PHOENIX — Over the objections of Democrats, the state House has voted to give teachers a dollar-for-dollar credit on their income taxes for at least some of what they personally spend on classroom supplies.
The proposal by Rep. Jeff Weninger, R-Chandler, would let teachers reduce their taxes by up to $200 a year. It originally was a $400 credit but had to be trimmed amid concerns for the $13 million hit to state revenues.
“They shouldn’t have to buy supplies, but they do,” Weninger said.
Rep. Randall Friese, D-Tucson, said he understands what HB 2151 seeks to do. But he said it is ill-conceived.
“If we were to adequately fund our classrooms, we wouldn’t need to continue to indirectly fund our classrooms through tax credits,” he said.
Weninger conceded the point, saying even the teachers with whom he has spoken have told him that better state funding would be the ideal answer.
“But they’re looking for all the help that they can get,” he said. And Weninger said he will take what he can get.
“I look at it as a football field,” he explained. “I’d rather get five or 10 yards down the field right now than go for a Hail Mary that’s probably not going to pass.”
Friese, however, said he sees something a bit more sinister in the plan. He said it would open up the tax credits — and the state treasury — not only to public school teachers but also those teaching at private and parochial schools, as well as parents who teach their children at home.
House Minority Leader Eric Meyer, D-Paradise Valley, echoed the concern, saying the legislation increases the amount of money the state already is diverting to private and parochial schools.
But Rep. Chris Ackerley, R-Sahuarita, who teaches high school physics, said simply dividing up the money from this legislation among all schools ignores the reality of what happens in the classroom.
“This bill is about when I need a box of baking soda for a science lab or my wife needs to replace the strings on one of her student’s cellos,” he said. “We could go through a process of putting in a purchase-order request, waiting a couple of weeks for that to be processed, turning around, having to go through the hassle of having to coordinate all the logistics that go along with that.
“The problem is, the lab already happened, the concert already happened.”
Thursday’s preliminary approval sets the stage for a roll-call vote.
