Sierra Vista Community of Excellence Committee (SVCEC)
Supporting Research
The importance of the arts in education has been documented in thousands of articles, but one of the most comprehensive collections can be found in Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development.
Our schools are chronically underfunded. In 2006, Arizona spent only 73% compared to the national average on education.
Today, per pupil spending is even less at $6,834 per pupil. Arizona ranks 49th in the nation in per pupil spending.
Even though our schools are underfunded, our teachers still manage to consistently improve test scores. Arizona public schools are continuing to increase in Math and Reading scores.
Find more information about education in Arizona by reading Mapping Arizona's Educational Progress 2008 provided at www.ed.gov
The image below shows the cuts that have been made by the Superintendent, Mr. Agenbroad since July 1, 2008. These cuts are substantial and are part of the reason the school district can ask for a 9% override versus the current 10%. But, these cuts, as substantial as they are, are not enough to pay for all programs funded by the override. The override is still necessary to maintain programs at their current levels.
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