opinion

Roberts: Doug Ducey must be plenty worried about his re-election

Gov. Doug Ducey and his backers must be more worried about his re-election prospects than I thought.

His pals over at the Arizona Chamber and Arizona Public Service have launched an ad campaign, extolling the wonders of Arizona’s public schools.

The ones that he and the Legislature have declined to properly fund. The ones they have spent copious amounts of time trying to help students escape by expanding programs to divert public money to private schools.

The schools that now, on the eve of his 2018 re-election bid, apparently have Ducey’s wholehearted support.

Who knew?

Note what the ad doesn't say

Cue the ad: “What if I told you there’s a state that has increased education funding by nearly $1.5 billion in the last three years? Or that the same state has led the nation in improvements in fourth and eighth grade math and reading since 2009 and opened a teachers academy to help college students graduate debt-free if they teach in state schools.”

All true.

And what if I told you much of that $1.5 billion came from Ducey’s Prop. 123, diverting money from the state land trust in order to settle a lawsuit and give the schools about 70 percent of what a judge said they are owed in inflation funding?

Or that the state still is investing $1 billion less than in 2008, once inflation is factored in? That your child rates $924 less in state support than mine did a decade ago?

What if I told you that while the state has led the nation in improvements in math and reading since 2009, our scores are still "significantly lower" than the national average?

Or that the reason Ducey opened a teachers academy is because Arizona’s rock-bottom pay has critical shortage of educators, leaving kids with long-term subs or teachers who couldn’t qualify for a standard teaching certificate.

These guys have Ducey's back

The ad is the launch of a campaign by the Arizona Education Project, a new non-profit funded by a coalition of business groups headed by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (APS).

Both are huge Ducey backers. Pinnacle West CEO Don Brandt chaired Ducey’s Inaugural Committee four years ago and will no doubt play a key role in his campaign this year. It appears the recent rate increase that resulted in $95 million more in profits for APS is being put to good use.

But … this ad has nothing, NOTHING to do with improving Ducey’s image as the education governor, we are told. Nothing to do with the fact that the plight of the public schools is uppermost of voters' minds as Ducey faces re-election.

Matt Benson, the non-profit’s spokesman, said the group is spending six figures on its opening ad blitz to highlight the progress made by public schools, with more to come.

“There are groups and individuals that see political gain and advantage in talking down our schools, and our teachers,” Benson told The Republic’s Yvonne Wingett Sanchez. “There’s another side, there’s another story to tell about Arizona’s education and that’s what we’re going to be talking about.”

The question is, which side is Doug Ducey …

…the governor who expanded the voucher program to divert even more money from public to private schools.

…the governor who pledged to cut taxes every year and won’t even consider reversing that stance to dig the schools out of their deep hole now, in time for today’s students to benefit.

Which side is he really on?

MORE FROM ROBERTS:

Arizona legislator proposes tripling pay ... for legislators

4 things Doug Ducey and the Legislature should do (but won't)

Tighten Arizona's gun laws? That's un-American!