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The Legislature Owes Schools Money, But How Will It Work?

A ruling by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper would require Gov. Jan Brewer and the legislature to come up with an extra $316 million immediately — and potentially $2.9 billion over five years — to make up for aid to schools they illegally withheld starting in 2009.

To find out where Arizona goes from here, we spoke to Chris Thomas—general counsel for the Arizona School Boards Association—and Matthew Ladner, senior advisor of policy and research for the Foundation of Excellence in Education.

We also checked in with Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services to find out whether the legislature will have to go into special session to restore the K-12 funding.

Steve Goldstein was a host at KJZZ from 1997 to 2022.