Does Gov. Doug Ducey Really Care About Families and Education? His State of the State Speech Suggested Otherwise.

Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, middle, gives his state of the state address at the Arizona Capitol as Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, back right, R-Mesa, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, back left, R-Prescott, sit behind the governor Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, in Phoenix.

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

By Keya Vakil

January 13, 2022

It’d be a shame if something happened to your public schools, Arizona. That’s effectively the message Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey delivered during his state of the state address on Monday.

Ducey boasted about his tax cuts for the super-wealthy—which could gut funding for the public schools that 92% of Arizona students attend—and said he wants to expand charter schools that benefit his wealthy donors at the expense of ordinary Arizonans.

He also failed to address the most imminent crisis facing Arizona’s schools: districts are on the verge of having their budgets slashed by $1.2 billion statewide unless a two-thirds majority of the Republican-controlled state House and Senate take action by March 1. If lawmakers fail to step up, school teachers could be laid off while some schools are shuttered altogether.

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Ducey Doubles Down On Charter Schools That Help His Rich Donors

Author

Keya Vakil

Keya Vakil is the deputy political editor at COURIER. He previously worked as a researcher in the film industry and dabbled in the political world.

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