LEGISLATURE

Ducey, Arizona legislators want millions for academic allies

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez
The Republic | azcentral.com
  • ASU has two freedom centers while UA has one
  • The Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s university system, is not advocating for the earmark
The Arizona Legislature could soon vote on a budget that would give the state's higher-education system an additional $32 million. But $5 million of it would be earmarked for so-called freedom schools, such as the Center for the Study of Economic Liberty at ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business.

The Arizona Legislature, which has slashed university funding in recent years, could soon vote on a budget that would give the state's higher-education system an additional $32 million.

But $5 million of it would come with strings attached. The budget would earmark that amount for so-called freedom schools aimed at advancing free-enterprise ideals at Arizona State University and University of Arizona.

The Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s university system, has not advocated for that earmark. A spokeswoman said the regents are prioritizing funding that is not tied to specific programs so it can be used to mitigate tuition costs for in-state students.

The billionaire Koch brothers, whose network of "dark money" supported Doug Ducey’s 2014 campaign for governor, have provided funding for the freedom centers. ASU has two and UA has one.

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Democrats strongly oppose the schools, while Republicans support or have mixed sentiments about the proposed spending.

Ducey supports the earmark, his spokesman said, because it promotes specialized and innovative programs that shape students' viewpoints long after college.

“The governor ... believes it’s important that students in our university system are exposed to a broad range of viewpoints and academic views on a number of issues, including economics,” spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said. “So this fits in with that priority.”

Arizona's university system, slated to receive $660 million from the state this year, had requested an additional $63 million in operating funds in the upcoming budget plus another $83 million in one-time funds to fix or renovate buildings for a total of $146 million in additional funding.

Jonathan Paton, who is lobbying for the dollars on behalf of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, said he has contacted representatives of a Koch charitable foundation to see if they would support the spending plan, but they have not been involved in the efforts. The Arizona Free Enterprise Club describes itself as a "free market, pro-growth advocacy group," and as a non-profit, it is not required to disclose its donors.

“While the funding proposed for freedom centers did not originate with the university system, the centers have great potential and have generated new interest in funding our universities, which is a good thing,” regents spokeswoman Sarah Harper said in a statement. “I would add that the board’s priority during this legislative session is our new student-centered funding model that places state dollars squarely behind the success of Arizona resident students.”

The $5 million plan for the schools has been included in at least two versions of budget spreadsheets that illustrate negotiations by House and Senate Republicans. ASU would receive $3 million, while $2 million would go to UA.

The center seeks to promote “independent thinking, scholarly debate, factual argument, and clear, honest communication of research and policy findings,” according to its website.ASU’s Center for the Study of Economic Liberty is an academic unit of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and is described as “nonpartisan.”Paton said the budget appropriation would fund faculty and operations, but it’s unclear how many. He said expansion of the schools would be “one of the most powerful things” the universities could do because they would teach students to think independently.

The center features recent work on public education titled “The Demise of Government Schools” and on the state’s land trust fund. The trust-fund is the cornerstone of the May 17 education-funding measure Proposition 123 crafted by Ducey. The center's policy report determined state leaders could be “more aggressive” in withdrawing from the fund.

The center has also published a policy report that examined a "road map" to how state leaders could eliminate the income tax, which is another key Ducey promise. The paper concluded that as state government enters a new era of economic growth “and the tax competition between states that has been occurring in earnest for decades, waiting longer may result in losing a golden opportunity.”

ASU creates economic-liberty center with $5 million in gifts

ASU’s Center for Political Thought and Leadership focuses on the “principles of good government, civic involvement, free markets and political liberty.”

UA’s Center for the Philosophy of Freedom’s website says it works to advance the “ideals of freedom” through research, education and community outreach. UA spokesman Chris Sigurdson said the center is "No. 1 in the world for political philosophy centers, as ranked by philosophy departments."

Democratic Minority Leader Eric Meyer of Paradise Valley ripped the earmark for the schools, saying even Republicans are questioning why it has been added to the budget deal agreed upon by GOP leaders and Ducey.

“These freedom schools advocate for things that will help to abolish public education as we know it,” Meyer said. “We have all these needs, and they’re talking about $5 million for a think tank that spews out propaganda.”

Rep. Debbie McCune Davis, D-Phoenix, wants to know who specifically has requested the funding be included in the budget. No one appears to know who is advocating for the funding, she said. Some lawmakers suggest Ducey and Senate President Andy Biggs are pushing hard for the funding.

"I don't think something should be in the state budget that doesn't have a member willing to stand up and take responsibility for it," she said, noting one center professor's emphasis on private schools.

Paton countered those same critics don’t complain about schools for sustainability or border studies at Arizona universities. “We care about intellectual diversity, and I think that the Legislature cares about that,” Paton said.

Rep. Doug Coleman, R-Apache Junction, said he has mixed feelings about the way the funding is structured and that he is concerned about rising tuition costs.

Rep. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, said he likes the concept of the schools, but has mixed feelings about the timing. “It probably isn’t at the top of my priority list at this moment, even though I think they’re worthwhile,” he said.

Sen. Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler, said Monday that the centers perform valuable research and are a “modest but very important part of these institutions."

Rep. Jay Lawrence, R-Scottsdale, said the spending plan represents “a wonderful opportunity” to fund conservative viewpoints, which he says are lacking at the schools. He said a freedom school should be established at Northern Arizona State University, as well.

“The universities in Arizona – two of them – have an education and professors who do not adhere to conservative thoughts and rules or the conservative attitude toward government,” he said. “I want to see more of that taught in our universities and it will never lessen the way they’re being taught now.”

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Republic reporter Anne Ryman contributed to this article.

Follow the reporter on Twitter @yvonnewingett and reach her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4712.