Vail Parent Network held a meeting last month at Desert Sky Middle School to discuss several key issues regarding education in Vail. Here is a recap of what was covered:

ESA/Voucher Expansion:  A grassroots group based out of Phoenix called Save Our Schools AZ gathered over 108,000 signatures to place Prop 305, the expansion of ESA’s (Education Scholarship Accounts) on the 2018 ballot.  This means voters will decide if the ESA program will be expanded, not our legislators.

New Schools in Vail: Vail has been approved by the School Facilities Board for a new High School and an Elementary School.  This process takes roughly 18-36 months. The process includes securing land, forming committees comprised of parents, community members, and staff to determine the school’s focus, facilities and design, and then build. We are excited about this good news, but to date, we have only received funding for half the cost of the new schools.

Teacher Raises: Vail teachers will receive a 6.7% raise this year.  There are several sources that contribute to this raise which include; The Instruction Improvement Increase, Results-Based Funding Payment, State Funded Teacher Payment, Performance Evaluation from Prop 301, and a 2.5% increase due to the passing of Prop 449 (local override). This raise is well deserved for our amazing teachers here in Vail!

Legislative Issues: Several key issues are on the table that will affect funding for our schools in Arizona. One is the renewal of Prop 301.  This was approved by voters in 2000 as a .6% increase in state sales tax and needs to be renewed or it expires in 2021. It currently provides $500 million annually to K-12 funding. VPN supports this renewal.  We also continue to push for the restoration of capital funding, which has been cut by 85% over that last decade and to change the School Facilities Board formula to reflect the actual cost of building schools.  The formula now provides for the bare minimum with no athletic facilities or extras.

If you would like to keep updated on school funding issues in Vail, follow us on facebook or email us at vailparentnetwork@gmail.com.  Thanks for all your support!

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