Friends of Flagstaff’s Future update for Sept. 19

Do you support or oppose the FUSD bond? Do you support or oppose the FUSD Override Renewal? Why?
Mayor Coral Evans: I support FUSD’s Bond because it is needed. Because when the AZ Legislature fails to live up to its constitutional duties to provide for the education of our children it is up to citizens to step up to the plate.

Regina Salas: I come from a family of teachers in the Philippines. My grandma often told me, “Your lifetime inheritance is education, not wealth or property.” I earned my bachelor’s degree from a college that produced the country’s first woman president. I went back to teach at my alma mater. My sons were shaped by FUSD education. I support education, teachers, and the FUSD bond and override renewal. I’ll make certain there’s a balance between the cost to taxpayers, teachers and students. I will pursue for Council to signify quality education and workforce development as a policy goal and demand much-needed funding from the state and federal government. Additionally, seek grants and public-private partnerships toward this goal.

Paul Deasy: I support the FUSD Override Renewal. Education is the best investment that we can make as a community.

Alex Martinez: I fully support the FUSD bond election. This is an investment in human capital which pays dividends for future generations and supports economic growth and improves our standard of living.

Dennis K Lavin:  I need to perform more research on this matter.

Adam Shimoni: I will support the FUSD Bond on the November ballot and the override renewal. I believe in giving the voters an opportunity to invest in education and I plan to support it. Council should also do its part and invest in education wherever it can including advocating the needs of our schools to the community and to the state. We need to improve our public schools and get Arizona back on track to providing our future leaders and workforce with the education needed to succeed.

Austin Aslan: As the Red4Ed movement demonstrated so clearly, our schools are desperately underfunded. They serve our children and families and are critical for ensuring a prosperous future in Flagstaff. We need to produce educated, civic-minded students. I support both the FUSD bond and override renewal. It is my belief that the full community benefits and prospers when education is made a top priority. Research shows that such an investment generates returns in the form of safer, cleaner communities and reduced healthcare and safety net costs.

We need an educated population to make reasoned and informed decisions about the issues that impact our community. We need an educated population to spur innovative economic development, to tackle the challenges of climate change, to foster our arts and science culture, to possess the skills to be able to reason through their fear and prejudice to extend true compassion and fight for our most disenfranchised community members. These qualities do not happen in a vacuum, but only thrive when we provide the resources for our future voters to succeed.

Proposition 424 is an override renewal that will maintain class sizes and provide a continued funding source for the arts, advanced placement, physical education, and other valuable programs. It also doesn’t raise taxes for property owners.

Proposition 423 is a bond that will renovate and maintain District schools that are between 30 to 75 years old, as well as upgrade technology and school buses. The proposed renovations will increase energy efficiency and provide 21^st  century teaching and learning environments to FUSD students.

The cost to the community if 423 passes is $16 per year for each $100K of property value. While 423 will raise taxes minimally, it is also necessary as state funding has
consistently provided fewer resources this past decade for basic school infrastructure needs. We cannot educate our students for the future if they are in ill-maintained buildings and still using 20th century technology.

F3 hopes that you will also support Propositions 423 and 424 at the ballot this November.