Arizona Charter Schools Association’s members overwhelmingly voted to donate $10,000 to support Proposition 123 on behalf of Arizona’s charter schools and students.
“Proposition 123 settles a past due bill and provides much needed stability to K-12 education funding. Our membership vote shows that Arizona’s charter schools support Proposition 123, and see it as a bridge to school finance reform focused on the students, not the systems.”
– Eileen B. Sigmund, Arizona Charter Schools Association President and CEO
The K-12 funding measure would infuse $3.5 billion in additional public student funding for the next 10 years if approved by voters on May 17. It’s estimated that schools could get an additional $200 per student this fiscal year (FY16) if approved by voters.
Proposition 123 is the result of an agreement between legislative leaders and education groups to settle a long-running lawsuit over K-12 funding. Schools sued the state in 2010, charging that lawmakers had ignored a 2000 voter-approved mandate to boost state aid to schools annually to account for inflation. The state Supreme Court agreed.
When settlement talks stalled, Gov. Doug Ducey helped craft a plan to resolve the lawsuit, largely with money from the State Land Trust. The state legislature approved the plan during a special session held in October, and called a special election for May 17, 2016 so voters can make the final decision.
Find out more about Proposition 123 here.
