What
should the state do with $250 million? Invest in classrooms, now
Arizona is expecting to end the fiscal year with $250
million more in the budget than initially projected. Our Legislature should
be scrambling to get that money into our schools. Instead, Republican leaders
continue to drag their feet, leaving schools in dire financial straits.
Arizona has the resources needed to fund education and
invest in our future – but the Republican leaders in this state have made a
choice not to.

If the Republicans continue to neglect funding for
education, what should Arizonans expect to see as a result of years
of budget cuts to education?
- Lower
test scores – “The more money invested, the higher the test scores,”
said ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy Senior Policy Analyst Dan
Huntington.
- Increase
in classroom sizes and effects on teachers - a former Phoenix
Elementary School District governing board member said in a recent
interview that the state budget cuts did mean schools had to increase
their classroom sizes and freeze teacher compensation. A recent report shows that teachers are
leaving Arizona “in
droves.”
- Student
safety impacted – some schools will have to scale back facilities
maintenance, security guards and shared nurses.
Funding our schools now is an investment in our future. A
strong economic development strategy should include significant funding for
education. It’s time to #AskDuceyWhy he and other Republican leaders won’t
invest in education funding right now.
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