Kyrene
and Phoenix Union Overrides – The First of Many Victories
Thanks to energetic efforts by Stand for Children members in
partnership with our local partners, on March 9, Stand for Children achieved
the first of many victories for Arizona children: the passage of critically
important overrides in Kyrene and Phoenix Union school districts. Stand for children
members spent five weeks directly asking nearly 4,800 voters to approve these
measures to protect vital funding for local schools.
In Kyrene, the $12.5 million override will preserve reading
intervention programs, music, PE, and art, and keep class sizes reasonable. In
Phoenix Union, the $4.5 million override will preserve guidance counselors and
extra-curricular programs, and maintain current class sizes.
Given how close both votes were – the Kyrene override passed by
2,150 votes and Phoenix Union override passed by 3,250 votes – Stand
volunteers’ role in protecting students was incredibly meaningful.
Where Arizona Stands
Arizona is Stand for Children’s newest state affiliate. For answers to some questions you may have about Stand for Children in Arizona, read our FAQs.
Our mission is to enable Arizona parents, educators, and other concerned citizens to use the power of grassroots action to help Arizona children get the excellent education and strong support they need to thrive.
Right now, Arizona is at a crossroads. Just 71 % of Arizona students graduate high school on time – ranking us 44th out of 50 states in a nation that lags behind its economic competitors. On top of that, fewer than half of Arizona public high school graduates qualify academically to enroll in Arizona public universities – and only 27 percent of Arizonans hold a bachelor’s degree or higher at a time when most jobs require post-secondary education.
Arizona also compares poorly to other states on many measures of public education access, investment, and achievement, ranking near the bottom among the 50 states:
- 36th in publicly funded pre-K access
- 46th in 4th grade reading
- 43rd in 4th grade math
- 42nd in 8th grade reading
- 38th in 8th grade math
- 40th in achievement gap between low-income and other students
This is not the Arizona we want for our children. This is not the Arizona we need to succeed in the 21st century. Stand for Children is non-partisan, we’re child-focused, and we’re here to support state and local education reforms and investments that help Arizona students graduate college ready. Right now we're building our affiliate in Arizona to get better results for our kids.
Our Priorities
Based on research and a range of conversations with leading educators and active parents, Stand for Children’s initial focus in Arizona will be to:
- Ensure every student has an excellent teacher every year, and that great teachers and principals are supported to do their best work. Set the bar higher and keep better track of student and school performance. Achieve a stable, fair level of funding and invest state and community resources in programs proven to work for students and schools.
Click here to learn more about our efforts in Arizona.
Stand for Children’s Strategy
Stand for Children seeks to make children and their needs a higher political priority. Our members believe we need to invest in our children now — in their education and enrichment from pre-school through high school, their health, and their safety — to ensure they have a fair chance in life and to create a better future for our communities.
We build effective local and statewide networks of grassroots advocates capable of convincing elected officials to invest in and reform children’s programs. Following specific priorities chosen by our members, we focus on securing adequate funding for public schools and reforming education policies and practices to help children thrive academically, giving them the opportunities they need to become successful, productive adults.
Read about the success of our strategy in our other state affiliates.