Published Wednesday, March 3, 2010 in Tempe Republic opinions of Arizona Republic (and maybe Ahwatukee Republic) as “‘Yes’ on override would save music.”
Do we balance budgets on the backs of children?
Not if we care about their future.
Recently Kyrene Middle School and Fees Middle School Orchestras performed at Marcos de Niza preceding the orchestra they would soon join in high school.
The concert showcased fine music and maturing musicians. Fees students started learning in elementary school and had honed their intonation a bit better than their Kyrene counterparts who don’t begin instrumental music until middle school. But when the Marcos de Niza orchestra performed, jaws dropped in a percussion beat throughout the auditorium. It was amazing.
But if the Tempe Elementary Override doesn’t pass, elementary students will lose their instruments, and may never discover the talent within them.
Kyrene’s fine elementary art programs could become a thing of the past, if their override fails..
We hear a lot about taxes these days as our local and state governments struggle with dwindling revenues from the economic downturn. In Arizona the legislature effectively limits what we’re allowed to spend on K-12 education with one exception. Local districts can with voter approval use additional property taxes to increase their educational budgets by ten percent, and an additional five percent to lower class sizes for children through the third grade.
What’s on the ballot though isn’t a new tax, just a reauthorization of what’s already on your property tax bill. So support the overrides in Tempe Elementary and Kyrene Elementary districts.
The override supports music programs, art programs, gifted education, as well as reading and mathematics intervention to keep kids from falling behind. Plus, they’ll keep small class sizes for children in Kindergarten through third grade to make sure they build the skills they’ll need.
Support kids. Support our future. Vote Yes!
Dave Wells of Tempe holds a doctorate in Political Economy and Public Policy and teaches at Arizona State University. Reach him at Dave@MakeDemocracyWork.org. The views are his own.