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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS www.ahwatukee.com
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Wednesday, May 3, 2017
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Vesely, other school leaders express FOOTHILLS alarm NEWS over funding
Undaunted, unbowed
AHWATUKEE
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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rizona’s three universities no longer form a pipeline of teachers for the state’s public schools. Half the freshmen in the state’s university system come from only 11 percent of Arizona’s high schools. Arizona’s expanded school voucher system did not include expanded oversight. Those disclosures came in remarks by three educators to the Chandler Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee and business owners and executives last week. The presentations by Kyrene School Superintendent Jan Vesely, state Board of Regents President Eileen Klein and state school Superintendent Diane Douglas on April 28, came on the eve of a big week for the state Legislature and education in Arizona. Lawmakers are hoping to wrap up their session this week by completing budget negotiations with the chief topic being education – particularly more money for K-12 teachers and a $1 billion bond issue for research and infrastructure for the three universities. “Much of the focus this week will center on our K-12 schools, particularly raising salaries for our teachers,” Ahwatukee Sen. Sean Bowie told constituents Monday. “This is shaping up to be the most important policy discussion of the week – Governor Ducey’s original proposal called for a 0.4 percent increase for the upcoming year.” “We are losing some of our best teachers we have because they simply can’t afford to keep teaching – many can make more money in different professions, and that’s a
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS GEM OF A FIND
(Lauren Clark/Special for AFN)
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IMAGE MAKER
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THUNDERING
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Ignoring Ahwatukee, mayor sees freeway as West Valley bonanza BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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Seven-year-old Avery Gattuso of Ahwatukee, smiling next to her mother Jessica Gattuso, has a rare autoimmune disorder that caused her to lose all her hair. Avery doesn’t let that keep her down, and the Ahwatukee girl’s father launched an education campaign to explain the disorder to children. Read about it on page 20.
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any Ahwatukee homeowners may see the South Mountain Freeway as a threat to their quality of life, but Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton sees it as a gateway to a new Silicon Valley in the city’s western region. In his annual State of the City address, Stanton on April 25 said, “It’s time for us to do more in the West Valley” – and said the controversial freeway would be the ticket. “I know that in an economy with real opportunity for everyone, prosperity and good jobs can’t be limited to only certain
parts of our region,” he said. “It’s time for us to do more in the West Valley, in particular. Nearly half of the West Valley workforce commutes to other parts of the Valley each day. That’s a lot of talent, and a lot of valuable time wasted behind the wheel. “The new 202 Freeway is under construction, and that offers us a rare opportunity to create jobs in a vast new employment corridor,” he continued, adding: “We’re not going to let it pass us by. We are creating the South Mountain Technology Corridor near the freeway
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