GOP congressman says higher-ed cuts hurt Arizona

• A Republican congressman says cuts to Arizona%27s education system are hurting the state.
• The criticism from U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon%2C R-Ariz.%2C a self-described fiscal hawk%2C was unusual%2C especially for a member of Gov. Doug Ducey%27s own party.
• Rep. Ruben Gallego%2C D-Ariz.%2C also said Monday that education cuts are bad for Arizona. He said state lawmakers could have sought other ways to balance the budget.

Cuts to Arizona's higher-education system are hurting the state and damaging job growth, a Republican and a Democrat representing the state in Congress told constituents this week at events around the Valley.

The criticism of state spending from U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., was surprising for a self-described fiscal hawk and a member of Gov. Doug Ducey's party, though Salmon didn't mention the governor by name.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said state lawmakers could have found other ways to fill the yawning budget shortfall.

The budget, passed by the Legislature and signed by Ducey in March, slashes university and community college funding by $115 million. Spending will rise slightly for K-12 schools this year, but spending levels haven't recovered from deep recession-era cuts.

The downturn dealt Arizona "some pretty bad hands," Salmon said, and the state is still struggling to recover. He spoke to a group of business leaders at an East Valley Partnership luncheon.

"But I really do believe that if we keep short-shrifting our state universities, we're going to reap the outcome," he said. "And it's not a good outcome."

Salmon predicted it will be more difficult to attract tech companies with high-wage jobs "when you're neglecting your state's higher education." Salmon worked to defend Arizona State University from budget cuts more than a decade ago as a lobbyist for the university.

"Both us and our state leaders need to double down, and look at the state Constitution too, and make a commitment again to our state's academic infrastructure," Salmon said.

The Mesa congressman was referring to a part of the Constitution that says university instruction "shall be as nearly free as possible" for students.

Across town, Gallego brought advocates together to talk about ways to improve women's economic situation at Fresh Start Women's Foundation, along with his wife, Phoenix Councilwoman Kate Gallego. Among the proposals were greater support for child care, job training, housing and wage equality.

Schools are essential too, advocates said.

"We keep cutting the education system down to the bone," said one woman at the Phoenix roundtable.

Gallego, before being elected to Congress in 2014, voted as a state lawmaker against budgets that cut education spending.

"The (Legislature) decided to give tax cuts to a lot of really wealthy corporations instead of putting that into schools," he said. "The thought was the economy will pick up and a surplus will cover the tax credits given to these corporations. Unfortunately that didn't happen."

Gallego urged the group to call their lawmakers.

"It's really important you voice your dissatisfaction," he said. If not, "it will continue to happen."

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who represents parts of Phoenix and the East Valley, said at the event with Salmon that the greatest challenge facing Arizona is job growth and tied it to education.

Though Sinema and Salmon are polar opposites on many issues, they have struck up a friendship since their elections in neighboring districts three years ago and tout areas of bipartisan agreement at local events.

Sinema didn't directly criticize school cuts as Salmon did. She struck a more optimistic tone.

Sinema agreed that research hubs at universities such as ASU and the University of Arizona, particularly in biotech, are key to economic growth.

"We've created the groundwork to bring those companies here," she said. "But we've really got to up our game."