Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

About 40% of Arizona 4th graders test below basic proficiency for their grade level. Among African American and Latino children, that number hovers around 50%. Those numbers don't change much by the 8th grade.(1) These figures are not any better for mathematics.

If a child is unable to read at proficiency by the 4th or 8th grade, they are less likely to complete any type of higher degree, which our future work force demands.

This is an unsustainable situation for our future. In order to compete in the global market, or even attract new companies to come to Arizona, we need students who are on the right track from an early age to be career-ready by the time they graduate.

However the average student graduating from the Arizona system labors under a debt load of about $22,000. This number has climbed while the Legislature's investment in higher education has been cut in half since 2008.(2)

These students have less money to contribute to our local economy, reducing the stimulating impact of education investment, and they are more likely to leave Arizona for better jobs elsewhere.

Further, these higher student debt load figures don't tell the story of the increased debt and costs born by parents of all students. As the Legislature has cut spending for education, it has actually caused a further drag on our economy and threatens our economic future.

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