Mark Stonebraker - House (D) - Stand for Children

Thank you for completing Stand for Children’s Legislative Candidate Questionnaire. Stand for Children is a
non-profit committed to ensure that all students in Arizona graduate from high school prepared for, and
with access to, college and career training. We do this by educating and empowering community members,
advocating for effective policies, ensuring strong policy implementation, and supporting courageous leaders
at the ballot box.
Though Stand will not endorse candidates in this election cycle, we will make the answers to the questionnaire
publicly available to help voters make informed decisions about candidates. Parents want to know candidates
have given thought to these issues; however, we know everyone is not an expert on K-12 education issues.
Please feel free to note if you need additional information before answering or if you aren’t ready to answer
certain questions at this time. We do require that most of the questions contain a response before we post to
our website. Please limit your overall responses to 2-3 pages.
Thank you for your willingness to share your perspectives and preferences regarding public education.
Candidate’s Name: Mark Stonebraker
Office sought (please include LD number): State House
School district(s) you live in: 14
Political Party: Democrat
Education (Please note highest degree achieved): Bachelors in Mathematics Completed all course work for a
masters in computer science
Elected Office Experience: Observed that those with experience I can not trust.
Experiences, jobs or volunteer accomplishments in the field of education: Cochise County Children's Crisis
Center - Open Inn, Huachuca City, AZ; Community Coalition for Haiti; YMCA Adventure Guides and Princesses;
Brownies and cub scouts; Keys School K–8 school PTA; other elementary, junior high and high school PTAs.
Current Profession:I am now a Computer Scientist with TASC a defense contractor for the DOD at Fort
Huachuca.
Certification: Please confirm the Candidate completed the survey or that the survey was completed in
consultation with the Candidate. Please do not submit questionnaires not vetted by the Candidate.
So certified. Mark Stonebraker
Campaign Website: www.stonebrakerforarizona.com

QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Please indicate your three overall priorities once in office and any explanation you’d like to include:
A. Jobs: Education is a key component of the long term plan to attract jobs to AZ. Direct support of efforts by
our universities to engage with industries such as biotech and astronomy should be supported. The AZ fund of
funds should be given greater resources. We cannot attract industries unless we have a unique resources
(good weather and lots of sun seem to be all that we have over other states) special skills which our
universities do have, and skilled workers (we have fewer than many states).
B. Education: see below
C. Women’s, Workers and Voters rights.
2. Please indicate your three education priorities once in office and any explanation you’d like to include:
A. Restore funding for education, raise teachers’ salaries = other states given AZ cost of living (COL), reduce
class crowding to 15/teacher from 21/teacher, make public and charter school rules equal. It is essential for AZ
economy to have a skilled workforce and to be able to attract young talent from other states by providing a
quality educational system for their children. The system in Arizona is as good as it can be with the limited
resources given it. Less crowding allows for more individual attention and does not overburden teachers.
Teacher salaries must be made commensurate in value with other states given the COL. AZ teacher salaries are
equivalent to 60% of Texas salaries on a per student basis adjusted for COL.
B. CHIPS: AZ KidsCare Enrollment has been frozen since January 1, 2010, restore funding and unfreeze it. This
is a key component to keeping our low income children in school and able to learn.
C. Arizonans expect Child Protective Services (CPS) to respond professionally and quickly to reports of child
abuse and neglect and to connect children with a safe and loving permanent home. CPS caseworkers are on
the front lines, making life-changing decisions about children's safety, who will care for them, and what
parents need to do. CPS has annual turnover rates of 26% and the staff is responsible for caseloads that are
50% or more above Arizona's standard. With this overwhelming workload, more than 10,000 reports are going
for months before an investigation is completed.
3. How can we improve the educational outcomes and what specific strategies, if any, should be deployed in
poor or low–resourced districts? The purpose of publicly funded education is to make it available to all
regardless of income. The only way to improve education in low income is for the state to be the primary
supporter of all schools and perhaps a larger proportion in low income areas. This can be done first by
refunding our education system. We are spending 24% less per student today than in 2008 when the cuts
started. We need to bring spending back to former levels.
A. We need to make our education system more efficient. One suggestion is to replace school superintendent
system with a centralized payroll system having 4 or so districts use one center. Other efficiencies can be
found. Replacing the public school system with charter schools may not be best since we are lower many
standards without considering their implications. Some of these are good and could be implemented in the
public system. Perhaps the education and continuing education of a teacher is not as important as outcomes
achieved in the classroom.
A. The teachers are the key to the success of any education. First raise teacher salaries across the board then
institute a merit system for paying teachers that rewards good outcomes and I think we all know what that is
even if it is difficult for teachers to stand up to that kind of judgment.
B. We must change our funding so that low income areas receive a minimum support that provides the level of
quality education necessary.
C. Property taxes must not be the primary source of income for schools. Receipts from property tax varies too
greatly from wealthy areas to low income areas.

4. How can Arizona nurture high-achieving students and schools?
Primary is to reduce class crowding. The teacher can then develop differing work for high achievers vs. low
achievers and where practical have advanced classes. Secondly reward high achieving teachers and schools
financially.
5. What is your plan to place a great teacher in every classroom and a great principal in every school?
As I mentioned we must have a merit system that rewards good outcomes financially and does not reward
poor outcomes. Key to this is a one-time large increase perhaps 30% increase in teacher salaries. I am not
aware of an underpaid principal but merit must also drive principal compensation as well. As much as I believe
in unions I think the teachers union may have made things too fixed and eliminated true creativity and ability
to adapt. We need to renegotiate some aspects of the agreement with teacher unions.
6. Arizona has long been a leader in the availability of school choice. What will you do, if anything, to ensure
the choices parents have are quality choices? First I am concerned that the charter schools may be given too
much latitude; however, the gain is that some of the rigid bureaucracy and rules of public schools is relaxed.
We need to find a middle ground which takes the good of the charter school and the good of the public school
and merges them. I am concerned that the charter schools open us to losing money that could be spent on
education, to the profits of the charter school. This must be checked and more accountability put in place for
the charter schools.
7. The public school finance formula is often criticized as being too complicated and outdated. Do you believe
the formula should be revised, and if so, what do you believe are the most important parts of a school finance
system?
Yes it needs to be revised. A 2010 study by Education Law Center, in New Jersey, states
Arizona fails on almost every measure of fairness or equity or access we've got in our report. Your level of
funding is low; you ranked 46th in adjusted spending in 2008, and you've probably gone down since (other
sources say we are 49 in 2011.)’
"And you provide very little, almost no increase in funding" to districts with the most concentrated student
need, he said. This would be equally true for both school facilities and general spending, he said.
Over the past 14 fiscal years, the Legislature has fully funded the School Facilities Board's building-renewal
fund only once. Over the most recent four years, including next year's budget, school districts will have
received 2 cents of every dollar they were supposed to get.
First the Arizona formula must be brought up to the standards of fairness and equity. Second our level of
funding must be brought up to much higher than 49 th . Third I would increase funding for low income districts.
Fourth, I would make funding the formula mandatory rather than be at the whim of the legislature each year.
Fifth, I would not have appropriations be renewable every year but say every 5 years and automatically adjust
for inflation.
Arizona's notion of paying for school facilities out of general funds rather than local property taxes was meant
to make the system fairer. But relying on annual appropriations makes it easy for lawmakers with other
priorities to shift funds elsewhere.
8. In addition to anything you have discussed above, is there anything else you think Arizona needs to focus
on in education to improve students’ outcomes?
Arizona is behind in STEM education. We need to develop a plan to improve our student’s performance in
STEM. Science Foundaton of Arizona (SFAz) is a start but it must continue to be funded and expanded. It is
funded by grants which will run out.

Thank you for completing the questionnaire. If there is any additional information Stand for Children can
provide regarding K-12 education in Arizona, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Contact Information: Kelly McManus, Policy Director; kmcmanus@stand.org; (602) 595-6944 x1608