By
The Associated Press
PHOENIX - For a third straight year, Arizona is at or near the bottom in terms of school funding, according to Education Week.
The magazine gave Arizona 44 points out of a possible 100 in the "Quality Counts" report released Wednesday.
That was its lowest current rating. Alaska was next to the bottom with 58 points. West Virginia led the nation with 100 points.
Some Arizona leaders defended the state, pointing to measures that will have the state funding school construction and repairs while providing additional money for other needs.
"Arizona is just starting to make gains," said Penny Kotterman, president of the state's largest teacher union, the Arizona Education Association. "If we were to see the same grades two or three years from now, then I'd be concerned. But I think we will see ourselves move up in the rankings."
The report found that Arizona spends $4,679 per student, compared with an average of $6,408 nationally. Utah spends less than Arizona - the only state to do so, the report said, but got a higher score because the amount it spends represents a higher proportion of its taxable resources and because the amount has risen over the last decade.
Arizona was ranked last in school funding last year and third from last in 1999.
This year, Arizona didn't fare well in other aspects of education. The report awarded a "D" for efforts to improve teacher quality and a "D" for how the state spreads funds among its districts. The state got a D-minus for school climate, which includes class size, tardiness and parental involvement.
Arizona fared somewhat better for its standards and accountability, drawing a C-plus. However, it had drawn a B-plus last year and a "B" the year before. One current problem was the stumbling way in which Arizona has been attempting to begin using its AIMS graduation test, which has yet to get off the ground, the report said.
However, the report acknowledged the recent voter approval of roughly a half-cent sales tax increase to fund education. "Arizona is finally putting its money where its mouth is on standard-based education," it said.
Patricia Likens, a state Education Department spokeswoman, discounted the ratings, saying they are based on inappropriate criteria such as national certification of teachers, an emphasis on small classes and the magazine's own survey of eighth graders.
In a similar vein, Mary Gifford, director of the Center for Market-Based Education at the conservative Goldwater Institute, said that "hours of professional development do not matter if the kids are not learning. None of (the magazine's) measurements really measure the quality of teaching."
Others pointed out that the report didn't reflect Arizona's efforts to phase in more stringent teacher certification rules and new school accountability measures.
They also said the financial data the magazine used dated from 1997 and didn't take into account the increases being established since then.
Additionally, said Likens, "Arizona is at the cutting edge of school reform with academic standards, charter schools and a graduation test."
