Arizona Government Lesson 8: Local Government, Education, and Taxation in Arizona
Question 8: Which of these is not a responsibility of local governments in Arizona?
- Maintaining sewage and garbage pickup
- Helping maintain public order with police or sheriffs
- Operating a university
- Administering records and election
Background
Arguably the most important role of state and local governments today is to provide a system of education. The US Constitution does not describe a role for the federal government in education (though a variety of the federal government’s powers and obligations do end up intersecting with schools). By way of contrast, the Arizona Constitution, like other state constitutions, has, since statehood, declared a positive obligation of the state to provide an education.
The operation of schools occurs through a complicated set of state and local partnerships. The Arizona legislature, as well as parts of the state executive branch, are responsible for some parts of school policy; locally elected school boards are generally responsible for others (like picking a specific school curriculum or choosing how much to pay teachers).
The vast majority of students in Arizona attend public schools, which include both traditional district schools as well as public charter schools. In addition, the state has more recently provided support for parents who instead choose private schools or homeschooling.
Schools, like the rest of state and local government, require taxes to pay for their operations. These come from taxing the earnings and property of the state’s residents. And unlike the federal government, which consistently runs massive deficits and must borrow more and more money, the state Constitution effectively requires the state to have a balanced budget. With limited exceptions Arizona cannot spend more than it takes in taxes each year. As a result, state legislators and the governor, who are responsible for making the state budget—both in terms of setting tax rates and in setting spending—must make sure that the two are kept balanced. If the legislature wants to spend more money, it must ensure that the state is collecting enough through taxes and other revenue.
State and local governments charge three basic kinds of taxes to pay for the services they provide: income taxes, property taxes, and sales taxes. (There are also various fees, including revenue generated from state-owned land.) Of the three basic kinds of taxes: income taxes are taken from the earnings of residents of the state and corporations doing business here; property taxes involve paying a certain percentage of the value of property, especially land or a home; sales taxes are added to the cost of purchasing various goods (such as at a retail store or restaurant).
Vocabulary List:
1. Federal Government – The national government of the United States.
2. State Government – The government that operates at the level of a specific state, like Arizona.
3. Local Government – The government that operates in smaller areas within the state, such as cities or towns.
4. Constitution – A set of rules that guides how a country or state is run.
5. Legislature – A group of people, like in a state or country, who make laws.
6. Executive Branch – Part of the government responsible for enforcing laws.
7. Public Schools – Schools funded and run by the government that are free for students to attend.
8. Charter Schools – Public schools that operate independently but still follow certain government rules.
9. Private Schools – Schools that are not run by the government and charge money for students to attend.
10. Homeschooling – When students are taught at home by parents or tutors instead of going to a traditional school.
11. Budget – A plan for how to spend and save money.
12. Taxes – Money that people pay to the government so it can provide services like schools.
13. Income Tax – A tax taken from the money people earn.
14. Property Tax – A tax based on the value of property people own, like houses or land.
15. Sales Tax – A tax added to the price of things when you buy them at a store.
16. Deficit – When the government spends more money than it has.
17. Revenue – Money that the government collects, mostly through taxes.
One of the important jobs of state and local governments today is to provide schools. The U.S. Constitution doesn’t assign say the federal government should be in charge of education, mostly leaving that to the state governments. although some federal laws and programs affect schools. However, Arizona’s Constitution (and other state constitutions) says that the state must make sure its residents have access to education.
Schools in Arizona are run by a partnership between the state and local governments. The Arizona legislature and parts of the state executive branch make some decisions about how schools operate. Meanwhile, local school boards, which are elected by people in the community, make decisions like choosing a school’s curriculum or how much to pay teachers.
Most students in Arizona go to public schools, which include both traditional public schools and public charter schools. Some parents, though, choose to send their kids to private schools or homeschool them, and the state has recently provided more support for those options.
Running schools costs money, and that money comes from taxes. In Arizona, taxes come from people’s earnings and property. Unlike the federal government, which borrows a lot of money and runs deficits, Arizona’s Constitution says the state must balance its budget. That means the state cannot spend more money than it collects in taxes each year. State leaders like the governor and legislators have to decide how much the state will spend and how much it will collect in taxes to keep the budget balanced.
There are three main types of taxes that pay for services like schools: income taxes, property taxes, and sales taxes. Income taxes come from the money people earn at their jobs. Property taxes are paid by people who own things like houses or land. Sales taxes are added to the price of things people buy at stores or restaurants. All of these taxes help keep schools and other services running.
Elementary school:
Vocabulary List:
1. Government – The group of people who make rules and decisions for a community, state, or country.
2. Education – The system of teaching and learning in schools.
3. Constitution – A set of important rules for how the government works.
4. Public Schools – Schools that are free to go to because they are paid for by the government.
5. Charter Schools – Special public schools that have more freedom in how they are run.
6. Private Schools – Schools that people pay to go to because they are not run by the government.
7. Homeschooling – Learning at home instead of at school.
8. Taxes – Money that people give to the government to help pay for things like schools.
9. Budget – A plan for how to use money.
10. Income Tax – A tax on the money people earn from their jobs.
11. Property Tax – A tax on things people own, like houses or land.
12. Sales Tax – A tax added to the price of things when you buy them.
One of the important jobs of the state and local government is to help run schools. The U.S. Constitution doesn’t give say that the national (federal) government the job of has to running schools, mostly leaving that to the state governments but it does affect schools in some ways. In Arizona, the state Constitution says that Arizona has to provide education for kids.
Schools in Arizona are run by both the state and local governments. This means that the Arizona government makes some school decisions, and other decisions are made by local school boards. Local school boards are groups of people from the community who are elected to make decisions for schools, like what kids will learn and how much teachers will be paid.
Most kids in Arizona go to public schools, which are schools that are free because the government pays for them. Some kids go to charter schools, which are public schools but have more freedom in how they do things. Others go to private schools, which their families pay for, or are homeschooled, which means they learn at home.