Invest In Ed Statement of Support

Education is an investment and not an expense.  This is a foundational belief of Helios Education Foundation and it drives our work – from our investment strategies to our policy decisions.  However, the fact is that Arizona has historically failed to make the necessary investments to ensure all of our students are afforded the opportunities we know they deserve.  

Helios Education Foundation has been committed to, and advocated for, increased funding for education since our inception in 2004.  There is no question that we need significant investment in every part of the education continuum – from early learning through postsecondary.   In fact, two years ago, Helios was asked to convene a group of business, philanthropy, and education leaders to explore education funding.  Through that work, we worked with three respected, independent, bipartisan economists and developed a long-term, sustainable, P-20 revenue recommendation.  Unfortunately, while the funding recommendation was deemed sound, not enough stakeholders emerged to champion the P-20 funding framework nor promote the revenue and investment considerations outlined.   

Despite the fact that Invest in Ed focuses only on K-12, it does provide much-needed resources for Arizona’s K-12 education system and the teachers and staff members that deserve our support.  That’s why Helios is supporting the Invest in Ed initiative and we urge our community to vote Yes on Proposition 208.  

While these resources are critical and will help retain talented K-12 teachers and provide increased student support services, more needs to be done to address the needs of both our universities and Arizona’s youngest learners. We will continue to raise our voice to advocate for comprehensive, sustainable funding reform that provides critical resources to both early learning and postsecondary education in our state.  Without meaningful investments in these areas, children will not be prepared to enter and thrive in the K-12 system, and we will not produce the number of college graduates our state requires to build a vibrant economy. 

There is still work to do and we will stay focused on all students in our state.