Above photo: Christina Estes/KJZZ.
Marana, AZ – Prop 208, Invest in Ed, passed.
A 3.5 percent tax increase will be applied to any individual making more than $250,000 a year or if a household makes more than $500,000 a year. That money will go towards public education.
Meagan Brown, a special education teacher at Twin Peaks School in Marana said this additional funding is needed for the state.
“Long story short, I just don’t want teachers leaving,” Brown said.
It takes a special person to be a teacher. Brown said she’s been doing it for a while. This is her 10th year in the classroom.
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and always wanted to be a special education teacher,” Brown said.
Brown told News 4 Tucson the past 10 years have been anything but easy.
“To be honest the salary of 35,000 is not something she can sustain long term,” Brown said. “Now with this funding, I will probably never leave this profession because it’s a true calling.”
Prop 208, Invest in Ed, will apply a 3.5 percent tax on anyone who makes more than $250,000 in a year.
“We are going to be able to increase their salaries so they stay and so the training and quality education will continue because we won’t have these people leaving for Amazon, Starbucks, Target because they pay better than in the classroom,” Brown said.
Margaret Chaney, president of the Tucson Education Association, said a proposition like this has been a long time coming.
“This is something that has been fought for three years now,” Chaney said.
Some who oppose Prop 208, said small business owners will need to lay-off employees and products will cost more because of the tax increase. Brown said this money was desperately needed.
“You want a teacher that loves teaching and loves children and if you find someone that does not, you don’t want them,” Brown said. “So this will keep people in the classroom that belong in the classroom.”
Officials told News 4 Tucson will be applied to 2021 so schools won’t see that money till 2022.