hispanic students (4.1 percent), Black students (4 percent), Whites (2.5 percent), and Asian Pacific Americans (less than 1 percent).
• At the state’s three public universities, most bachelor’s degrees in 2013 went to White students (67 percent) followed by Hispanic students (17 percent), Asian Pacific American students (6 percent), Black students (3 percent) and American Indian students (2 percent).

For more information on Proposition 123, visit http://yesprop123.com.