Peter Greene reports here on the doleful state of public education in Arizona, which has been underfunded for years. It is very likely the lowest funded state school system in the nation. Teacher salaries may be the lowest in the nation. There have been no raises for teachers since 2008. Teachers are leaving for other states, and the state faces a major teacher shortage. Average per-pupil spending, he writes is $3,400.
He summarizes:
Low pay, poor workplace resources, no job security, difficult work conditions, and no respect from state leaders. How could Arizona possibly have a teacher shortage?
Not to worry, Arizonans! The reformsters at the Center for Education Reform have recognized Arizona as a national leader in the school choice movement! Lots of A grades for its bold support of free-market charters, which proliferate like bunnies and are free to act without state interference or supervision and without pesky regulations barring nepotism and conflicts of interest.
Is Arizona the future of American education? Perish the thought!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I assume old white affluent people refuse to pay taxes to educate Latino children.
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Like your summary and language here.. matching Peter Greene’s exuberant criticism that nowhere referred to bunnies.
Not to worry, Arizonans! The reformsters at the Center for Education Reform have recognized Arizona as a national leader in the school choice movement! Lots of A grades for its bold support of free-market charters, which proliferate like bunnies and are free to act without state interference or supervision and without pesky regulations barring nepotism and conflicts of interest.
Doug’s comment about old retired White people not supporting the education of brown children is dead on and has been true here for decades. Here in the Valley of the Son (Phoenix area), many poor barrios cluster near huge retirement communities. My son-in-law’s school, in just such an area, had to go to a 4-day week. My son worked for a charter so bad, Diane wrote it up in Reign of Error, and his end there was typical of the unprofessional practices of charters based on nepotism and sweetheart deals. But then, just look at who we elect to the state legislature and you’ll be glad the public schools aren’t being turned into death camps.
Well, the politicians have pretty much fulfilled their duty to “public education” by providing “choice”, right?
Now they just allocate insufficient funding and go on their merry way.
The market will take care of the rest-maybe some donations from wealthy people to offer extras to the worthiest students and then the public can wash their hands of any responsibility for anything where they don’t directly and immediately benefit.
Peter Greene (and Dr. Ravitch?) seems to be unaware of the difference between state funding per pupil and total funding (at least half of funding is local, after all). Saying that per-pupil spending is $3,400 is just wrong: Arizona actually spends over $7,000 per pupil according to the Census Bureau’s records, see http://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-98.html
Granted, that is still probably too low, but there’s no reason that Arizona should spend as much as a high-cost area like New York (nearly $20,000 per pupil), and there’s also no reason that supposedly informed commentators should cite a figure that is under half of what Arizona actually spends.
The figure that is cited, is not “half of what Arizona actually spends” as “Arizona” means the state and not the local taxpayers. So the figure cited, as worded, is correct. And yes, with the local revenues the amount per pupil is higher. Per pupil expenditure by the state itself is not changed by the local revenues.
For example, in MO there is a district in which “Missouri” pays nothing as the residents and patrons of the district are able to fund the district through property taxes because the district is in one of the wealthiest areas (property wise) in the state. And this district spends around $20,000/yr per student.
Now in my rural poverty district we spend about $8,000 per student with much of it coming from the “state” and not local property tax revenues as the district is mainly comprised of farmland and woods-no million dollar an acre land around here.
But WT, you are correct in pointing out the difference between “state” funding versus “local” funding which can result in drastically different and unequal public school funding per pupil, which can account for the differences in educational “quality” each district provides.
After retiring from 25 years of teaching, I went to a meeting where it was pointed out the funding may be equalized but the local communities add on through bonds, etc. which poor communities cannot do. Before I began teaching I learned my son’s junior high was doing magazine sales in the upscale area. Cute, I thought, bring in a few extra bucks for an end-of-the-year party. WTF! They could’ve built new buildings for what those magazine sales brought in.