PHOENIX — A House panel moved quickly Monday to restore funding for Joint Technical Education Districts ahead of a $30 million cut to the programs that, without action, will kick in this coming school year.
Without dissent the House Education Committee agreed to restore virtually all of the money. Lawmakers also made a last-minute change designed to preserve certain preprofessional programs that the original compromise announced last week would be wiped out.
The panel, however, did not consider a proposal to restore state funding for students who are older than 21 and already have graduated from high school but who want to get additional training. Under the terms of HB 2642, they can go back into a JTED program — but only if they pay tuition.
Sen. Don Shooter, R-Yuma, cautioned against making further changes. He said this deal was carefully crafted, even gaining the support of Gov. Doug Ducey, whose budget would not have restored the $30 million cut.
“The entire agreement is in jeopardy if we don’t do that,” he said.
Monday’s vote sends this version, sponsored by Rep. Chris Ackerley, R-Sahuarita, to the full House. Shooter is sponsoring a parallel measure in the Senate.
Rep. Paul Boyer, R-Phoenix, who chairs the House Education Committee, said quick action is needed to ensure the JTEDs — and the 98,000 students who attend their programs — will have the money to continue.
Ackerley, a high school physics teacher, echoed that sentiment.
“As an educator, I can’t tell you how amazing it is to see the impact these programs make in students’ lives,” he told colleagues.
“I don’t really have the words to describe the feeling that you get when you see a student who is a sophomore who is a lost cause, barely there, making every effort, every day, to try to engage them,” Ackerley continued. “But when they return as a senior in their nursing scrubs talking about their future plans, that is just an amazing sight.”
Monday’s vote — and the whole deal — mark an about-face for lawmakers who approved the cuts less than a year ago with no real discussion. At that time, the governor and legislative leaders told members the state was facing a deficit and cutting $30 million from JTEDs was the only way to balance the budget.
Even in this year’s budget proposal, Ducey wanted to restore just $10 million a year — and only for three years and only if businesses provided matching funds, whether in dollars or equipment.
But lawmakers were swayed by the fact that Arizona ended last fiscal year with more than $300 million left over. And revenues this year are running far ahead of anticipated expenses.
Jessie Armendt, representing the Arizona Manufacturers Council, told lawmakers the 4,500 companies that make everything from golf clubs to beer need the programs.
“These are good-paying jobs,” she said.
“Nevertheless, more than 80 percent of our manufacturers in the state can’t find enough employees when they’re looking for employees with these skills,” Armendt continued. “JTEDs are fantastic at turning out students with skills so they can go right into the workforce and support business and industry in Arizona and help us attract other manufacturers to our state.”
The amendment made Monday was designed to address language in the original compromise that said any program that still required a student to pursue postsecondary education after graduating would not qualify for JTED and the additional funding the state provides. This was designed to weed out courses that left new graduates without a marketable skill.
Bob Schlanger, a member of the Pima JTED, said the original language would have undermined programs like one for pre-engineering students, as a new graduate would not be qualified to work as an engineer without more training.
But he said the new verbiage ensures such programs can go on as long as graduates get some sort of certificate that makes them ready for some job, even if getting a full-blown engineering degree would require college courses.
