November 5, 2012

Voters in Several States Face Education Ballot Measures

In Tuesday's election, voters in at least seven states will be called on to decide some controversial issues concerning K-12 education, including funding, charter school approval, and teacher working conditions. Among the hot-button ballot initiatives:

·         Arizona: Two measures would increase education funding, one by extending a one-cent sales tax increase for education currently scheduled to expire in 2013 and another by allocating more money to education from the state's public land trust fund.

·         California: Two measures would increase state income taxes to avoid major midyear reductions in state funding for K-12 education.

·         Georgia: Voters could amend the state constitution to allow the state to authorize public charter schools after the state supreme court invalidated a prior state charter school authorizing commission in 2011.

·         Idaho:  Three ballot initiatives would overturn recently enacted state laws (1) barring teacher collective bargaining over issues other than salaries and benefits and limiting contracts to one year; (2) establishing a teacher evaluation system based partly on student test performance; and (3) increasing technology use in classrooms including requiring that each high school student have access to a laptop computer.

·         Missouri: On the ballot is a measure to boost funding for both K-12 and higher education by increasing the state's tobacco products taxes.

·         Oregon: Voters will consider a ballot measure to allocate higher-than-projected corporate and excise tax revenue to K-12 education instead of refunding it to businesses.

·         Washington: Voters will choose whether to allow local school boards or a new state-level commission to approve charter schools.

Education Week and Reuters have detailed rundowns.