Legislative Deal Could Stabilize School Funding System

eileenThe $3.5 billion school funding deal recently approved by state legislators during a special session should inject some stability and certainty into Arizona’s school funding system, said Association President and CEO Eileen Sigmund.

Sigmund described the significance of the funding measure in a recent Arizona Republic story, which discussed what the deal could mean for charter and district schools.

Story Published in the Arizona Republic on Nov. 6, 2015.

Arizona schools officials have begun imagining how they will spend their share of the $3.5 billion school-funding plan approved last week by lawmakers. A top priority for many districts: giving teachers long-overdue raises.

Excitement over passage of the plan, which still needs voter approval, is tempered by a realization that the money may not go very far.

The Legislature and Gov. Doug Ducey last week passed a plan that would give the state’s public district and charter K-12 schools about $200 to $250 more per student this fiscal year, according to school officials. This is in addition to $74 million that is part of the plan but was already given to schools in this year’s budget.

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