Local opinion: Arizona’s Proposition 320 — Odysseus would be proud

I am not sure I have seen more excitement and anticipation of a feature film coming to the big screen than the recent release of “The Odyssey,” the adaptation of Homer’s epic work. Imagine a story that has sustained since the 7th or 8th century AD and still tickles the human imagination with such alure that people flock to theaters to see it again and again. Perhaps because it speaks to the worst and the best aspects of human nature and invites us to reflect.

Let me start by saying I am old. There are good aspects of that reality and some not so attractive. Every morning when I try not to see what’s happened to my body in the mirror, I am reminded of how blessed I am to still be standing and have a few cells still operating in this weathered brain. But, the positives outweigh the negatives when they are measured by what the journey has provided, especially in terms of wisdom and experience.

Which brings me to the most recent adaptation of that epic Homer masterpiece modified for the Arizona voting public, Proposition 320. So, here is the basic proposition, “Arizona teachers are underpaid.” Truer words were never spoken.

That reality ignites a certain sense of passion in most people and their personal sense of justice and fairness kicks in, encouraging them to join the throng of supporters who demand something be done. Suddenly, from the far reaches of the Maricopa horizon comes the savior, a champion of the underappreciated and downtrodden educators who have been at the mercy of a system that has failed them over time to do the minimum for a group of heroes whose only fault is that they care deeply about children and families in Arizona.

We shall not name that champion because the truth is, it is not one person. There is always a surrogate whose name is fastened to the solution, much like Odysseus was to that iconic equus that inside held warriors determined to destroy the enemy under the guise of a gift; the culprit in all of this is the legislature itself.

That body, over time, has chipped away at the resources necessary to sustain a robust and dynamic public education system and attempts to replace it with one that rewards an ideology that abhors the cost of “equity” and support for those most vulnerable children who simply need more resources to create a fair and equal playing field, and replace it with one that is cheaper and simpler.

This same legislative majority uses sacred democratic principles such as choice and freedom and creates models that weaponize the concepts through financial support to those that meet their special interests, such as private charters and vouchers, while reducing financial support for public schools that educate over 85% of our state’s children.

Proposition 320 requires that school districts put 60% of their operating funds into direct instructional costs. It does not increase the amount of money schools get. It simply says move the deck chairs on the sinking financial ship from other critical needs .

It uses a very narrow definition of instructional costs, leaving out such essential functions as counselors, librarians, nurses, specialists for students in need, school safety personnel, and professional development programs for teachers, etc. It also suggests that funding this requirement ignores the rising costs of utilities, maintenance, transportation, food, repairs, etc.

Further, it suggests that schools can do without administrators, ignoring that fact that Arizona spends a smaller percentage on administration than the national average. The final nail in the construction of this alluring idyllic structure is that the districts that do not meet these requirement (and virtually none presently do in Arizona) will lose 100% of the classroom site funds, approximately 22% of the total average teacher salary in most districts, exacerbating the very problem it purports to solve.

Proposition 320 is a Trojan Horse. What appears to be a majestic solution to fixing the teacher salary issue that the crafters of the proposition actually created over time is actually a poison pill designed to forward what has been, over my 45 years in Arizona educational leadership, a concerted effort to disable your public education system.

So, while those ecstatic Trojans were duped by the offering of what seemed to be a generous and alluring gift from the Greeks so many centuries ago, as Arizonans, let’s use the wisdom of our collective journey to see a gift at our doorstep for what it really is.