When Gov, Doug Ducey released his budget proposal Friday, it included $114 million in new funds for K-12 schools. But not everyone is impressed.
Critics of the announcement include Democratic state Senator Steve Farley, who said the money Ducey has allotted was taken out of funds meant for the road system. And Farley said it simply won’t do much for education, especially not teachers, who next year will see a raise of only .4 percent.
Joe Thomas, the president of the Arizona Education Association, said he agrees.
“It comes out to about a dollar a day before taxes. And I don't know that's going to raise eyebrows of teachers,” Thomas said. “I want to say we're appreciative that the governor is looking at raising teacher salaries and making sure money goes directly into the classroom. But I don't know that this is going to keep people in the classroom.”
But Arizona House Speaker JD Mesnard, a Republican, defends the new budget, saying, it’s “a good starting point.”